President's Report - Key Initiatives and Future Plans
ACA National President Kieran Wong looks back at the year’s key achievements, and lays out some plans for the future.
I am delighted to provide an update on ACA activities for 2018. As a national organisation supporting the needs of our members, we have never been busier. We hope you can see the effects of this hard work in the provision of direct and tangible support in your own business.
We continually seek ways to simplify, improve and update our processes and procedures to make membership as easy and straightforward as possible.
The ACA has introduced a number of recent changes in an effort to improve your experience as a valued member.
Last year we introduced online renewals. This year members can pay online using a credit card. This enables easier transactions, and reduces duplication in member management systems. Our aim is to ensure that we are in contact with you only to assist and support the work you do. The streamlined interface for annual subscriptions is the front-end component of this.
Single sign-on has been introduced for all things ACA, with an easy, streamlined process for all members. No more juggling of three or four passwords to ensure you make the most of all our membership services. Members can now access the website, all member tools in the ACA Business Toolbox and the Membership Portal with just one single password.
Version 2 of the ACA Architects’ Time/Cost Calculator is now live! This vital tool assists practices in assessing the time and costs involved in providing an appropriate level of service for a broad range of building types.
The HR Policy Templates have been updated and are now available to all ACA members free as part of the ACA Toolbox. Our Short Form Client Architect Agreement has gone from strength to strength, with many members downloading it, and providing ongoing feedback. We are committed to updating this contract, and issuing relevant guide notes annually to ensure that our members have a simple and easy to use contract at their fingertips for smaller scaled projects.
The ACA announced a new agreement with Moray and Agnew Lawyers, which provides members with 20 minutes of pro bono legal advice from Moray and Agnew’s experienced commercial team. Under the arrangement, each ACA member organisation may seek legal advice by telephone for a maximum of 20 minutes in each calendar year per area of law.
Since our re-launch in 2012, the ACA has evolved into the leading voice for the Business of Architecture in Australia. This includes advocating on behalf of members at both a state and national level, and delivering our members a unique and powerful array of tools – in the ACA Business Toolbox – to assist them in developing and managing their businesses.
These tools place our members in a strong and safe position to undertake the complex process of profitably and efficiently operating their businesses, within the bounds of current industrial relations legislation.
There is more to come. We have engaged a digital strategy agency to assist the ACA in ensuring that our member offer remains current and easy to access across all platforms. We continue to roll out our popular webinar series. Around the country, the ACA hosts roundtables and events to connect our members with current local and national issues.
On behalf of the ACA, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and membership. As always, I am keen to hear your thoughts, plans and ideas for the ACA. Our mission is to remain focused on membership value and provide robust, up-to-date and useful resources to allow you to focus on the Business of Architecture.
Kieran Wong
ACA National President