FIDIC’s annual Global Infrastructure Conference in Geneva this week closed with a strident clarion call from industry leaders for people to be placed at the centre of the world’s infrastructure development.
The final session of the two-day conference, which brought together a global audience of more than 600 industry professionals to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing those responsible for planning and building the world’s infrastructure, saw engineering and construction sector leaders agree that there had never been a better time to be working in their industry. Reflecting on the conference and the discussions that had taken place in plenary sessions and forums throughout the event, the panel of industry leaders struck an optimistic note to send delegates on their way.
Gord Johnston, president and CEO of Stantec, said that notwithstanding new working practices and the role of technology in the industry, which would force companies to work and think differently, including how they might bill for more efficient work when less hours are expended he firmly believe that “This is a great time to be us. Many of the key challenges facing the world are challenges that need our industry to solve them, so that puts us in a unique place. The opportunity we have is to use the parallel changes that are taking place in the way we work to address those challenges that we face,” Johnston said.
WSP chairman Chris Cole agreed. “It’s always been a good time to be in our industry, but this is a special time too as we face almost a revolution in the way we work,” he said. “Engineers have never been truly valued for the work that we do but we have a real opportunity in this time of relevant change to really demonstrate our worth to society,” said Cole. He called on his colleagues to consider the term ‘engineers’ and “ask ourselves if we want to be more than that. We need to broaden our own horizons. Being an engineer is a starting point, we need to be informed on a much broader platform and go beyond the lens of just being an engineer,” Cole said.
Urging his audience to “step out of the engineering silo, embrace other skills and become a platform for solutions,” Cole said that engineers had the chance to become more relevant than ever before. “The boundaries are limitless, if we build a professional services profession with engineering at its core,” he said.
Artelia CEO Benoît Clocheret focused on how sustainability factors are gearing up the engineering sector in Europe and beyond and should be considered as a major opportunity for the industry that can change the way it works for the better. Drawing on his French and European background, Clocheret highlighted the importance of sustainability in everything engineers do. “Today, we are at a tipping point. Political and legislative pressure is driving change. We need to be relentless advocates for the inclusion of sustainable criteria in tenders. These developments are all good news for our industry because projects will have more sophisticated design so that’s more work for engineers. The way we work with others will also change and that can only be for the better,” he said.
Offering a macroeconomic view, Chris Lewis, global head of infrastructure at Ernst & Young, reflected on costs, project financing and considered how governments might fund the sustainable infrastructure that the world needs going forward. “We need to understand that the cost of major infrastructure projects has risen by 50% since Covid. Why have costs risen? A big reason is the end of ‘cheap money’ and the rising costs of energy due to inflation and also global scarcity,” he said. Urging delegates to reflect on the ‘getting more for less’ conundrum and what this means for their industry, he said: “Make projects efficient and predictable and you will be uniquely positioned. Governments are looking to decarbonise and deal with fraying infrastructure and you can help with that,” Lewis said.
Penny Kneebone, chief executive of Tonkin + Taylor, highlighted the critical importance of people in all aspects of good infrastructure. “I’m reminded of the Māori proverb: He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata. (What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.)” Reflecting on how infrastructure transforms people’s lives, she said that truly understanding local needs and benefits enables infrastructure that enriches communities and the environment.
“Let’s build infrastructure that people actually want to use – and remember that users are voters too! Partnership and consultation with indigenous peoples in New Zealand has shown the benefits of transparent and genuine negotiation, providing a cultural and environmental richness on projects like never people. All from listening and working with people,” Kneebone said.
