The prime objective of the new Agreement is to establish a closer working relationship between the Institutions in areas of common interest. In giving effect to the recommendations set out in the Agreement both ICE and ICES intend to further develop and enhance their relationship.

The implementation of the Agreement is expected to provide the membership of both Institutions with additional and improved benefits to those which currently exist and these are as follows:

Geospatial Engineering Board
The Joint Engineering Survey Board was formed in 1992. Since then, the Agreement has endured through a period of very substantial technical developments in geo-spatial engineering and related techniques serving the engineering and construction industries and which now have application in many other industries.

It has been agreed therefore that the board should be renamed the Geospatial Engineering Board (GEB) with a remit to widen the areas of interest and through its learned society activity attract a wider range of members to both Institutions and in addition provide support to other boards where geo-spatial engineering activity can add value.

Commercial Management Board
The traditional role of the Quantity Surveyor and Measurement Engineer has changed significantly over recent years. The conventional bill of quantities and methods of valuation have declined and other procedures have been devised. There has emerged an increasingly commercial environment where more sophisticated methods of procurement are giving rise to pivotal changes of risk borne by the parties. These changes require many engineers and surveyors to fill quite different roles which will draw upon the skills of the two professions and will require the development of new skills so that the two professions can take the lead, or join with other professions and Institutions in developing new ideas and concepts.

It is felt therefore that rather than compete it would be best for both Institutions to collaborate in this area of their activities. In this way more expertise would be available as an effective way of ensuring that members of each Institution with interest in these areas could enhance their knowledge.

As a result a new joint Commercial Management Board was established to serve the Management Board of ICE and the Commercial Management Practices Committee of the ICES. The first meeting of the Board was convened in November 1999.

Industry and Commercial Management Practices Committees
ICES already provide expertise to certain ICE Industry Practices Committee Panels as part of the 1992 Agreement. It is intended however that this representation will be extended and that ICE will provide similar expertise to the Commercial Management Practices Committee of ICES. The benefits of co-opting suitable leading practitioners and widening the membership of the ICE and ICES panels is expected to bring the combined expertise of the two Institutions to bear on matters of fundamental importance to the engineering and construction industries and to develop greater unity between the two professions so creating a more powerful voice on contractual issues in the industries. Such collaboration should also be seen as a positive step in reducing the often criticised fragmentation of construction professions and should enable both Institutions to attract more members.

Membership of ICE or ICES for existing members
A material benefit of the Agreement is to be a form of reciprocity in respect of membership. Whilst certain procedural and instrumental details need to be finalised it will henceforth be possible for members of each Institution to apply for membership of the other Institution on more favourable terms than those which existed prior to the Agreement.

Details of the new requirements for membership as a consequence of the Agreement will be available from the membership secretary of each Institution.

Use of Facilities of ICE and ICES by all members
Members of both Institutions are entitled by the Agreement to the use of each others Headquarters facilities. Where charges are made by either Institution they shall be on the same basis as those charged to their own members.

In recognition of an annual contribution by ICES, its members shall have the use of the ICE library which shall acquire particular books and periodicals specified by ICES.

Joint Regional Meetings
Both Institutions wish to encourage greater interaction between their respective members at regional level and agree that the Local Associations of ICE and the ICES Regions shall be encouraged to hold joint regional meetings, to arrange joint local events without duplication or competition, to exchange information on meetings calendars and to promote other similar initiatives. The Geospatial Engineering Board and Commercial Management Board shall ensure that at least one of their meetings and/or events is held at regional level each year.

Other Areas of Collaboration
A specific initiative shall be to provide effective links between the web sites of both Institutions and encourage cost effective administrative collaboration.

Both ICE and ICES will take reasonable steps to support any collaborative initiatives taken by their commercial subsidiary companies.

Both Institutions have a common interest in projecting the image of civil engineering as an industry and as a profession both to the public, to the profession and to kindred professions and will undertake to work together in promoting civil engineering.

The Agreement shall be subject to formal review three years from the date of signature or earlier if agreed by both parties.

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