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CONTENTS

1. ECI News
2. ECI Events - register online below
3. ECI Master Classes- register online below
4. Other Events/News - register online below
5. Publications - order online

ECI publications now available in e-format free to ECI members
ECI publications are renowned for their up-to-date relevance, their in-depth research and their practical approach to the application of research findings in real-life situations. Research is mainly carried out by task forces which consist of major industry players and academic experts working together. The result is often a carefully thought out manual or handbook giving advice and guidance to construction industry teams in order to help them deal with specific aspects of their work. Recent examples have been the newly launched Construction Health and Safety in Developing Countries, Managing People on Construction Projects, Project Development and Definition, and the ECI Pricing System for Piping Works. More information about all of these can be found at the end of this newsletter and the full list of ECI publications can be found on the ECI website at http://www.eci-online.org/pages/publications.html.
Members - for your free copy, please e-mail eci@lboro.ac.uk.

Successful COMIT Event in Durham
On 6 April, a COMIT workshop event entitled "Mobile Technology - Applications in Construction" was held in Durham organised by the Construction Productivity Network (CPN) chaired by Stephen Weatherley from ECI. The three speakers dealt with different applications of wireless technology to project and construction activities:

Jon Arnold of Riverbed Technology presented a revolutionary new approach which has enabled the rapid accessing of very large CAD files on remote sites. Up to now it has not been easy to transfer such files to outpost construction sites.

Finally, Tony Elliott of Skanska Construction shared the result of trials with tablet PC's on construction sites on a range of projects enabling constant access to up to date information and the immediate transfer of relevant site data back to the home office.

There was a lot of interest from delegates and a good discussion ensued on a range of practical questions about robustness of hardware, changing worker behaviours, data security, improvements in safety performance and reliability.

ECI is a member of COMIT.

Free admission to the next COMIT seminar on Transforming Construction Performance using RFID
Paid up ECI members will be admitted free to this one-day seminar on 11 May 2006 at the RFID Centre in Bracknell, UK. Delegates must register in advance for free places. For further details, see Other Events/News below.

Stop Press
- an ECI UK Members Workshop is planned for 29 June in NW UK
For further details, see ECI Events below.

- Saudi Aramco invites fellow ECI members to its Gateway to Saudi Arabia event 22 and 23 May For further details see under Other Events below.

ECI UK Members Workshop
Thursday 29 June 2006
North West UK

All ECI members are invited to attend and to bring guests. The day will also include the annual UK Board of Advisors meeting as well as presentations and workshop sessions on the following topics:

• Multicultural Project Team Working
• Resourcing and Industry Skills

In addition, the day will include an update on what ECI is doing and a presentation on the EuroACTIVE initiative to update current ECI best practice in a Europe-wide context. Opportunity will also be given for delegates to share other current industry issues where ECI might be able to help develop guidance.

This is an important event for UK members and it is hoped that there will be delegates from all parts of the ECI network. Please put this date in your diaries. Further details will be circulated in due course. This is a free event for members and their guests.

Italian course for engineers new to plant project execution (See News above)
Part 2: 16 – 18 May 2006, Milan

This course has been devised by ECI, ANIMP (Associazione Nazionale di Impiantistica Industriale) and OICE (Associazione delle organizzationi di ingeneria, di architettura e di consulenza tecnico-economico) aimed at engineers new to plant project execution. It will cover all principal aspects of construction acitivity in plant project execution in two 3-day modules.

It is intended for Italian speakers from clients, contractors, consultants, finance institutions and public administration bodies who are either

• recent engineering graduates, or bachelor certificate/diploma recipients, or
• experienced engineers new to engineering construction

UK MASTERCLASSES

Fast Track Projects
Date: 06 June
Venue: North East, UK
Tutor: Gerry Eastham

Most clients want their projects delivered as quickly as possible, at the lowest possible cost and to the highest safety and quality standards. While this may not be totally realistic, many projects have demonstrated that completion to a very tight schedule need not increase the cost or reduce either safety or quality standards. This Master Class will look at all the practical ideas that were captured by the multi-national and multi-discipline ECI Fast Track Task Force during research into the subject on behalf of the UK Government.

The course will be delivered by lecture, interactive discussion, group exercises and case studies. There will be opportunity for delegates to identify the aspects of greatest interest to them and time will be spent on current project problems where participants are free to discuss them.

It is intended for clients and contractors involved in large or small projects. In particular, business managers who wish to obtain the benefits that can result from adopting a fast track approach and project managers who may be charged with delivering a capital investment in the shortest practical timescale and managing the risks that this entails.

