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The constitution of the UK Insulating Concrete Formwork Association (ICFA)
Be it known that we, the members of the Insulating Concrete Formwork Association, do hereby associate ourselves as an organisation and will comply with the laws of the United Kingdom and the European Community; the following is our Constitution:
1: The name of our organisation is The Insulating Concrete Formwork Association. The organisation is a sub group of the British Plastics Federation. The affairs of the organisation are continuously administered by a Chairman and task group chairmen selected by the membership.
2: To be a member of the Insulating Concrete Formwork Association a company has to be a fully paid up member. Membership of the ICFA is by application. An appropriate form will be issued to the applicant company for completion. All application forms, will be considered at the next meeting of the group following receipt of the completed application form.
3: Members of the ICFA must be either:
- A supplier or manufacturer of EPS shape moulded products, with the products being used in the construction industry, or
- A manufacturer of EPS moulded block with the products being whole or cut block being used in the construction industry, or
- An EPS raw material supplier or
- A ready-mixed concrete supplier or
- A contractor building with a combination of EPS as permanent formwork and ready-mixed concrete or
- Industry Associations linked to EPS or Ready-mixed concrete supply or
- Material suppliers whose products are used alongside the ICF product to form a system. Eg suppliers of waterproofing additives for concrete and sheet membranes for building basements, renders and brick slips for external weather screen cladding. Steel and polypropylene fibre suppliers
- Specifiers of ICF systems…Architects/Engineers/Cost consultants/clients
- Concrete pumping suppliers and specialist scaffolding/propping equipment suppliers
- Prospective member companies must be manufacturing their products to all current and appropriate legal standards. Furthermore it is a pre-requisite to have a demonstrable and recognised 3rd party accreditation.
- There will be different grades of membership and appropriately different annual fees for those different grades.
4: The purpose for which the Association is formed is to promote the generic product to the UK construction industry and to grow the sector for the benefit of all. To identify the market growth opportunities, for the benefit of the entire membership, and to defend the sector from attack by other parties.
5: The principal office of the Association shall be maintained at the head office of; The British Plastics Federation, 6 Bath Place, Rivington Street, London EC2A 3JE
6: The affairs of the Association shall be directed by a steering committee consisting of one member appointed from each member company in the formwork system membership category and the Chairman. A member/representative of the British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, British Plastics Federation and The Concrete Centre is also entitled to attend and vote at any meeting.
7: The officers of the Association shall be a Chairman, a Vice Chairman and a Treasurer, who shall be elected by a majority of the members of the steering committee. The Chairman, and Vice Chairman shall be appointed from the committee to serve for a two-year term, (see paragraph 16 regarding the appointment of the Treasurer). Should the Chairman or Vice Chairman leave the industry or in any way be permanently unable to serve, then an extraordinary meeting shall be called and a new Chairman or Vice Chairman be appointed from the remaining committee membership.
8: No person shall be eligible for the office of Chairman who is not a member of the steering committee. No person shall be eligible for, or hold, the office of Chairman whose business connections are of such nature that he/she could gain financially through the shaping of the affairs of the EPS Construction Group by the committee, or by the improper exploitation of his office for the furtherance of his own aims or those of his employer.
9: A vacancy on the committee shall be deemed to occur upon the death, resignation, recall, or move of permanent residence outside the UK from which elected, or refusal to act as a committee member. Upon the occurrence of such vacancy, the Chairman shall proclaim it and thereafter the Chairman shall allocate the duties of the committee member until a replacement from the departing members company is appointed or another committee member agrees to accept the responsibility.
10: The committee shall meet a minimum of four times a year, at times and places agreeable to all. The first meeting shall be called the steering committee meeting and the second shall be called the plenary meeting at which additional representatives from the member companies, other grade members, suppliers and guests can be invited. The third meeting will be a steering committee meeting and the fourth a plenary meeting. If a committee member is unable to attend, then an appropriate substitute from that members company should deputise.
11: No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum of members of the Steering Committee is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business; four members of the Steering Committee present in person shall be a quorum.
12: If a quorum is not present within half an hour after the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week or at an appropriate time as agreed with the members of the Steering Committee.
13: The Chairman of the ICFA shall preside as Chairman at every Steering & Plenary meeting. If he/she is not present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act, the members of the Steering Committee shall elect one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting.
14: A resolution proposed at any meeting shall be approved if at least two-thirds of the votes cast at the meeting are in favour of the resolution, except where this constitution prescribes a different majority. Only Steering Committee members or their proxies can vote.
15: In the event of a committee member being unable to attend a meeting he/she would be expected to ensure that his/her company or group was represented - by proxy if necessary.
16: The steering committee may appoint and direct task group chairmen. The steering committee Chairman acts as treasurer for the group, overseen by the BPF Financial Director, and is responsible for representing the industry either in person or by agreed delegation (with the agreement of the steering committee) on committees to promote the members’ interests, deal with press and publicity issues, collate and publish technical data, co-ordinate market research and provide guidance on product development and testing initiatives where appropriate on a collective basis. In addition the task group chairmen will arrange additional meetings throughout the year where technical or sales & marketing representatives from members’ companies will pool resources for the good of the common end.
17: Each member company will supply quarterly, in confidence, a breakdown of volumes of material supplied to sectors of the ICF market, to the British Plastics Federation. A document will then be circulated to the group detailing the total market by sectors, as agreed by the committee.
18: Generic product testing may be carried out by the group, if deemed necessary by the majority of committee members. Eg for requirements of BRE, Robust Details (acoustics) etc
19: The ICFA is not the forum to resolve commercial disputes between individual companies. It is a forum to develop and enhance the opportunities of a remarkable product/building system for the benefit of all. Therefore no such matters are eligible for discussion by the Committee.
20: Any member company who is deemed by the group to be deliberately and knowingly carrying out actions detrimental to the well being of the group will be censured in the following way, subject to unanimous approval of the rest of the committee:
a) Cautioned and expected to retract action
b) Cautioned and publicly retract action
c) If appropriate, written evidence of unacceptable practice will be provided by the committee to a third party for adjudication i.e. BBA / BRE certification
d) Resign from the ICFA contributions may be refunded.
e) Expelled from the ICFA, no refund of contributions.
21: Upon the dissolution of the ICFA, any unused subscriptions will be returned to member companies, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the group.
22: This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the steering committee or, provided due notice of the proposed amendment shall have been formally sent to each Committee member at least thirty days in advance, by a two-thirds vote of all committee members. 23: This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the steering committee or, provided due notice of the proposed amendment shall have been formally sent to each Committee member at least thirty days in advance, by a two-thirds vote of all committee members.