Frequently Asked Questions

Here below is a list of the most frequently asked questions concerning AIC and corresponding answers.

1. When was AIC Created?
AIC got a legal existence in June 1999.
2. Where is AIC located and why?
AIC is essentially based on an international network, a network of experts and a network of companies. Companies as well as experts are from all over the world. AIC can be (in fact is) managed from any place in the world, provided communication means are efficient. Legally speaking, AIC is based in France.
3. Is AIC really an independent organization?
AIC is an independent association. No other organization or company is involved directly or indirectly in AIC strategy or management. This builds confidence and allows us to receive a substantial amount of information. AIC sources are never communicated to anyone: expert, company or institution, not even to AIC members. This is one of AIC Basic Working Rules. Respecting the strictest confidentiality, AIC cannot be pressured by anyone, expert, company or institution. Several companies have already tried to put pressure on AIC; we have even received some warnings (including some lawsuit warnings) from isolated companies because of the AIC watch- and blacklists of companies. AIC however has not and never will be influenced by any friendly (or unfriendly) pressure.
4. Why the legal status of an Association and not directly the one of a Company?
The major reasons were as follows: 1) AIC's aim is not to make a profit, but to provide services for its members; 2) A fully neutral, not competing association seems to be more appropriate to build an efficient network.
5. Why a membership fee for the experts?
A full AIC service for free cannot exist, because the service is costly and needs to be financed. So the appropriate question is who should be involved in the financing of the AIC services. Accordingly, one of the basic working rules of the Association is that experts can benefit from AIC services only when sharing the costs of the system; AIC wants to remain a closed network entirely based on trust and the strictest confidentiality. One of the means to restrict access was precisely to introduce a sufficiently dissuasive fee, this in order to eliminate people not corresponding to the real needs of companies or not really interested in the system; However dissuasive for unwanted candidates, this Membership Fee only represents the equivalent of 1/2 or even 1/3 of a working day fee for an expert (the average fee being between 360 and 450 Euro per working day), i.e. the equivalent of 3 to 4 working hours!!!.
6. Is there a success fee?
No, since 1st January 2006, AIC does not apply any success fee, because it is far too difficult to manage and some experts are fooling the Association.
7. AIC fee policy toward companies?
There is no Fee for companies placing a search for experts because AIC wants to get the best visibility and offer companies the possibility to test in real time our services.
8. AIC fee policy toward International Institutions?
There is no Fee for International Institutions.
9. What about the efficiency of AIC in terms of results?
a) Concerning the Job Opportunities Service, AIC efficiency is expressed through two main criteria:
1) its ability to get requests for experts from companies and International Organizations and;
2) its ability to identify in time the appropriate experts fitting as perfectly as possible to these requests.
Success by the first criterion is directly measured by the number of Searches for Experts regularly forwarded by AIC to members, presently an average of two per day, see On-going Searches for Experts and former Searches for Experts.
Success by the second criterion depends on the quality and experience of the experts sending their candidacy and their relevance in corresponding to the companies' requests.
The number of experts getting an assignment through AIC, is the result of:
1) the quality of the Technical Proposals of the companies requesting experts and proposing them in their tender dossier and;
2) the quality and appropriateness of the CVs, including their complementarity with other already selected CVs.
AIC is only acting as an intermediary between experts and companies. By providing you with all the opportunities, which are submitted to AIC, you will receive far more company requests, i.e. more opportunities fitting your experience, and this, consequently, will significantly increase the probability of your getting very interesting assignments in a more timely manner.
b) Concerning the CV Broadcast Service, the efficiency and value for money are extremely high. Read directly the Users Testimonials.
10. Can I get the co-ordinates of a company?
AIC Basic Working Rules does not allow to provide anybody with such information, except in case the company selects your CV for a specific assignment and asked for your co-ordinates. In such a case, you will be immediately forwarded the full co-ordinates of our contact at the same time that the company will be forwarded your full co-ordinates. Always remember that it is a general request from companies to keep confidential during the whole tendering phase their searches for experts. In a parallel way, no company or international institution will receive the co-ordinates of an expert except if this expert expresses interest in submitting his candidature for a specific position. This allows each expert to select only only the assignments in which he is truly interested.
11. How does AIC manage when receiving requests for experts from several companies for the same project?
Very simple: first come, first served. By first come, we mean the first company who requests the co-ordinates of a proposed expert. But the final choice always remains the one of the experts. If 3 companies are requesting the co-ordinates of 1 expert, they will get it, and the expert is of course entirely free to decide with which company he wants to work. Choice always remains yours.
12. Companies and Experts blacklisted by the World Bank?
Click on the hyperlink to access to this World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms and Experts, the so-called World Bank Blacklist.
13. Companies "Watchlisted" and "Blacklisted" by AIC?
Recent experiences have forced AIC to gathers and keeps on file information about problems related to company recruitment practices, management of projects, company relations with experts, payments problems, etc. The first step for companies in this situation is to put them on the Watch List, the next and last step is to transfer them to the Blacklist.
Do not hesitate to bring such matters to AIC attention. Confidentiality will always be preserved.