Catalogue - Eurobuild Awards

The Ultimate VerdictRICS– Bringing standards and trustWith a worldwide network of over 100,000members in 146 countries, RICS has over525 qualified members in Central and EasternEurope. In Poland, 168 professionals with influentialpositions are currently members of RICS.Furthermore, RICS Poland plans to grow to over600 members within the next three years.Members in Poland are active in a large varietyof sectors, including commercial property, valuation,building surveying but also in consultingand project management, corporate real estateservices and construction. Apart from bringingexpertise to the market in all these areas,RICS members in Poland differentiate themselvesfrom the rest. If there is one thing thatRICS Europe membership growth stands for,it is the increasing demand for higher levels ofprofessional and ethical standards, from investorsand end users of RICS members’ services.David Britain FRICS, Chairman of RICS Poland,comments:“RICS has been present in Central and EasternEurope for over a decade now, with over 525 qualifiedmembers in the region. Today RICS is consolidatingits presence in Poland as the only truly globalproperty professional body. RICS’ professional practicestandards and ethics are being fully embracedby the major professional firms in the country.”In Continental Europe, the Institution has reportedan 18% increase in its membership baseover the past 12 months, bringing the totalnumber of qualified members to 4,390.The appeal of RICS to European propertyprofessionals is linked to the associationwith a brand that guarantees knowledge,professionalism but most importantlythe ‘ethical value’ of the services provided.In fact, the financial crisis seems to haveprompted an increased interest from propertyprofessionals who are keen to gain the RICSqualification as a way of differentiating themselves.To bring credibility RICS regulates each memberworldwide based on a strict code of conductand high standards, and now for the first time,RICS offers firms across all of Europe the opportunityto become regulated by RICS and demonstrateto the public their ethical commitment intheir daily business practices.With 10,000 firms already successfully registeredin the UK since 2007, RICS regulation is nowavailable on a voluntary basis to qualifying firmswith the aim of bringing increased client confidenceand transparency to the real estate market.In continental Europe, over 40 firms have alreadysubmitted their applications this year, includingfirms in Poland, Italy, Belgium, Germany,France, The Netherlands and Portugal.See Lian Ong, RICS President Elect 2010-201122Eurobuild Awards 2010