IPWEA Vic Blog

There has been significant changes within the EPA over the last 6 months with the appointment of John Merritt as Managing Director and Cheryl Batagol as Chair.  John Merritt gave a presentation to the Victorian Civil Construction Alliance on 27th august briefly outlining the EPA’s mandate and performance improvement program.  A copy of the presentation can be accessed here. (please be patient with upload as it is a large file)

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The 2nd IPWEAvic Procurement Excellence Conference is to be held on Thursday 14th October at Darebin Arts Centre in Preston.  It will be held in conjunction with FinPro and supported by DPCD, Local Government Victoria.   A great event for those aspiring to best practice in procurement and contracting.

• Receive updates on recent industry best practice trends in procurement
• Find practical strategies for contracting that you can implement in your own organsiation
• Learn from case studies
• The Municipal Inspectors Role in Procurement
• Role of probity auditor
• Social procurement explained
• How procurement can lead to achieving your organisations sustainability outcomes
• Find out what the state government is doing with respect to developing best practice contracting
• Opportunity to network with industry colleagues

 The one day event will conclude with an optional dinner sponsored by Open Windows

Major sponsors are MAV Procurement and RSM Bird Cameron.

Cost of the day is $250 with a $50 discount offered to IPWEAvic members

Mark the date in your calendar NOW and plan to be there!

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The IPWEAvic Infrastructure Managment Solutions Conference is to be held on 11th and 12th May 2011 at Melbourne and Olympic Park.  
The theme of the conference is Planning and Delivery for Sustainable Communities encompassing the full cycle of project management with sessions planned around topics of
project planning, project consultation, project delivery, capital works planning, project risk management, project delivery, construction supervision, all within the Public Works context.
The conference committee is keen to hear from anyone who would like to present at the conference, particularly sharing a case study demonstrating areas of the general confernece theme.
If you would like to be considered for presenting a paper at this conference please email an abstract (no longer than 200 words) on your topic to the Conference Chair, Geoff Glynn c/0 vic@ipwea.org.au by Friday 5 November 2010
If you would like to discuss the conference further please contact Anne Gibbs agibbs@ipwea.org.au

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View WHK Market Update for 2 September 2010 here

For more information visit WHK website here.

Note: As from June 28 WHK new address is Level 17, 181 William Street, Melbourne Vic 3000. WHK main telephone contact number has also changed to 03 9258 6700.

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The Engineers Australia National Congress has adopted a new code of Ethics and Guidelines on Professional conduct.   IPWEA does not have its own code. In the absence of any other guidelines IPWEAvic Board suggest the use of this code as IPWEA is affiliated with Engineers Australia. 

The Code

 In the course of engineering practice we will:
1. Demonstrate integrity
1.1 Act on the basis of a well-informed conscience
1.2 Be honest and trustworthy
1.3 Respect the dignity of all persons
2. Practise competently
2.1 Maintain and develop knowledge and skills
2.2 Represent areas of competence objectively
2.3 Act on the basis of adequate knowledge
3. Exercise leadership
3.1 Uphold the reputation and trustworthiness of the practice of engineering
3.2 Support and encourage diversity
3.3 Communicate honestly and effectively, taking into account the reliance of others on engineering expertise
4. Promote sustainability
4.1 Engage responsibly with the community and other stakeholders
4.2 Practise engineering to foster the health, safety and wellbeing of the community and the environment
4.3 Balance the needs of the present with the needs of future generations

Guidelines on Professional Conduct
The Guidelines on Professional Conduct provide a framework for members of Engineers Australia to use when exercising their judgment in the practice of engineering. The Guidelines are not intended to be, nor should they be interpreted as, a full or exhaustive list of the situations and circumstances which may comprise compliance and non compliance with the Code of Ethics. If called upon to do so, members are expected to justify any departure from both the provisions and spirit of the Code. Ethical engineering practice requires judgment, interpretation and balanced decision-making in context. Engineers Australia recognises that, while our ethical values and principles are enduring, standards of acceptable conduct are not permanently fixed. Community standards and the requirements and aspirations of engineering practice will develop and change over time. Within limits, what constitutes acceptable conduct may also depend on the nature of individual circumstances. Allegations of non-compliance will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and administered in accordance with the disciplinary regulations.

1 Demonstrate integrity
1.1 Act on the basis of a well-informed conscience
a) be discerning and do what you think is right
b) act impartially and objectively
c) act appropriately, and in a professional manner, when you perceive something to be wrong
d) comply with all legal, contractual and employment obligations
1.2 Be honest and trustworthy
a) accept, as well as give, honest and fair criticism
b) be prepared to explain your work and reasoning
c) give proper credit to those to whom proper credit is due
d) in managing perceived conflicts of interest, ensure that those conflicts are disclosed to relevant parties
e) respect confidentiality obligations, express or implied
f) do not engage in fraudulent, corrupt, or criminal conduct
1.3 Respect the dignity of all persons
a) treat others with courtesy and without discrimination or harassment
b) apply knowledge and skills without bias in respect of race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital or family status, national origin, or mental or physical handicaps

2 Practise competently
2.1 Maintain and develop knowledge and skills
a) continue to develop relevant knowledge and expertise
b) act in a careful and diligent manner
c) seek peer review
d) support the ongoing development of others

2.2 Represent areas of competence objectively
a) practise within areas of competence
b) neither falsify nor misrepresent qualifications, grades of membership, experience or prior responsibilities
2.3 Act on the basis of adequate knowledge
a) practise in accordance with legal and statutory requirements, and with the commonly accepted standards of the day
b) inform employers or clients if a task requires qualifications and experience outside your areas of competence

3 Exercise leadership
3.1 Uphold the reputation and trustworthiness of the practice of engineering
a) advocate and support the extension of ethical practice
b) engage responsibly in public debate and deliberation
3.2 Support and encourage diversity
a) select, and provide opportunities for, all engineering practitioners on the basis of merit
b) promote diversity in engineering leadership
3.3 Communicate honestly and effectively, taking into account the reliance of others on engineering expertise
a) provide clear and timely communications on issues such as engineering services, costs, outcomes and risks

4 Promote sustainability
4.1 Engage responsibly with the community and other stakeholders
a) be sensitive to public concerns
b) inform employers or clients of the likely consequences of proposed activities on the community and the environment
4.2 Practise engineering to foster the health, safety and wellbeing of the community and the environment
a) incorporate social, cultural, health, safety, environmental and economic considerations into the engineering task
4.3 Balance the needs of the present with the needs of future generations
a) in identifying sustainable outcomes consider all options in terms of their economic, environmental and social consequences

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