Quality management standardization in the French construction industry: singularities and internationalization prospects

Over the last 10 years quality management in the French construction industry has triggered a range of innovative ideas spanning all professions, ideas that have been developed further through action-research. The creation of quality clubs is one of the first examples of this, followed by the setting up of professional quality assurance references based on the ISO 9002 Standard, to be used first and foremost by construction contractors (QUALIBAT), but also by architects (AQC and QUALIARCH), and finally clients (QUALIMO). The clubs and QUALIBAT are today experiencing either a decrease in activity or a growth-caused crisis, made all the worse by the devastating effects of a long, drawn-out activity crisis which lasted from 1993 until 1998 and led to widespread abnormally low prices. A new impetus has been given to the sector by the Construction Branch of the French Movement for Quality (MFQ) through the combined force of the clubs' experience and the development of professional quality references. The innovation consists of drawing up an experimental standard for quality management in the construction industry and actively participating in revising the ISO 9000 Standards for the year 2000. Although specifically French, other countries in southern Europe and Latin America with whom there has been regular contact since 1996 are interested in this initiative.