The EFCA newsletter has just been published, it contains information on the following:

• EFCA Statement on Carbon Management
• Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity
• “No green without blue” – EFCA in Construction Europe
• Commission Consultation on Renewable Energy Auctions

 

The full newsletter is available here.

There has been an update to the software on the eTenders platform, which took place on 5th February 2024. The update to the platform software provides enhancements in the following areas:

•               Enhancement to Qualification Systems for the Utilities Sector
•               Inclusion of messaging functionality for DPS tenders
•               Inclusion manual creation of Qualification Systems
•               Adjustment to the operation of Part III B of the ESPD Request
•               Offline evaluation – Inclusion of a printer friendly report that associates the submitted files with the decryption key that the        platform provides
•               Inclusion of eForms notices in search results
•               Ability to create standalone award notices directly to the TED Portal via eTenders

 

Please review these release notes for further information.  Any queries should be directed to: OGP’s Client Service Team at support@ogp.gov.ie or Tel: +35317738000

Noel Kane ACEI President 2002 – RIP

President James Kavanagh, Executive and Secretariat are saddened to learn of the death of Noel Kane, esteemed Past -President ACEI 2002-2003, and former Chairperson of Garland Consulting Engineers, RIP.

Noel graduated from UCD in 1965 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering.  He spent over 40 years with Garland culminating in his role as Chairperson from 2002 to 2019. He became ACEI President in 2002 and worked tirelessly on behalf of the Association during his tenure.  See Garland’s memorial in honor of Noel here.

ACEI sends sincere condolences and sympathy to Noels’ family, friends and colleagues; he will be greatly missed.

Funeral arrangements can be found on rip.ie.
 

Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.

This year’s EFCA Future Leaders’ competition is special as some changes have been made to the Competition. The spotlight is on the Future Leader! With the introduction of new submission processes, and five new excellence categories, we want to highlight the role of the Future Leaders within a project. For the first time ever, entries can be submitted in a free form, including, but not limited to pdf, video, ppt, and prezi. Creativity is encouraged and rewarded with the introduction of a new excellence category specifically recognising the quality of the submission presentation.

The other new excellence categories are:

 

• Engineering,
• Digital & New Technologies,
• Impact on Climate & Biodiversity,
• Contribution to Society.

Further information is available here.

Please note the deadline for application is the 31^st of March 2024.

The EFCA newsletter has just been published, it contains information on the following:

• EU elections 2024 – Supplement to Manifesto
• Launch of EFCA Future Leaders Competition
• EFCA Position Paper on EU Blue Deal

The full newsletter is available here.

The European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA) has released its position paper on an EU Blue Deal. This document is the result of extensive research and collaboration among EFCA member associations and addresses the crucial issue of water management. EFCA advocates for the development of comprehensive EU water policies aimed at ensuring access to clean and drinking water, as well as climate adaptation measures for nature’s own water infrastructure.

Highlighting the importance of maintenance and repair of water supply infrastructure, as well as wastewater infrastructure, the paper underscores the need for investments and cooperation among Member States in the development of an EU Blue Deal. EFCA emphasises the need to make water a policy commitment of the new political term 2024-2029.

EFCA’s policy in brief together with the full Position Paper are available here.

At Varming Consulting Engineers, we have our finger on the pulse of the Irish construction industry, and the concept of circular thinking has gained some traction over the last decade or so. Traditionally, the linear ‘use & dispose’ approach to construction materials creates a lot of waste, however, the circular economy approach involves use followed by reuse.

Recently, the concept has been incorporated into the European Green Deal, which features a Circular Economy Action Plan, and with increasing support, it presents an exciting opportunity to integrate these principles into Irish building design. 

Recycling Construction Waste
An example of circular economy thinking can be seen in 2020 when an Irish construction waste management company called IMS. 3,000 tonnes of concrete waste was collected by the company from a Dublin Airport runway taxi-way project, however, it wasn’t disposed of. Instead, it was used to create Greenstone – an NSAI-certified aggregate. 

At the same time, IMS supplied 7,000 tonnes of Greenstone back to Dublin as a sub-base for the newly constructed runway. As such, following independent verification, this recycled aggregate has been certified as having a carbon footprint equivalent to just 5% of virgin materials. Moreover, the reduced transportation has resulted in much-reduced emissions.
 

In terms of construction waste, circular thinking can potentially transform how Irish construction deals with the waste it produces. Recycling materials in this way not only diverts waste from landfill but also reduces the impact of new material extraction. 

Working Towards a Greener Irish Construction Industry
Great strides are being made toward making the Irish construction industry cleaner and more environmentally-friendly, and the circular economy’s introduction advance matters further. Varming’s experienced mechanical and electrical engineers will continue doing their part in the transition to greener construction methods.

If you’d like to know more about us and our past projects, please visit us today at www.varming.ie, where you’ll find everything you need to know. Alternatively, to discuss your needs, call 01 4872300 and our experts will be happy to help you find the ideal solution. 

The 2024 calendar of Construction Industry Holidays is here.

The European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA) has released its position paper on a Whole Life Carbon Roadmap to address the crucial issue of carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of buildings and infrastructure projects. 

EFCA is a key stakeholder in the shaping and delivery of the roadmap, representing the engineering community, which will design whole life carbon solutions within the broader perspective of the sustainable built environment.  The full position paper is available here.

ACE and ACEI to work together to promote built environment sectors across the UK and Ireland.

Joint platform for organisations’ members will encourage shared learning and support best practice.

Two leading associations in the built environment sector are fostering closer links to enable consulting engineers across the UK and Ireland to share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which sets out a clear intent to support the continuous professional development of the engineering professionals of the future and attract more people into the sector, while promoting diversity and inclusion.

The two organisations will work together to foster a strong connection between their members and support shared learning within the worlds of infrastructure across the UK and Ireland.

Stephen Marcos Jones, chief executive of ACE, said he was looking forward to working more closely with ACEI, which would bring mutual benefits to both organisations.

“The two organisations have a wealth of different experiences across the same sector and as the nearest neighbour, it made sense to share industry knowledge and capitalise on the synergies,” he said.

Initiatives like joint events and seminars are likely to come out of the partnership, with a particular focus on emerging professionals and future leaders, culminating in an annual joint event.

“There’s clearly a symmetry between the UK and Ireland when it comes to the opportunities and challenges for our sector and the pitfalls we have overcome,” Jones said. By working together, we have the opportunity to share the many lessons which have been learned along the way and we can enable our respective members to take advantage of the shared knowledge and experience that they have between them. We also have an opportunity to promote the sector to future generations, showcasing the commercial and professional opportunities available.”

Shane Dempsey, Secretary Genaral of ACEI said “There are many cultural and business links between the Irish and British consulting engineering sectors. Both have played integral roles in shaping both societies over the past 100 years. With so many companies with presences across the islands, it makes sense for our two organisations to partner. In the first instance, the partnership will focus on sharing experience, insight and knowledge. In addition, we intend to celebrate the cultural connections between the two sectors over the coming years. Another key focus will be attracting future generations to the industry as a career destination. All the research shows that the industry needs to be repositioned with parents, teachers and of course young people, particularly women. Both the UK and Ireland have hugely ambitious housing, infrastructure and climate change strategies that will provide hundreds of thousands of the next generation with digtalised and globalised careers; if we can get that message across to them collectively, we will have built a sustainable consulting engineering sector in both islands!”