Association of Consulting Engineers of Serbia (ACES), Association of Architects of Serbia (UAS) and Association of Belgrade Architects (DAB) have adopted and signed the “Statement in Support of Quality in Engineering and Architectural Services”, in Belgrade on November 20, 2015. The text of the Statement emphasizes the need to achieve predictable and efficient public spending in the field of Engineering and Architectural Services in the Republic of Serbia.
Following the conclusions of the EFCA Board meeting held on September 25, 2015 in Brussels, Mr. Matić, a member of the Board of Directors in ACES (Serbian Association) and EFCA (European Association), has initiated the idea of adopting the same platform for introducing the Statement on ACES’ behalf in Serbia.
The Statement was approved and signed by Jaewan Lee, President of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and by Bligaard Flemming Pedersen, President of the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA) that is in line with the recommendations of the European Commission.
In line with the recommendation of the Directive on Regulated Professions on Architects and Engineers and Public Procurement in Europe, which is fully or nearly fully implemented in EU Countries, Association of Consulting Engineers of Serbia (ACES) has initiated the adoption of the “Statement in Support of Quality in Engineering and Architectural Services”, which is the very first step in defining the quality in the field of Engineering and Architectural services. It must be highlighted that the way the profession and qualification requirements are regulated today varies a lot from one Member State to another, while many of them report the same risks and pursue the same general social interests. In our country, we believe in the Balkans region as well, this position is quite similarly not regulated. Our goal is to try to fix these discrepancies and reach common standing throughout the EU. We have also recognized the need for adjustments in local Public Procurement procedures for services with relevant EC Directives. According to the Law on Public Procurement of the Republic of Serbia, the selection of Architectural and Engineering services is only based on the lowest price criteria.
On the contrary, the EC Directive regarding Public procurement adopted in 2014 states that: “The cost element may also take the form of a fixed price, on the basis of which economic operators will compete on quality criteria only”. In addition, the Directive states that: “… the most economically advantageous tender…“ is not necessarily the cheapest.
Apart from the necessity for the harmonization with the European recommendations and procedures, it is of the highest interest to the Serbian Engineers and Architects to improve its position on the local market.
The aim of the Statement is to draw attention to the social position of engineers, to propose the improvement of the quality of civil engineering services and suggest amendments to the Law on Public Procurements and harmonization of Serbian legislation and regulation with the European Union.
Statement in Support of Quality in Engineering and Architectural Services can be downloaded here.
