In this update, I would like to address several important topics:

1. Value Summit
2. Membership Status and SAVE Chapters Elections
3. Tiger Teams and Volunteer Opportunities
4. Certification Online Portal

The 2026 Value Summit is set to take place from June 8-10, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. I am looking forward to connecting with all of you there. Please mark your calendars and consider how you can get involved, whether by attending the Summit or by showcasing your achievements in the field of value management. Additionally, the SAVE International Board of Directors is developing a long-term Summit strategy that will span from 2027 to 2029.

Our membership has shown a positive trend since 2020, with our chapters actively engaging in a variety of meetings and presentations. I am pleased to report that we have recently conducted elections for officers across all SAVE chapters to sustain our momentum. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all members who participated in the election process. Regardless of the outcomes, your contributions remain invaluable, and there will be many opportunities for continued participation and collaboration.

Under the leadership of our Director of Communication, two Tiger Teams have been formed to tackle critical areas: Communications & Marketing and University Outreach. I am eager to review their findings and develop actionable plans that align with our strategic goals of growth and stability. We will announce additional opportunities for Tiger Team participation in the coming months, and I warmly invite you to join us in shaping our future.

Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our SAVE Certification Committee and Registrar for their dedicated efforts over the past few months. I am thrilled to announce that the SAVE Certification Online Portal will launch in March/April 2026. This portal will modernize our certification process, allowing individuals to initiate their applications once they meet the initial requirements and streamlining the review process for each application component as they are ready. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission. Here’s to a successful year ahead!

We are very excited to announce a few things coming down the pipeline:

1. Presenter Submission Site is open! The deadline for presentation submissions is January 30th at 11:59 pm ET. We will be looking for abstracts, not full presentations with PowerPoint slides at this point.
2. Function Analysis Training Facilitator Submission Site is also open! We are looking for facilitators to provide Function Analysis Training (two 4-hour sessions) pre-Summit. The deadline for submissions is January 30th at 11:59 pm ET. Please use the same link as the Presenter Submission site and toggle to the Function Analysis Training Facilitator portion.
3. There will be multiple trainings offered outside of the Value Summit, so please keep an eye out for those!

Note: all submissions must be submitted via the Submission Site - they will not be accepted via email. You will need to create an account for the Submission Site, click on “Submission/Training Abstracts”, then select which submission you are submitting for.

The Value Summit planning committee is working hard to square away all the details and will be distributing more information as things get finalized.

Please reach out to valuesummit@value-eng.org with any questions.

We are excited for this year’s Value Summit and are looking forward to seeing you in Milwaukee!

Presentation submissions must be received by Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

The 2026 Value Summit Planning Committee discussed ways of making this year’s Summit more expansive and growth-focused aligning with the Summit theme of Brewing Ideas, Building Value. The value industry continues to be ever changing and evolving, specifically when looking at labor shortage, inflation, teleworking, DEI, AI, climate change, and many other topics. Understanding where the industry is and where to grow is an exciting place to be at and we want to hear from you!

Therefore, SAVE would like this year’s Value Summit call for presentations to be based on the concept of New Ideas and Building Off of Old. How has the value industry changed for you in the past few years and where do you see it going? How do you see value expanding? Or how have you used the VM to address one of the previously mentioned topics? