Brief History and Role
As umbrella organisation, the BVS represents 13 regional associations and 11 professional associations with a total of more than 4,000 experts working in some 250 specialised areas.
Principal Activities
Public Affairs
The BVS has set itself the goal to publicly represent the professional status and interests of the experts grouped in its member associations. This includes involvement in the preparation of legislation having a direct effect on experts and of specialised laws relating to their specialised work in over 250 different fields in which expert opinions are given.
Specialised departments
The specialised departments set up in the BVS provide an opportunity for the exchange of experience and further training. These departments arrange seminars and information events throughout Germany with the organisational support of the BVS headquarters and in co-operation with the regional and professional associations linked with the BVS.
These are:
* Fee rates of Architects and Engineers
* Construction
* Business economics
* Electronics and computing technology
* Building installations
* Property valuation
* Motor vehicles
* Art, antiques, jewellery
* Machinery, plant, operating equipment
* Natural sciences
* Typesetting, dyes and inks, printing and paper
Education
The BVS supports the further training of its members and the training of future experts through its own specialised seminars and in co-operation with reputable training institutes.
Principal Areas of Policy
* Education and Qualification of Experts
* Influence and Advice to the German Legislatures especially for:
- Valuation, and
- Valuation standards
Organisation
The association is governed by the President and five Vice-Presidents. The Presidents are elected by the membership on a three yearly cycle.
The administration is carried out by the employed staff led by the Chief Executive.
It has eleven dedicated departments.
Membership
As umbrella organisation, the BVS represents 12 regional associations and 12 professional associations with a total of more than 4,800 experts working in some 250 specialised areas. They draw up expert opinions for courts, public prosecution offices and authorities, the business sector, trade and industry and in particular for private consumers, and offer them qualified advice when important decisions need to be made.
The experts in the member associations of the BVS are publicly certified, otherwise recognised by official bodies or institutions with the requisite statutory authority, or certified on the basis of the European standard EN 45013. Candidates for one or several of these qualifications can acquire BVS membership for a limited period.
Publications
BVS directory of experts and Internet database
The BVS publishes a directory in book form which lists the experts in its member associations. This directory is placed at the disposal of courts, public prosecution offices and other judicial bodies, and also business customers, such as insurance companies and banks, as a means to find qualified experts to prepare opinions on individual areas of expertise.
Magazine
The BVS publishes DER SACHVERSTÄNDIGE, a trade magazine appearing 10 times a year with a circulation of more than 4,000 copies. The magazine provides information on legislative procedures of relevance to experts and the resultant professional and legal consequences. Articles from the varied fields of expert work provide the experts grouped in the BVS member associations and also a substantial number of free subscribers with an insight into current technical innovations, the further development of laws and directives relating to the specific area of expertise, and gives information on the legislation affecting experts. DER SACHVERSTÄNDIGE also acts as a discussion platform for specialised questions and problems.
EVS in German
The German Delegation (German member associations of TEGoVA) translated the European Valuation Standards 2012 into German.
Events
GERMAN CONGRESS OF EXPERTS (DEUTSCHER SACHVERSTÄNDIGENTAG)
The BVS is the initiator and responsible co-sponsor of the GERMAN CONGRESS OF EXPERTS which takes place in March every year in Berlin. With its specialised full day events and the political plenary session on the following day, the DST serves as a discussion forum for specialised and scientific examination and for dialogue with representatives from politics, certification bodies, judicial, business and private customers commissioning expert opinions and services. The DST is sponsored by some 30 organisations, representing more than 20,000 experts.
Liaison
Co-operation at national, European and international level
The BVS is a permanent member in the management and advisory board of the IfS (Institut für Sachverständgenwesen e.V.) in Cologne.
At the initiative of the BVS, together with associations of experts from France and the United Kingdom, the European umbrella association EuroExpert has been established to meet the challenges presented by a united Europe. Associations of experts from countries from more than half of the European Union now work together within this framework.
The BVS also represents the interests of its experts as a member of TEGoVA (The European Group of Valuers' Associations).
The BVS and the representatives of its member associations belong to all sectoral committees of the TGA (Trägergemeinschaft für Akkreditierung); which deal with the elaboration of normative documents for the areas of personal certification of experts in a broad range of specialised fields.
Through the BVS-Kraftfahrzeugsachverständigen-Verein e.V., the BVS is co-partner in a fiduciary capacity in the GTÜ (Gesellschaft für Technische Überwachung mbh) which is an officially recognised test organisation with freelance experts in the area of statutory vehicle safety monitoring.
