Mark Beard FCIOB, chairman of construction group Beard, will become the 117th President of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) in 2020.

Due to be appointed Vice President of the CIOB on June 19, Mr Beard’s Presidency will follow from Charles Egbu, Dean of School of the Built Environment and Architecture at London Southbank University who will become CIOB President in 2019, and Chris Soffe CEO of Gleeds America who will become CIOB President in July 2018.

Speaking about his appointment Mark said: “I am delighted to accept the opportunity of following Chris and Charles as Vice President and President of the Chartered Institute of Building at a time of great challenge and change for our industry. I look forward to building on the outstanding work of CIOB past presidents; in particular, turning the excellent research carried out by CIOB Quality Commission into meaningful actions which improve the quality of the buildings we construct.”

Mark has led Beard since 1999, transforming the 126-year-old family-owned firm from an £18 million to £144m turnover construction business operating across the South of England. He attributes Beard’s strong year-on-year growth to an “encouraging and supportive company culture, the prompt and faultless delivery of its projects, and a commitment to continuous business improvement”.

A fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Chartered Environmentalist, Mark is a Governor of Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford, and a Patron of Alexander Devine Hospice in Maidenhead. He also sits on the Ashmolean Museum Corporate Advisory Board, Henley Business School Advisory Board and the EEF National Economic Committee.

Meanwhile the Code of Estimating Practice from the CIOB has been updated in recognition of how the procedure, practice and process of construction have changed.

Estimating is the systematic calculation of projected construction and overhead costs for a construction project and it is an essential skill for a successful contractor. It’s a process that the CIOB believes needs to be modernised, made more reliable and more dynamic.

This latest edition of the code examines the processes of estimating and pricing, providing best practice guidelines for those involved in procuring and pricing construction works. This includes a new approach to estimating which links production planning, resource requirements, time management and control of costs.

“Estimating is at the core of every construction project. If the estimate is wrong, everybody suffers; the contractor, client, consultants and companies involved in the supply chain” said author of the publication Professor Roger Flanagan PPCIOB. “A new approach to estimating is necessary to keep the industry relevant and ensure accurate and reliable pricing is at the heartbeat of construction.”

The code, long established as a leading publication in the construction industry, now includes more contextual and educational material alongside the code of practice, the only code of practice on construction estimating.

This publication is important reading for construction contractors, specialist contractors, quantity surveyors/cost consultants and for students of construction and quantity surveying.