Major Milestone towards Integration of Infrastructure Standards Guidelines in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 01 July, 2015 - Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) hosted a regular meeting of the steering committee of Infrastructure Standards Guidelines (ISGL) development project that comprises experts from key infrastructure entities in Abu Dhabi. The meeting marks a major milestone towards the integration and harmonization of all related standards and specifications in infrastructure development projects across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

­Through the implementation of a harmonized guideline, QCC aims to create a unified reference that serves all segments of infrastructure sector in the emirate.

The formulation of ISGL guidelines was launched in 2011 as an initiative of the General Secretariat of Abu Dhabi Executive Council (GSEC).The project drew the engagement of 10 working committees comprising key entities and stakeholders from varied infrastructure sectors and a productivity working group, which is mandated to provide support and guidance for the rest of the groups. These committees held several rounds of meetings to ensure the participation of content-specific experts in the development of the standards.

QCC published the first edition of ISGL in 2014 after GSEC transferred the project ownership to QCC. ISGL provided a better understanding of quality infrastructure services in targeted sectors including support services, gas, waste management, communications, water, central cooling, electricity, transport, and infrastructure productivity and efficiency.

Developed in collaboration with experts from key entities of infrastructure, the unified standards and specifications will provide a unified reference for all sectors, while reducing the cost of building infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and ensuring high quality infrastructure services in Abu Dhabi.

Mohammed Helal Al Balooshi, Marketing & Communications Acting Director at Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), said: "As part of our mandate to promote quality infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, QCC  published ISGL to serve as a unified reference. Developed in collaboration with key stakeholders in the infrastructure sector, these standards aim to prevent duplication between the concerned authorities."

Al Balooshi added that ISGL will help all stakeholders gain access to critical Abu Dhabi-specific information in infrastructure projects from one single source. Such a reference will in turn facilitate streamlined procedures and services, attract more investments and ensure the high quality of projects and services in this critical sector.

"As a key enabler of quality infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, QCC plays an important role in supporting its stakeholders to adopt best-in-class standards in their relevant industries and join ranks in achieving the objectives of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030," Al Balooshi added.

The working committees that contributed to the formulation of the guidelines included members from the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain City Municipality, Western Region Municipality, Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority, Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, Al Ain Distribution Company, Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, MASDAR, Abu Dhabi General Services, Tadweer, ADNOC Group of Companies, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Education Council, the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police, the General Directorate of Civil Defense Abu Dhabi and the Regulation and Supervision Bureau.

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of Abu Dhabi's exports and products traded locally. QCC sets guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that products manufactured and traded in the emirate conform to the highest quality standards. In addition to protecting the interests of Abu Dhabi's consumers, QCC is mandated to support its competitive economy and integration into the global marketplace. This is achieved through enabling regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and conformity schemes.

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© Press Release 2015