Managing People on Projects
Date: 22 June
Venue: North West, UK
Tutor: Stephen Weatherley

In any enterprise, the performance of people is important if success is to be achieved. This is especially so on construction projects where the ability of people to work together effectively to achieve a common result is essential. However, experience has shown that putting people from different organisations together and expecting them to work together in a co-ordinated way on interdependent tasks to achieve a common project objective is difficult.

Managing such project teams requires both skill and judgement, and the adoption of practices and behaviours which will facilitate a successful end result. This Master Class will introduce delegates to value enhancing practices (VEP's) which will help busy project team leaders and managers to develop strategies for leading, empowering and managing teams of people on projects to achieve high performance results.

This masterclass is for anyone who has a management or leadership role within projects including project directors, project managers, team leaders, contract managers, construction managers, design leaders and functional managers. It is also applicable to those in management support roles, HR managers, consultants, project control managers etc.

For further information and to register for the above UK masterclass please contact Anu Khandelwal at the ECI office on +44 (0) 1509 228797 or visit the ECI website at http://www.eci-online.org/pages/events.html, where the full 2006 programme is available.

COMIT Workshops
Radio Frequency Identification in Construction Projects
Date:11 May 2006
Venue: RFID Centre, Bracknell, UK

This event will explore the process improvements, efficiency benefits and cost savings that can be achieved through the use of wireless technology solutions (in particular Radio Frequency Identification – RFID) within the construction industry.

Following a series of “case-study” and demonstration project presentations the event will provide the opportunity to debate the opportunities and potential of the technologies in a series of workshop sessions. The event will also include a tour of the RFID Centre “live” application demonstrations.

The event will look at applications of wireless technologies in the construction industry including:

• Materials Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Security
• Asset Tracking
• Health & Safety
• Condition Monitoring
• Maintenance

Presentations will include:

• “An overview of the applications and benefits of RFID in the Construction Industry” (Simon Holloway, Microsoft)
• “Automated Asset Tracking in Construction - A case study – How RFID is improving business efficiency” (Chris Kemp, Business Development Manager, BT Auto-ID Services)
• “The Role of RFID in Construction” (Peter Burtwhistle, Sysnet)
• “The Future of RFID in Construction” (Prof Farzad Khosrowshahi, Connect IT)

Delegate Fee:£195 but delegate places are free of charge to COMIT members which includes paid up ECI members. If you want to take up the free place offer you must register in advance by contacting Tony Thompson direct at tthompson@rfidc.com.

For more information and to register for this event, go to http:www.ciria.org/cpn_intro.htm, email: enquiries@ciria.org or telephone +44 207 549 3300.

Note: ECI is a member of COMIT (Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT). Sarah Bowden of Arup, leader of COMIT, has won the Young Consultant of the year award 2006 - mainly for her work on COMIT.

Engineering Project Management Forum
Date: 11 May 2006
Venue: University College, London (UCL)

The popular series of professional conversations continues with its rich blend of topics on a theme of project management.  This session will look at:

• Sustainability
• The threat of the Olympics on other UK infrastructure projects
• The problems of estimating large sports stadia
• The difficulties of planning and definition
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
• The counter-cultural nature of project management
• Behavioural competence models
• Rollercoasters and more

Chris Fox, author of the ECI Manual “Project Development and Definition” will be one of the speakers. Download a flyer and registration form here: http://www.eci-online.org/e-news/E-newsDownloads/EPMF11flyermay19mk2.pdf

Reducing Occupational Health Risks in Construction
Date: 19 May 2006
Venue: Institution of Civil Engineers, London

This special one-day conference is organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers, Constructing Excellence and the Health & Safety Executive and will focus on managing the risks, not the symptoms. It will bring together experts in the field with a range of delegates, speakers and exhibitors, so expect to share ideas, network and build contacts. Prof Alistair Gibb of Loughborough University, and of the ECI Safety, Health and Environment Task Force, will be one of the speakers. It will be of particular interest to Health, Safety and Environment Directors and Managers, Occupational Health Advisors, Safety Engineers and Risk Managers, Employee Health and Safety Representatives.

ECI is a co-sponsor of this event. Further information is available on the ICE website at http://www.iceconferences.com/

Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) - Open Afternoon
Date: Wednesday 17th May 2006
Venue: CICE, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough

The Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE) are running an Open Afternoon on the 17th May 2006. The afternoon showcases the work undertaken by the Centre and is an excellent opportunity to meet and talk with current Industrial Sponsors and Research Engineers.

