Negotiations with the Department of Finance and Services on the public sector procurement issue have been proceeding well in recent weeks. There is general agreement that the standard contract AS4122 with Amendment No 1 satisfies the requirements for architects and their clients. It also negates the warranty issue, which has been a major point of contention in recent years.

We also anticipate there will be progress on a simplified standard contract for small projects and a consistent and fair pre-qualification system; both of these reforms will assist smaller practices to compete more equitably for public sector work.

This week we farewell the Institute’s inaugural Droga Architect in Residence, Dr Carmen Fiol-Costa. During her stay, Dr Fiol-Costa has presented on her work in Spain and globally to audiences at the University of Sydney, here at Tusculum and at a host of other events. She has also worked with Dr Rod Simpson and his students on a number of urban design exercises. Dr Fiol-Costa’s final engagement is as keynote speaker at Wednesday’s sold out “Making Places That Matter” event at the MCA as part of this year’s Vivid Ideas program. We sincerely thank Dr Fiol-Costa for contribution to both the Institute and the profession during her time in Australia.

On Friday evening, students from all four universities will gather at Tusculum for our annual Student and Graduate Awards. This is an increasingly important event and celebration for students in the recognition of their work and ideas for the future of architecture. Congratulations to all the students involved, and to their teachers and their families. The exhibition of the winning students’ work will be on show at Tusculum until Friday 27 June.

Joe Agius
NSW Chapter President