Presentation
Presentation
António Mendes Cabaço
Head of Unit
The Building Economy, Management, and Quality Unit (NEGQ) carries out technical and economic studies to support project management and promote building quality in the following areas:
- Economic evaluation of construction works;
- Procurement in construction projects;
- Planning and controlling the execution of works;
- Information and management systems in construction;
- Price revision of construction contracts;
- Measuring rules in construction;
- Property valuation and asset management;
- Construction regulations and standardisation;
- Technical assessment of construction products and systems.
NEGQ also coordinates the homologation, standardisation, regulation, and certification activities at national, European, and international levels carried out at LNEC. It also supports the Section for the Registration and Classification of General Quality Managers within the scope of the MQ/LNEC.
Activity
NEGQ carries out a range of activities of the following nature:
- Programmed research;
- Studies and consultancy (contract research);
- Specialized technical consultancy activities in support of the construction industry;
- Development and maintenance of LNEC's Quality Management Systems;
- Support for certification and the award of quality marks;
- Technical assessment of construction products and systems at LNEC, coordinating the preparation of Homologation Documents (DH), Application Documents (DA) and European Technical Assessments (ETA);
- Application of quality management systems: i) for product certification, in the activity of Notified Body for product certification within the scope of CE marking; ii) for the activity of Designated Body to the European Commission for issuing European Technical Assessments; and iii) for LNEC - Ensaios e Metrologia;
- Operation of the Section for the Registration and Classification of General Quality Managers, within the scope of the MQ/LNEC;
- Supporting LNEC's Departmental Units in national and European regulation and standardisation activities, in liaison with IPQ;
- Technical dissemination aimed at the homologation and European technical assessment of products, as well as the Construction Products Regulation and the corresponding CE marking.
- Participation in technical groups and committees;
- Advanced training and technical dissemination.
NEGQ also includes the UEP (Prefabricated Elements Unit) for carrying out characterization and behavioral tests on prefabricated elements to be applied to walls, floors, or roofs of buildings. As part of LNEC's research and innovation strategy, NEGQ has been involved in several master's dissertations and doctoral theses in collaboration with Portuguese universities.