Certified Consulting Engineer

Examination syllabus

Candidates will be tested on the topics listed below: 

1. The international infrastructure consulting industry

a. Range of roles undertaken by firms providing consulting services in the infrastructure industry 

b. Typical firm structures and organization, reporting, and responsibilities including: 

  i. Single office, multi-office, international organization, long and short-term partnerships 

  ii. Multilingual and multinational organizations 

  iii. Incorporation of technical expertise in service provision 

c. Quality management practices in the industry including ISO 9000 series certification. 

2. Infrastructure consulting industry as a business

a. Management and leadership in the industry including roles and responsibilities:

  i. Executive engineer/senior management 

  ii. Boards of directors 

  iii. Executive support functions (Human resources, finance, legal and insurance, corporate communications)

b. Basic financial reporting including: 

  i. Statements, balance sheets, cash flow, owner equity

  ii. Cost of operations 

  iii. Retained earnings, dividends, taxation basics

  iv. Bank loans and other financial commitments 

  v. Accounts receivable aging 

c. Project account management:

  i. Invoicing and cash flow 

  ii. Change management – adjustment of deliverables, timing and project costs 

  iii. Project completion process

  iv. Project profitability 

3.  Leadership and management 

a. Definitions 

b. Leadership:

  i. The issues 

  ii. Planning communications 

  iii. Making suggestions, encouraging participation, harvesting ideas, putting concepts in context 

  iv. Techniques for resolving differences 

  v. Taking responsibility/recognising contributions 

 c. Management:

  i. Identifying operating activities, systems, and processes 

  ii. Communicating the pattern of management 

  iii. Distributing the work/balancing the workload/defining expectations 

  iv. Liaising with the parties/(the doers, the client, senior management) 

  v. Correcting deviations in a timely manner 

  vi. Checking the product

  vii. Recognizing performance 

  viii. Concluding the process  

4. Communication and liaison

 a. Communications: 

  i. Understanding interpersonal communications 

  ii. Scoping and refining the message, keeping it focussed 

  iii. Content (Background information essentials, The message, Summary and reprise, Supporting documentation) 

  iv. The medium (verbal and written issues, individual and group communications, electronic media) such as clarity, simplicity, brevity, and timeliness 

  v. Record keeping/documentation 

  vi. Effective use of social media 

 b. Liaison: 

  i. Planning/scheduling 

  ii. Delivering – truthfulness, clarity, simplicity, brevity, timeliness 

  iii. Recording. 

5. Marketing, business development, proposals, and client contract:  

 a. Marketing and business development methodology in the infrastructure consulting industry 

   i. Methodology for geographic (domestic vs international) and technical expansion 

  ii. Advertising 

  iii. Presentations in industry seminars and meetings 

  iv. Publications – technical and client industry specific 

  v. Ongoing liaison with existing clients 

  vi. Expectations (time and effort, costs) 

  vii. Reputation measurement and management 

b. Proposal development: 

  i. Methods of charging for services in the industry 

  ii. RFP response (go / no go assessment, risk estimation and minimization (commercial, technical, and legal), work breakdown and staffing requirements, time estimating and budgeting including allowance for risk) 

c. Client contract negotiations 

  i. Legal issues – e.g. standard of care, indemnification, professional liability insurance 

  ii. FIDIC White Book 

6. Project and Quality Management, basic FIDIC construction contracts  

 a. Project management in the consulting industry 

  i. Organisation, scheduling, and staffing 

  ii. Budget and time management 

  iii. Risk management 

  iv. Monitoring and invoicing 

  v. Change orders 

  vi. Project completion 

 b. Quality assessment and management 

 c. Basic FIDIC construction contracts : 

  i. Structure and responsibilities 

  ii. General conditions and amendments 

  iii. Handling of variations and disputes 

  iv. FIDIC alternative dispute resolution procedures 

d. Selection of contractors, bidding process and evaluation, award of contract 

 e. Site operations, inspections, meetings, records, approval for payment.

7. Staff HR practices in the consulting industry  

 a. New staff acquisition 

 b. Leadership and management practices 

 c. Recognizing, assessing, and rewarding performance; correcting deficiencies 

 d. Health and safety issues and responsibilities 

 e. Equity and fairness 

 f. Social value/corporate social responsibility.

8. Professional engineering and business ethics  

 a. Codes of professional engineering and business ethics 

 b. Conflict of interest 

 c. Corruption in the infrastructure construction industry 

 d. Integrity management practices including FIDIC Integrity Management System 

 e. Recognition of ethical problems and their correction 

 f. International standards 

9. Social responsibilities of infrastructure projects  

 a. Environmental management practices 

 b. Sustainability management practice 

 c. Climate change 

 d. Safety and resilience 

 e. Public interaction on societal issues.