News

 The Chamber Statute

Concurrent to the drafting of the bill, the acting select committee worked on the drafting of the chamber statute. This document is considered of high importance given a foundation status and a document that shall provide the chamber the governance baseline. This document is intended to regulate and govern all the chamber doings including but not limited to the membership and eligibility, the setting up of the council and the duties of each official within its administration. As with all such set-ups, the document will be the first one given that the Chamber is in its ‘infancy’ stage and therefore would be subject to changes and improvements in the long run. Members would be able to propose changes along the years. Changes that will be put for approval of the Chamber Annual General Meeting.

 Legal recognition for the

Construction Project Manager

The necessity of the legal recognition for the profession of the Construction Project Manager is the baseline for the setting up of the chamber. As one of the major players within the construction industry and the project life, it is high time that the CPM is recognized. We believe that management is key to successful execution of a construction project and the perceived local interpretation of a Construction Project Manager’s role is to change drastically. The role, benefits and value adding aspects that a construction project manager provides to the project’s delivery cycle are areas that need to be communicated and emphasized on.

 The Chamber Membership Board

During the first chamber council meeting, one of the very first items on the agenda was the composition of the Chamber Membership Board. This board will be acting as the `gate keeper` of the chamber as it will be reviewing and vetting every membership application. As guidelines, this board will be working on the chamber statute, especially the sections and annexes that concern the membership. It is expected that once a membership application is reviewed by the CMB, the same board will recommend to the council:

• If the applicant academic and experience credentials are in line with the applicant's preferred membership Tier.

• If there are any discrepancies between what the applicant wishes and the statute guidelines, the board will prepare a report with a recommended way forward both for the applicant and for the chamber membership.

As dictated by the chamber statute this board is going to be made up of four members of the chamber, two of the members of the council, the other two will be members of the chamber. The current CMB members are: Ed Howell - Chairman of the Chamber Membership Board

Andrei Cachia - Vice Chairman

Reno Vassallo - Member of the MCCM

Nick Vassallo - Member of the MCCM

 Chamber Registration

The 2nd of March 2021 is considered a very important milestone in the chamber`s history. Assisted by the chamber’s legal advisor Dr Ivan Mifsud, the administrators and acting council members signed the documentation relative to the chamber’s official registration as well as that related to the Malta Business Registry. The Malta Chamber of Construction Management is now an official body. This milestone is indeed a first of its kind within the context of the Chamber’s official profile, a milestone that establishes the Chamber within the local map and one that encompasses the hard work done so far specific to the setting up. We are now looking forward to growth and focus shall be on kick starting official membership as we believe that we may be a very active qualitative Chamber.

Left to Right: Kar Azzopardi (Vice President), Andrei Cachia (Council Member and Member of the Chamber Membership Board), Jesmond Chetchuti (President), Chris Refalo (Chamber Secretary), Dr. Ivan Mifsud (Legal Advisor) , Steve Gambin (Chamber Treasurer), Nick Vassallo (Council Member and Member of the Chamber Membership

Events

The First Climate Change National Conference Malta 2021

The Malta Chamber of Construction Management attended the first-ever national Climate Change Conference during which various speakers including the Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia addressed the challenges the Maltese Islands are facing due to climate change and the Low Carbon Development Strategy that has been drafted so that Malta achieves its target to reduce its carbon emissions by 55% by 2030. The EU aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Minsters Hon Ian Borg, Hon Miriam Dalli, and Parliamentary Secretary Hon Chris Agius also expressed their views on the matter. The EU aims to achieve zero carbon buildings by 2050. In this regard, the building construction sector plays a significant role within the national strategy where building standards and operations shall be improved to achieve a high-quality building envelope and thus achieve better social and economic benefits. This can only be achieved by designing energy-efficient buildings that include the use of sustainable building materials. Retrofitting of public buildings and eventually, residential buildings have also been included within the strategy. The aim is to reduce the embodied energy that constitutes a building hence the choice of materials including recycled materials and good practice in waste management is key. Investment in specialised education within the sector plays a key role that runs in parallel with what MCCM is aiming to achieve. The national strategy will be promoting and providing education in and amongst others, green renovations and smart technologies and thus create ‘green’ jobs.

