In today’s marketplace, quality, innovation, and service to clients are increasing in importance. This is particularly true in the growing global market where there is a strong trend towards globalised business practices, and increasing awareness of sustainable development as the driver for economic growth.
 
Increasingly the consulting engineer is called upon to play a larger and more inclusive role as the projects become more comprehensive and the clients look for innovative ways to deliver the projects within time and budget constraints. consulting engineers are also expected to play an important role in new project delivery systems, to be accountable for total project delivery, to seek ways to protect and enhance the natural and social environment, and to protect the client’s interests. They take on the role of programme managers and facilitators responsible for a broad scope of services.
 
Professionals from many disciplines are now working in consulting engineering firms.
This is not to deny that there still is a role for strong, viable, focused single discipline professional firms in local or niche markets. A niche market may be local, but can be national or international, depending upon the nature of the specific skills. However, consulting engineers today are being asked to do more than just design infrastructure: they are being asked to conceive, plan, programme, design, supervise, operate, arrange financing, maintain and operate facilities, etc. This more comprehensive role requires that today’s consultants, in addition to being a professional engineer, must be an excellent business person, knowledgeable on a wide range of issues.
 
There is also an essential need is to standardize the knowledge of consulting engineering business practices across national boundaries, and to have those who understand and use these standard practices recognized. The FIDIC Jordan Training Programme responds to this need to upgrade the management capabilities of consulting engineer firms by organizing a series of training courses based on the FIDIC Guide to Practice.