QS’s response: RICS irrelevant and “unable to respond to modern needs”

Richard Clare, chairman of EC Harris:

“We have lost interest significantly in the RICS, as have many of the other big firms. Its constitution is anachronistic and its impact in business terms has reduced almost to nothing.”

Clare said that the QS Forum, a group of large QSs that meet regularly, had tried to forge a close relationship with the RICS but with little success.

He said: “The Forum has tried for the last six or seven years to get the RICS to recognise the impact of big business rather than just individual chartered surveyors. But it is an individual membership body and this holds it back from having strong relationships with the big firms. As a result, we don't feel the RICS is able to respond to modern needs and represent what we actually do because of its constitution.

“We pay RICS membership fess for all our members and I do not feel we get value for money. The RICS should either be honest, say that (determining standards and qualifications) is all it does and lower its subscription, or change its constitution.

These are my personal views and I haven’t seen Launce Morgan’s ideas in detail, but it sounds like the man’s views should be considered.”

Clare did express doubt over Morgan’s proposal to change the electoral system.

He said: “I don't think it’s necessarily right.

We have had lots of opportunities to put in place leading light officers at the RICS but we have not come up with candidates because the opportunity costs is so great, as it would mean taking a person out of a key slot in business.”

The boss of one of the largest QS and project management firms backed Clare’s view but was unsure of the efficacy of Morgan’s stance. He said: “I don't have any dealing with the RICS. They are not my radar because they are simply not relevant to the way we do business anymore. I don’t think that being outspoken and calling for people’s heads is necessarily the way to get things done.”