Message from QSD Chairman (December 2012)

The QSD Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Quantity Surveying Divisional (QSD) Council was held at the World Trade Centre Club, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong on 30 November 2012. The following members were elected as Officers and Council Members:
Chairman Sr Keith Yim
Vice Chairman Sr KL Wong
Vice Chairman Sr Honby Chan
Hon Secretary Sr Sunny Chan
Hon Treasurer Sr Jesse Wong
Immediate Past Chairman Sr Thomas Ho
Council Members
Sr Poleon Chan
Sr Sunny Choi
Sr Joseph Chong
Sr Amelia Fok
Sr Raymond Kam
Sr Raymond Kong
Sr Evenlyn Kwok
Sr Emily Li
Sr Tim Ngai
Sr Steven Tang
Sr Sandy Tang
Sr S C Tse
Sr Tzena Wong
Sr Joe Wu
Sr Franki Yeung
Sr Daisy Yeung
 
The two representatives from the Young Surveyors Group have yet to be confirmed. Apparently, no nomination for a representative of our Associate Members was received.
 
At the Annual General Meeting I had the pleasure of representing the Council to present souvenirs to the outgoing Chairman, Sr Thomas Ho, for the great leadership and diligent work he carried out during the 2011-12 Council Year. Many thanks also go to the outgoing Council. Without its support, the QSD Council would not have been able to achieve such tremendous success.
 
2013 Year Plan
The incoming Council has a list of challenging tasks to work on during this Council Year, including:
  • The third batch of training and assessment exercises for HKIS QSD members and China Engineering Cost Association (CECA) members following the promulgation of CEPA 9 and our meeting with our Mainland counterparts on 31 October 2012 in Beijing.
  • The provision of more training on BIM. In addition, a conference will be organized in Hong Kong next year after our visit to Singapore in November 2012.
  • The publication of more practice notes subsequent to the successful launch of the same in October 2012.
  • Establishing more international networks by examining the possibility of signing reciprocity agreements with overseas counterparts subsequent to consultations with them during the ICEC World Congress of June 2012 in Durban, South Africa.
  • More promotion of the quantity surveying profession to the public and youth, especially those in their last years of secondary school.
  • Further collaboration and communication with the government and statutory bodies, other local construction professional institutes, and quantity surveyors’ organizations within the government departments.
  • Exploration of new initiatives to enhance the sustainability of the quantity surveying profession.
The Council has fixed the meeting schedule as follows:
3 Jan 2013 
7 Feb 2013
7 Mar 2013
11 April 2013
2 May 2013
7 June 2013
4 July 2013
1 August 2013
5 September 2013
3 October 2013
8 November 2013
29 November 2013
(AGM – tentative)
 
All members are welcome to attend the Council meetings and participate in the divisional council’s activities.
 
Presentation Ceremony for Certificates and Stamps for Registered Cost Engineers (PRC-Hong Kong Region)
The Ceremony was held at the Crowne Plaza Suite Hotel, Shenzhen, on 12 December 2012. The guests from the Mainland included:
Ms Xu Hui Qin 徐惠琴理事长中国建设工程造价管理协会(CECA)
Ms Tan Hua 谭华处长住房城乡建设部(Mo HURD)
Mr Wu Zuo Min 吴佐民秘书长CECA
Ms Kong Xian Zhen 孔宪珍主任CECA
The Council had the pleasure of inviting the President, Sr Serena Lau, and the Senior Vice President, Sr Stephen Lai, to the Ceremony. Dr Fu Peng Peng of the Liaison Office of The
Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R. (中联办) also took time off from his hectic schedule to attend. In addition, there were representatives from the Association of Consultant Quantity Surveyors (ACQS), namely Mr Kenneth Poon, Mr Michael Yu, and Mr CC Lai, who attended the event.
 
A total of 65 members have been approved by Mo HURD as Registered Cost Engineers. At present, there are, altogether, 144 members who have successfully registered with the Mainland Authority as Cost Engineers. The certificates and stamps were presented by our guests from the Mainland. As a token of our appreciation, the Council hosted a dinner for them. Overall, the ceremony was well-received by our guests and members, who collected their certificates and stamps in person.
 
Members should note that the certificate and stamp are valid until 31 December 2016. As part of the lifelong learning process required by the CECA, members are encouraged to attempt e-learning via the Association’s website. The minimum requirement is 30 hours per year or 120 hours for four years. Upon the renewal of the certificate every four years, members are required to submit records of CPD as part of their requirements.
 
Chairman’s Report for the Year 2011/2012
The Immediate Past Chairman, Sr Thomas Ho, presented his Report for the year 2011-12. It is one of the most comprehensive Chairman’s Reports that members have seen in the last 10 to 15 years. It contains a lot of activities and pictures that truly reflect the tremendous work that the Immediate Past Chairman and outgoing Council have done over the last Council Year. The outgoing Chairman would also like to express his gratitude to the Council and other members for their unfailing support for his leadership. His report can be downloaded via http://www.hkis.org.hk/qsd/en/newsroom_event_details.php?id=2948 .
 
As 2012 will end very soon, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2013.