Quantity surveyors appoint Canadian chair

A past president of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS) was named as the new chair of the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) at their annual congress last month in Yokohama, Japan.

"CIQS’s involvement with PAQS substantially raises the image of Canadian quantity surveyors internationally," said Ian Duncan, Atrium Consultants, principal. "I look forward to continuing to foster good relationships within our industry across the Pacific and beyond."

PAQS, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, is an international association of quantity surveyors whose members include 14 institutions from countries and cities in Asia and the Western Pacific regions.

Duncan’s promotion from vice-chair to chair marks the first time that a designation holder from the CIQS will hold the organization’s top position. As chair, Duncan will be the PAQS representative for the International Committee of Measurement Standards, an initiative that aims to globally standardize processes of measurement to facilitate easier cooperation internationally, while also streamlining applications to global financial institutions such as the World Bank.

Under Duncan’s leadership, PAQS will also assist its new members — quantity surveying institutions from Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea — get their educational programs up and running.

PAQS’ education committee, which includes CIQS’s Education Administrator David Lai, performs ongoing accreditation assessments of programs in member countries in order establish reciprocity agreements among them.

In 2017, during the second year of Duncan’s two-year tenure as chair, the annual PAQS congress will be hosted by CIQS in Vancouver. Based on previous congresses, CIQS expects 500 of the top quantity surveyors from around the world will attend.

Duncan noted that he also plans to continue supporting the education of the next generation of quantity surveyors through the Young Quantity Surveyors Group, an education-focused organization within PAQS for quantity surveyors under 40 years of age.

The CIQS represents 2,000 members and oversees the designation of Professional Quantity Surveyors and Construction Estimator Certified professionals.