Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers

Baden-Württemberg is one of the leading innovative regions in Europe. Its advantages lie in the special combination of tradition, innovation, hi-tech as well as its regional and cultural diversity. Beautiful countryside such as the Black Forest, Lake Constance, the Swabian Alb, as well as the cities of Stuttgart, Freiburg and Baden-Baden make Baden-Württemberg a popular tourist destination and an attractive place to live.

The Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers (INGBW) is the official representative body of engineers of all areas of specialisation in Baden-Württemberg which represents their interests on a public and political level. The chamber was established in 1990 due to a law (the Chamber of Engineers Law of Baden-Württemberg – IngKammG) as a public body and is subject to the supervision of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance and Economics. There are 16 chambers of engineers in Germany, one in each federal state. The Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers is financed solely by member contributions and fees.

All German chambers of engineers are required by law to ensure the rules of professional conduct are upheld for their members and to protect the professional title of "consulting engineer".

The "consulting engineer" is a legally protected title which is the equivalent of a quality seal. If a customer requires independent trustees who do not act on behalf of any supplier interests and are able to fulfil planning services on their own responsibility and in accordance with ethical principles, the consulting engineer is the right choice. No engineer is obliged to carry the "consulting engineer" title. However, anyone who does wish to have this title must register in the chamber’s list of "consulting engineers" and fulfil the necessary requirements (professional qualifications of an engineer, self employment, independent of commercial interests, at least two years professional experience, professional liability insurance).

Other tasks of the chamber include:

• Represent the interests of engineers on a political level as official contact partner
• Secure and promote the profession particularly the professional title "consulting engineer" for the protection of the public and the environment
• Monitor compliance with professional obligations in order to maintain the quality of engineer services
• Provide advice and support for authorities and courts by means of surveys and reports
• Record members and their services in specialist lists to provide an overview of available services for investors, building clients, authorities and other potential clients
• Promote professional training and further training of engineers
• Out of court settlements of disputes between members and between members and non-members
• In addition, the Chamber of Engineers also awards the Fritz-Leonhardt Prize (FLP), one of the most significant European civil engineering prizes.

Anyone who lives or works in Baden-Württemberg and who is permitted to carry the title of "engineer" may become a member of our chamber. The latter, the title, is regulated in the state’s Engineer Law (IngG). Engineers from abroad may have their professional qualifications recognised for this purpose. In Baden-Württemberg it is the four government councils which are responsible for this.

The chamber members include the so-called consulting engineers as compulsory members as well as employed, official and self-employed engineers as voluntary members. Engineers who are no longer professionally active may also join the chamber as senior members as well as students of natural sciences or technical subjects who may join as "juniors".
The members cover various areas of work ranging from building construction and civil engineering to surveying and transport engineering and environmental protection. The majority of the members work in the building industry. The Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers currently oversees 17 different specialist fields:

• Civil engineering
• Transport engineering
• Statical calculation/structural planning
• Sanitary environmental engineering
• Building services engineering
• Building physics
• Geotechnics/earthworks and foundation engineering
• Plant construction
• Construction management/building trade
• Bioengineering
• Chemical engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Energy management
• Town planning/landscape conservation
• Environmental technology
• Surveying
• Landscape ecology and planning

In 2007 the consortium "bw engineers GmbH" was founded out of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers. It unites planning offices of various sizes and areas of specialisation in Baden-Württemberg to ensure they are more prominent as one name on foreign markets. With more than 800 planners and engineers, the consortium, supported by the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers and the state government, is one of the biggest engineer networks in Germany and is mainly active in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Would you like to become a member? These are the benefits offered by the chamber:

Membership of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers opens up many new opportunities. Members benefit from a wide range of training and advisory offers through the chamber and its cooperation partners. In addition, the pension fund of the chamber provides a pension annuity, disability pension and widow/widower's pension as well as an orphan's allowance. Members also benefit from special terms and conditions for computing, insurances and hotels. The publications "Deutsches Ingenieurblatt (DIB)" and "INGBWaktuell" regularly report on the latest developments in politics, jurisdiction and professional practice.

A member meeting is held once a year which decides on important matters such as statutes, rules concerning contributions and fees and the budget. Every three years, the chamber board is also voted at this meeting. Furthermore, members are also invited to support the chamber in committees as well as specialist and working groups. The chamber also offers members the opportunity to take part in a direct exchange on professional as well as everyday subjects.

Further information and membership application form on:
www.ingbw.de/vorteile (german only)

Are you looking for a contact partner for specialist engineering questions or do you require information about the profession of the engineer in Baden-Württemberg?
Would you like to open an office in Baden-Württemberg?
Do you want to make contacts to engineering offices in the state?
Are you looking for an office for your assignments?

We can help you with these questions and find the right contact for you.

Please contact our Chief Executive Daniel Sander, M.A.,
E-mail: sander(at)ingbw.de 

You can also find experts and engineering offices on the internet using our expert search:
www.ingsuche.de (german only)