Engineering, Construction & Management Consulting Ltd.

ECMC Ltd is proud to announce that its Managing Consultant, Chartered Engineer/Chartered Surveyor, Egbert Louis passed the assessment of professional competence and has therefore been upgraded to Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).

The CIArb (www.ciarb.org</span>) is a not-for-profit, UK registered organisation which has a global membership of individuals who have professional training in private dispute resolution.  The CIArb acts as an international centre for practitioners, policy makers, academics and those in business who are concerned with the cost-effective and early settlement of disputes.

Of the three grades of CIArb membership, Egbert has advanced from Associateship to Membership and is now entitled to use the designation "MCIArb". This Membership grade is for individuals who can demonstrate a detailed level of knowledge of an area of dispute resolution.

In addition to his primary areas of practice in civil and structural engineering, Egbert, through ECMC Ltd, has worked in alternative dispute resolution in the construction industry in Saint Lucia for several years and has acted as an expert witness in various cases.  He has also attended training seminars in alternative dispute resolution and is one of three founding members of the recently launched Saint Lucia Chapter of CIArb.

Egbert, who is already a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (www.rics.org</span>) intends to pursue Fellowship with CIArb.  He urges other engineers to join CIArb noting that an engineer, Joe Behan (Chartered Engineer, FCIArb, FIEI, BE) was elected World President of the 12,000-strong CIArb for the year 2010.

Given the predictions for an above normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin, engineers need to be more aware of the importance of damage assessment as it is critical in the eventual recovery of Saint Lucia.

Undertaking a damage assessment, irrespective of the type of disaster is a skill imparted to many Saint Lucians who have been trained by the Saint Lucia National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO).  The practice of assessing damage after a disaster normally calls for:

(i)            an Initial Damage Assessment and needs assessment (IDA);

(ii)           a Detailed or Sectoral Damage Assessment; and

(iii)         Reconstruction and Recovery plans.

The IDA is perhaps the most important of the three, as it provides information to donor agencies on the immediate needs and the anticipated extent of funding that will be required for the Reconstruction and Recovery stage. Of the three assessment reports, the IDA report is the only one which must be produced by NEMO.

Engineers, given their training and involvement in their respective fields should and are encouraged to play a meaningful role in conducting IDAs.  This can be best achieved through their full participation as members of NEMO’s damage assessment teams, particularly the National Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis team. Saint Lucian Engineers stand up and get involved!

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