History

On the initiative of the Belgian Chamber of Contractors, the first International Conference of Building Contractors and Public Works, organized in July 1881 in Liège (Liege) which included contractors from France, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It was the first time revealed the benefits of random exchange of information during the Congress.

But the idea of "clustering" of contractors-business organizations that were established in various countries around the world belongs to the Secretary General of the Belgian Federation of Private Contractors for Public Works, Mr. Van Ophem, who in 1901 recommended the union of associations of employers of Building and Public Works, an international organization. As a main argument he put forward the urgent need for information exchange at international level on which to base the first comparative studies of professional methods applied in different countries of the world.

Van Ophems’ suggestion was implemented on a trial basis, with the Belgian Federation organizing the next international conference in 1905, during the International Fair. The Conference was attended by government representatives, organized contractors from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Mexico and Sweden.

Topics of the first agenda were the following:

• Legislative and contractual rights and obligations regulating contractors, clients and project coordinators

• Methods of tendering and bidding

• Documents available to the contractor before tender

• Means to avoid accidents

• Builders Benefits

• Unemployment and retirement benefits

The Establishment and Functioning of the International Federation of Building and Public Works-IFBPW

Noting the benefits gained from the sporadic until then, sharing of knowledge, experiences and information, organized contractors who participated in the above conferences, agreed to establish a permanent international commission, acting informally in the beginning, would organize these conferences, and would set as an additional objective the dissemination of the above knowledge, experience and information and the generally accepted good practice.

In April 1909 the above Commission acquired a legal personality by the name "International Federation of Building and Construction," according to French law in force in 1901.

In spring 1946, the Federation was responsible for part of the industry committee of the International Labor Office.

In 1949 a more permanent advisory body to the Economic Commission of the United Nations.

With a now decisive role at continental level in 1967 it decided to limit its sphere of influence into EUROPEAN limits and be renamed the "International Federation of EUROPEAN Construction and Public Works" (IFEBPW), a name which curtailed in 1973 to "International EUROPEAN Federation Structures (J. E. CF or the French acronym, FIBTP)

In 1974 FIBTP, together with their respective Federations (North America - FUSCCA, Latin America - FIIC, Middle East & Africa - FAC and West Asia & Pacific IFAWPCA) have now been established and represent on a continental level the around the world (77 ) contractors' organizations, establishes the International Confederation of Contractors Associations CICA (Confederation of International Contractors Associations).

By completing 75 years of its establishment, it was renamed to “Federation of Organizations of the EUROPEAN Manufacturing Industry” (Fédération de l'Industrie Européenne de la Construction - FIEC).

One year after the Federal Association of the per district Associations of Contractors (25/02/1995) O.S.E.O.K. was unanimously accepted as a member of FIEC at the General Assembly held in Brussels on June 28, 1996.

History

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