BITS Trade Show

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – From Friday 2nd October to Monday 5th October 2009, the built industry’s highly anticipated annual Building, Interiors, Technology and Safety (BITS) Trade Show will be held in Trinidad and Tobago. The show, which is in its eighth year, will this year be presented by the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects (TTIA) in conjunction with Premier Events Caribbean Limited, the title holders of the event. Of the many benefits and advantages available to participating industry professionals, BITS hopes to provide participants with a unique opportunity to view and compare building construction and interior products and services in an environment that enables informed decisions on purchases as well as discourse on pertinent safety, maintenance and value issues.

During the trade show, the TTIA will host a number of construction related seminars, facilitated by distinguished architects from the Caribbean and North America. In recognition of the importance of Health, Safety (HSSE), Security and the Environment to the building industry, this year BITS will place emphasis on HSSE with workshops, seminars and competitions in conjunction with the OSHA agency, who along with Scotiabank are the main sponsors. Also, within the very packed schedule for this year’s show is the very much anticipated prize ceremony for the Most Innovative Design (MID) awards which recognizes industry professionals and students in the Caribbean.

The MID Awards are fully endorsed by the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects (TTIA), the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the West Indies, the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad & Tobago (APETT), and the Joint Consultative Council (JCC). The MID Awards are intended to encourage and celebrate innovation in regional design work.

Jamaica’s Renewable Energy Website

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Since its inception on April 24th, the Caribbean Information Platform on Renewable Energy (CIPORE) has received thousands of hits. The website (www.cipore.org) is a communication portal for the exchange of renewable energy information for the region. Launched by the Scientific Research Council (SRC) in Jamaica, cipore.org is available in the four major languages of the Caribbean; French, Spanish, English and Dutch. The platform includes an information centre with articles and speeches on renewable energy, a projects database, legislation, statistics and an energy calculator.

There is also a communications centre which features a directory, forums, chat rooms and access to host live meetings with up to 20 people online from anywhere in the world. Other features are a demonstration centre, country pages for each participating territory and a news section devoted to renewable energy developments in the region. James Moss-Solomon, Chairman of the Scientific Research Council (SRC), told the media that CIPORE is more than a website; it is a developmental tool which gives a broader view across the region as to what is really happening in relation to renewable energy.

T&T’s Waterfront project builds profile

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Trinidad and Tobago has yet again appeared on international radar as Canadian construction giant GENIVAR copped the coveted 2009 Canadian Leonard Prize Award for their management of the Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre Project. The project, which fell under the portfolio of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDECOTT), concentrated  on the waterfront revitalization of Port of Spain with the goal of injecting life into the city and improving the urban quality of the environment.

The four year US$300M project which began in 2004 and concluded in 2008 won GENIVAR the best managed international project which was one of nine categories out of a jury evaluating forty three (43) international projects. Hosted by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec, the awards ceremony, “Grands Prix du génie-conseil québécois”, was in its 7th year. It honours and celebratesthose who have demonstrated the highest standards in consulting and engineering expertise.

Guyana’s PMI Chapter

GEORGETOWN, Guyana- The Board of the PMISCC formally inaugurated its Guyana Committee which will be the focus group for Project Management in that country. The mandate of the Committee is to create awareness of the profession, create a professional network of PMPs (Project Management Professional), promote educational programmes in project management and develop the PMP credential. The Committee used the opportunity to host a Project Management Conference as part of its official kick-off. The venue was Le Meridien Pegasus and the theme was “Project Management: Methods and Practices for Sustaining Business and Development”. There were 115 professionals representing public and private sectors as well as Donor Funded Agencies in attendance. The discussion areas presented were Bid Preparation, Project Leadership, Improving IT Project Management for Regional Transformation, Cash Flow Management for Construction Projects and Recognizing the Need for Project Management in Guyana.

The President of the PMISCC, Mr. Michael Charles, kicked-off the proceedings and the keynote address was given by the Honorable Minister Jennifer Webster of the Ministry of Finance who pledged her support for this initiative and hailed project management as an important mechanism which can promote and sustain Guyana’s economic, social and infrastructural development. She further encouraged the private sector to pick up the mantle of project management as this can lead to their entry into regional and global markets. She closed by calling for private and public sector partnerships to capitalize on Guyana’s human resource capability

The PMI Southern Caribbean Chapter (PMI SCC) is the leading non-profit advocacy organization
and professional network for the project management profession in our region and is a chartered component of the Project Management Institute (PMI). There are currently over 550 members representing the construction, contracting, engineering, consulting and various other industries. 60% of our members are PMI credential holders. PMI is the global membership association for the project management profession with more than 269,000 members in over 171 countries and 251 Chapters around the world. PMI sets professional standards, conducts research, provides access to information and resources and empowers practitioners to become catalysts for organizational transformation

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