It is with much regret that I advise that the ACES 2008 Conference, scheduled for 24 to 26 February 2008 has been cancelled.

The ACES relies heavily on funding through industry sponsorship to make their major conferences financially viable. Unfortunately, in this instance, the expected sponsorship funding has not been forthcoming and has left us no option but to cancel the event.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Keith Webb
National Chair
Australian Cost Engineering Society

The Australian Cost Engineering Society will be holding a 2 day project controls conference at the Parmelia Hilton in Perth, Western Australia on Monday, 25th and Tuesday 26th February 2008.

The 2008 Conference will attract Australian and International delegates. It will also provide an ideal opportunity for companies to showcase examples of project control and cost engineering excellence.

In this regard, the ACES takes pleasure in inviting you to participate in the 2008 Conference by presenting a paper. Simply submit an abstract of up to 250 words for consideration in the Conference program.

For more details Click here

Swinburne University – Melbourne have now added their Cost Engineering Course (HES6175) to the list of courses available as Distance Learning. The first course commences on 24 July 2006.

The objective of this course is to make the student aware of the principles and practices of Total Cost Management and their application to establish and achieve time and cost budgets for engineered projects.

The course content includes:

• Projects & project life cycles
• Project delivery systems & commercial options
• Introduction to engineering economics, interest / DCF / cash flows / escalation
• Measurement of quantities (Australian Standard AS1181)
• Work planning & the development of crews and production rates
• Work scheduling (bar charts / CPM / PERT)
• Cost estimation (order of magnitude / preliminary / definitive / detailed)
• Commercial aspects of Standard Conditions of Contract (AS2124 and AS4000 series)
• Risk Analysis AS/NZS4360
• Time & cost control during project execution and ongoing activities

  For more information, read the attached document or visit www.swinburne.edu.au

January 15, 2007 is the start date for the next semester of distance learning course available through AACEI. Click here to visit the AACEI website for complete information.

Courses that will start in January include:

• Construction Blueprint Reading
• Estimating and Bidding 2
• Oral and Written Communications
• Contract Documents and Construction Law
• Planning and Scheduling

These courses run for ten weeks. Weekly assignments can be done at your convenience. Work at home, at the office, any time day or night as it fits your schedule. The instructor will log in to the course several times a day to respond to questions and guide you along.

Registration fees vary, but are generally between US$400 and US$500 per course. Thirty Professional Development Hours are awarded upon successful completion of each course.

Courses that start any time:

• Introduction to Construction Estimating
• Essential Construction Math
• Fundamental Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering

These AACEI courses can be started any time. Course descriptions can be found on the AACE International website.

Since 1956, AACE International has provided its members with the resources they need to enhance their performance and ensure continued growth and success. Click here for more information on:

• AACE International – Vision and Mission
• An Overview of AACE International
• Membership Information and Application
• Corporate Sponsorship program
• Certification programs (CCE/CCC/ICC/PSP/EVP)
• Cost Engineering Journal
• Women in Project Control
• Total Cost Management (TCM) Framework

Take a look at the International Cost Engineering Council’s latest newsletter.

Click Here

I am pleased to announce that the Australian Cost Engineering Society has joined the International Cost Engineering Council. ACES was accepted as an ICEC member at the Council meeting held in Slovenia on 23 April 2006.

Membership of ICEC provides a number of advantages to ACES and its members, including the participation in a worldwide information network for exchange of cost engineering, quantity surveying and project management information and experiences and promotion of standards for certification and continuing professional development programs worldwide

The ACES Annual General Meeting was held on 14 November 2005 and a new committee have been elected into office. These are:

Engineering Education Australia (EEA) is conducting its first-ever course on the all important topic of Project Management Earned Value Methodology (EVM) around Australia during October and November 2007 as follows:

Sydney 17 October
Brisbane 18 October
Melbourne 14 November
Perth 15 November

EVM is recognised as commercial best practice to track, report, and forecast project performance and costs to completion. It can also be used to appraise, evaluate, rank and select projects for best financial performance.

This new 1-day course is for project, product and production managers, cost engineers, quantity surveyors, investment analysts, financial controllers, accountants, and any person wanting to use EVM to an internationally accepted unified standard.

If you would like further details on the course, and a registration form, you may either download the current EEA short courses brochure from http://www.eeaust.com.au or email Frank Martinelli for a copy by return email.

The winner of the raffle held at the ACES National Conference on 14 November was John Benbow. He wins a $100 book voucher.