MCCM ensures that its members are duly qualified and experienced to perform their duties and promotes continuous personal development. Although sustainable buildings have been on the EU’s agenda to lower carbon emissions, there is much need for education. The construction manager will be able to influence certain decisions and promote sustainable approaches from conception to completion of a project. This will lead to a better environment, excellent quality, and energy-efficient buildings.

26th October 2021

First Official Membership Presentation Ceremony and Official Launch of MCCM Strategy Document for 2021 - 2023

The 4th of August 2021 is a very important milestone to MCCM and its roadmap going forward.

Following months of hard preparatory work, the first block of members were presented with their Membership certificates which event took place on the same day whereby the Chamber launched its Strategy for the period 2021 to 2023. The Strategy shall serve the Council and Chamber an overarching strategic plan that our chamber shall be working on in the immediate months and years.

This special event was hosted at the main hall of the Malta Chamber of Commerce in Valletta. The venue’s facility was chosen as part of the collaboration agreement MCCM has with The Malta Chamber of Commerce in Valletta.

Attendees to the event included the first block of members, our collaborators who through several agreements are assisting our members in various forms, and a number of special guests. Special Guests included Mrs Caroline Gumble CEO to CIOB, Hon Parl. Sec., responsible for Construction Chris Agius, and Hon. Dr Herman Schiavone the Opposition representative for the sector.

On the occasion, MCCM President Jesmond Chetcuti, Mrs Gumble and Hon Agius delivered speeches that encompass the occasion whilst our President presented the Chamber’s Strategy followed by the formal membership certificate award.

A special thank you goes to Mr. Keith Demicoli who hosted and mediated the event.

Signing of the MoU with CIOB

The First, Malta Chamber of Construction Management, AGM, and the Second Membership Presentation Award Ceremony

The AGM that was held on the 27th of November was another important milestone for the MCCM and its members, . This follows the first successful public event that saw the launching of the Chamber’s Strategy 2021-2023 and the first membership presentation awards.

The AGM was held following an electoral process that saw the first full term council announced which council follows the founding council that administered our chamber in the particularly challenging early months of its inception.

The achievements of the founding council were clearly evidenced during the same AGM. It is indeed of great satisfaction to note that in less than a year the Chamber was officially registered and launched as a professional body including a number of agreements with various educational institutions (local and foreign) as well as it managed to upscale its efforts towards its strive to establish and acknowledge the profession of the Construction Project Manager, through a professional warrant.

The AGM was attended by Special guests including Hon. Parliament Secretary for Construction Chris Agius, who presented the membership certificates to another block of new members, Ing. Rebecah Cilia that represented the Opposition party and a recorded message sent, exclusively for the occasion by the ever-supporting Caroline Gumble CEO of the Chartered Institute of Building. Presentations in the form of a summary of the work done by their respective department were provided by Steve Gambin (Treasurer), Chris Refalo (Secretary) and Clarabel Versace (Education and Development).

Chantal Stagno Navarra read a speech following the chamber participation in the National Climate Change Conference earlier in the month, and messages for the occasion by Vice-President Karl Azzopardi and President Jesmond Chetcuti.

During the same meeting, the chamber council for years 2022-2025 was also announced. The council members are; Jesmond Chetcuti (President) and Karl Azzopardi (Vice-President) confirmed following a confidence vote. Andrei Cachia and Clarabel Versace who retained their post from the previous founding council and new members Etienne Pavia, Chantal Stagno Navarra, and Edward Howell.

A big and deserved thank you goes to founding council members Steve Gambin, Chris Refalo and Nick Vassallo for their invaluable contribution towards the creation and establishing of our chamber.

Thanks Chris, Steve, and Nick