Source: Web page  Canadian Consulting Engineer (http://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/)
Canadian firms venturing into foreign markets enter strange territory for doing business. The principal of a Toronto firm explains what approaches they find work best, including what contractual arrangements to make with an overseas partner.
Working in foreign markets requires a firm to make a number of decisions before they decide how -- and if -- they should proceed on a project. Three of the most important areas to look at are the scope of services you will provide, the contractual arrangement you will make, and a variety of local situations. Even after you have addressed such questions you may still encounter difficulties, but the risks will almost certainly be mitigated.
By way of background, Yolles is a consulting structural and fa?ade engineering firm with offices in Toronto, London, U.K. and Singapore. We also have a number of Alliance Partners located in several other major centres around the world. The firm was founded in 1952 and employs 210 staff in our three offices. We have been involved in some of Canada's most prominent buildings constructed over the last 50 years. These include First Canadian Place, the Air Canada Centre, BCE Place and the Pearson airport expansion all in Toronto, as well as tall buildings in Vancouver and Calgary.
Internationally, during the past 20 years, we have worked on many well-known large building projects in over 15 countries. We have helped design projects such as the World Financial Center in New York, Canary Wharf in London, Canadian embassies in Washington, Tokyo and Beijing, and hotels, resorts and office complexes in China, the Middle East, the United States, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Codes and language
No matter where we have worked, unless the country has advanced technical standards (such as in Western Europe), American, Canadian or British codes have been universally accepted. Since we work in the U.S. and have a British office, we are quite comfortable using all three codes. Where possible, we try to use only one of these three codes, and avoid mixing them with any local codes that may exist. This approach is not possible, however, where local codes do not adequately address significant topics such as earthquake or wind forces, foreign materials or serviceability issues.
A larger problem exists in developed countries where local codes exist, but which in our opinion are outdated, incorrect or do not adequately address recent technical developments. Unfortunately, experience has shown that it is often more expeditious to adhere to requirements of inadequate codes than to try to have an innovative alternative solution accepted. The time and effort to prove a different method is often wasted.
Many of our projects are large and sophisticated by international standards, and entail detailed analysis and complex designs. In these cases, and depending on the local approval process, we hold early discussions with the approving authorities on the codes that will be used to complete the design. This technique has proven very helpful to minimize the potential delays once a project is underway.
Language is an issue that all firms have to face when working in a foreign country. If English is not commonly used, we will not take on a significant assignment unless we have associated with a local consultant who can also communicate well in English. Experience has taught us that our difficulty or inability to communicate is directly related to our ability to successfully solve significant problems that arise on a project. In other words, do not undertake an expanded scope of work where you do not have excellent communication skills in the local language.
Language also has a significant influence on issues such as the contract, the services to be provided and the selection of the local consultant. It is imperative to clearly identify the language the various deliverables will be prepared in. | 