JAT was one of the title sponsors of the Building Specifiers’ Conference 2017 held recently at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo.
This conference gave construction professionals and policy makers a platform for valuable discussion on the importance of specifications and their implementation. The objective behind this event was to bring forth the points of view of all experts including specifiers with respect to the need for the right specifications to ensure quality buildings in Sri Lanka. 
The Building Specifiers’ Conference was inaugurated by the eminent personalities of the construction industry such as Dr. Michael E. Joachim, Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA); Deshabandu’ Archt. / Plnr Dr. Surath Wickramasinghe, President, Chamber of Construction Industry; Vidyajyothi Prof. Damian Norbert Lakshman Alwis, Founder Chairman, Design Consortium; Past President Archt. Prof Chitra Weddikkara, Dean Colombo School of Construction Technology; Ranjith Gunathilake, Managing Director, Sanken Construction (Pvt) Ltd; Architect Bernard Gomez, Principal Architect, Bernard Gomez Architects; Architect Channa Daswatte, MICD Associates; S.S.P. Rathnayake, Director General, UDA; Mahinda Jinasena, Chairman (IDB).
“We, at JAT were honoured to be the title sponsor of this well-timed initiative to elevate the Sri Lankan construction industry to world class standards. I was personally pleased that when I discussed the necessity of this project with Prof. Chithra Weddikara and Prem Anveshi, they agreed and took this idea and made it a reality. Correct specifications can make or break a project. This is especially so in an environment like in Sri Lanka where the industry is flooded with many inferior alternatives. The availability of good and accurate specifications will act as a powerful tool to architects, designers and clients to ensure a superior and timely project delivery,” said Aelian Gunawardane, Managing Director, JAT Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. 
The focus of this Conference was - what are specifications, why are they important, are there different kind of specifications, who should be involved in writing specifications, what could go wrong with a specification; specification and estimation for achieving global standards in construction projects and value addition; specification writing for civil construction; the importance of specifying in the construction projects; pitfalls encountered in project management due to incorrect specifications; uses of specification specifying techniques, specification coordination, guidance and operative procedure, types of specifications available internationally, etc.
With many eminent speakers, the conference was attended by a host of architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors, builders, developers, contractors, and academics and provided invaluable information for all involved in the building industry. Director Sales and Marketing of JAT Holdings Surani Sahabandu and General Manager (Factory) Charith Peramune spoke on ‘The Importance of Specifications when selecting coatings’.
The conference concluded on a successful note having provided a much-needed impetus for those involved in the mainstream work of ensuring the development and futuristic growth of Sri Lanka.