CICES Explained (Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors)

The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors or CICES is the leading international professional body for specialists in commercial management in infrastructure. This means, if you’re a Quantity Surveyor working in the infrastructure sector, CICES should be a major contender in your chartership options. In this post, we will provide you with an overview of CICES, the grades available and how to apply for each.

According to the CICES website, The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors began life in 1969 as the Association of Surveyors in Civil Engineering and was incorporated in 1972. CICES sought to encourage and regulate the professional aspirations of quantity surveyors and land surveyors working within the civil engineering sector and to increase the value of their services to the public.

Since its conception, CICES has gone from strength to strength with an ever increasing membership. It is now a registered educational charity promoting the profession throughout the world. In 2009 CICES was awarded a royal charter which recognised the importance of the contribution it makes to the construction industry and society as a whole.

Just like RICS, CICES has a list of member grades that encompass the ability and experience of each type of surveyor and they are;

Student Grade

There is no designation, no application fee and no annual subscription. You will be eligible for membership if you have

• Enrolled on a relevant course of study

To apply you must;

• Complete the online student application form including the name and email address of the course tutor.

Affiliate Grade

There is no designation, no application fee and an annual subscription of £121. Membership is available for

• All those who have an interest and involvement in the construction industry.

To apply you must;

• Complete the online application form.
• Provide a Digital photograph.

Associate (Apprenticeship) Grade

Designation of ACInstCES. Application fee of £75 and annual subscription of £121. You will be eligible for membership if;

• Successfully completed a relevant apprenticeship at level 3 or 4.
• A commitment to work towards achieving the grade of Member or Technical Member.

To apply, you must;

• Complete the online application or upgrade form signed by a sponsor.
• Provide a Digital photograph.
• Provide Photocopy/scanned evidence of an appropriate qualification.
• Provide the necessary application fee.

Graduate Grade

Designation of GCInstCES. Application fee of £75 and annual subscription of £201 or £121 if you’re a recent graduate between 0 and 3 years. You will be eligible for membership if;

• successfully completed either a CICES accredited degree course, an acceptable alternative course such as a BSc, postgraduate diploma, an MSc or an appropriate S/NVQ programme.

To apply, you must;

• Complete the online application or upgrade form signed by a sponsor.
• Provide a Digital photograph.
• Provide Photocopy/scanned evidence of an appropriate qualification.
• Provide the necessary application fee.

Technical Grade

Designation of TCInstCES. Application fee of £125 and annual subscription of £226. You will be eligible for membership if you have;

• Successfully completed the CICES Technical Member competencies. Applicants will usually have at least three years of experience on which to base the competencies, although this is not a set minimum.
• Successfully completed the Technical Member review interview

To apply, you must provide a;

• A completed principal sponsor’s form.
• Online application or upgrade form with details of two sponsors.
• Digital photograph.
• A detailed CV of between 750 and 1,000 words
• An experience report of between 750 and 1,000 words
• Continuing professional development records for the last year.
• Completed and signed off general, core and one set of specialist competencies.
• Photocopies of any prior qualifications to be considered.
• The appropriate fee.

Member Grade

Designation of MCInstCES. Application fee of £195 and annual subscription of £299. You will be eligible for membership if you have;

• Successfully completed the CICES general, core and specialist competencies.
• Successfully completed the Member review interview.
• Graduate applicants will have a degree that is acceptable to CICES (this should be confirmed by CICES HQ in advance of the application).
• Mature applicants without a degree or with a degree that is not acceptable to CICES will be able to compensate with additional experience and seniority.
• An acceptable amount of working experience. CICES does not describe its qualifying standards in terms of years of service, however a graduate is likely to need at least three years of experience in order to achieve the competencies, whilst a mature applicant would normally be expected to have at least eight.

· Please note separate routes exist for the following categories of applicants:

• Applicants who are members or fellows of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
• Applicants who are members or fellows of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
• Applicants who are members or fellows of other relevant professional bodies (refer to the Professional Body Route Quick Guide in the description below).
• Senior applicants (with significant experience at a senior level – a prior assessment of an applicant’s CV needs to be made by CICES before an application by this route).
• Associate members who attained their grade before 31 December 2005.
• Academic staff who are teaching civil engineering surveying.

To apply, you must provide a;

• A completed principal sponsor’s form.
• Online application or upgrade form with details of two sponsors.
• Digital photograph.
• A detailed CV of between 1500 and 2,000 words
• An experience report of between 1500 and 2000 words
• Continuing professional development records for the 2 years.
• Completed and signed off general, core and specialist competencies.
• Photocopies of any prior qualifications to be considered.
• The appropriate fee.

Fellow Grade

Designation of FCInstCES. Application fee of £195 and annual subscription of £299. To apply, you must provide an;

• Application or upgrade form signed by two current CICES Fellows as sponsors.
• Digital photograph.
• Principal sponsor’s form.
• A detailed CV (1,500-2,000 words).
• Continuing professional development records for the last two years.
• Brief statements against each of the Fellow attributes (half a page to a page per attribute).