If you are interested in attending or have any queries related either to this event or about the Engineering Doctorate then please do not hesitate to contact CICE by:

Tel: +44 (0) 1509 228549, email cice@lboro.ac.uk, or visit the website http://www.lboro.ac.uk/cice

Saudi Aramco invites fellow ECI members to a Gateway to Saudi Arabia event
Date: 22 and 23 May 2006

If you do not have a local presence in Saudi Arabia and are interested in meeting Saudi Aramco and 9 of the Kingdom’s leading companies to explore trade and business partnership opportunities, please complete the reply form at http://www.eci-online.org/e-news/E-newsDownloads/GatewayReplyForm(3).docand return to Gateway@aramco.nl.

The full programme is contained in the announcement at http://www.eci-online.org/e-news/E-newsDownloads/AramcoAnnouncement.pdf – note that the event is in Amsterdam on the 22nd and 23rd May, so quick responses are necessary.

MSc Construction Project Management (work based distance learning)
This new MSc degree course offered b Loughborough University has been specifically designed with the working professional in mind. It will provide an opportunity for practitioners to acquire an MSc through work based distance learning (mainly delivered through web-learning) and will suit those who are unable to take time off work and attend full time education due to these flexible, work based learning arrangements. Employer organisations will also benefit as the products of the work-based projects will be based upon practice and hence will have immediate practical application. Substantial bursaries are available for suitable candidates.

For more details contact: Mrs June M Robson, MSc Postgraduate Programme Administrator, Tel +44 (0)1509 222604, or Email: mailot:j.m.robson@lboro.ac.uk

European Institute for Industrial Leadership - May workshops

LPG 7/SUS 8 Innovating for Sustainable Growth - 8th to 10th May file:///Z:/MASTER%20DOCUMENTS/ECI%20E-Newsletter/2006/40%20May%2006/images/stories/Course%20Details/coursedetailslpg7.pdf

LPG 6  A Calculated Risk - Investing in Growth - 10th - 12th May
http://www.eiil.net/mambo/images/stories/Course%20Details/coursedetailslpg6.pdf

HPL 6 Leading High Performance Teams - 16th - 18th May
file:///Z:/MASTER%20DOCUMENTS/ECI%20E-Newsletter/2006/40%20May%2006/images/stories/Course%20Details/coursedetailshpl0and6.pdf

MCE 4 The Science of Successful Multi-cultural Negotiation and Influencing - 23rd - 24th May
file:///Z:/MASTER%20DOCUMENTS/ECI%20E-Newsletter/2006/40%20May%2006/images/stories/Course%20Details/coursedetailsmce4.pdf

All workshops will be held at the European Institute for Industrial Leadership, Chateau Latour de Freins. The chateau is situated in the forest surroundings of Uccle, about 20 mins from the centre of Brussels. For more information and to register for any of the above events please visit http://www.eiil.net/ or contact secretariat@eiil.net

NEW
Construction Health and Safety in Developing Countries
ISBN 1873844 63 8

This manual has been written following a one-year research project at Loughborough University by the ECI Safety, Health and Environment Task Force, investigating the implications on health and safety of carrying out engineering and construction projects in developing countries. Copies are now available for purchase.

OTHER RECENT PUBLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
Managing people on construction projects
ISBN 1 873844 61 1

This major new ECI publication will introduce a suite of practical techniques to underpin effective project teamwork, leadership and empowerment strategies. Essential for all those involved with managing teams.

This publication is now available to purchase from the ECI office at £40.00 to members and £60.00 to non-members.

Project development and definition handbook
ISBN 1 873844 61 1

Effective project definition is a cornerstone of good practice. Engineering and construction projects are important components of business investment processes. Unless projects are properly defined, their chances of success are slim, often posing a significant risk to the overall business.

This ECI manual, written by Chris Fox, will be an essential tool for clients, contractors, advisers and suppliers.

This publication is now available to purchase from the ECI office at £40.00 to members and £60.00 to non-members.

ECI Pricing system for piping works - version 2
ISBN 1 873844 60 3

Since the initial publication in 2002, a number of owners, EPC contractors and construction contractors in our industry have applied the ECI Pricing System for Piping Works successfully on different types of project at various locations. Their contribution in providing comments and suggested improvements is highly appreciated and enabled the ECI Benelux Subcontracting Task Force to prepare this 'Revision 2005' of the system. In addition, a number of modifications were required to better support further automation of the execution work processes that interface with the system.

The system provides a structured approach designed to reduce bidding costs for owners and contractors alike, it includes a spreadsheet with multipliers on a CD-ROM, not a ready-made software package, but simple enough to integrate into any company's existing software.

This publication is now available to purchase from the ECI office at £40.00 to members and £60.00 to non-members.

A full list of publications available to purchase from ECI can be found on the publications page of the ECI website or contact Anu Khandelwal at the ECI office.

To learn more about the European Construction Institute (ECI), its members and work, please visit
the ECI website: http://www.eci-online.org/ or contact the ECI office on tel: +44 (0)1509 223526.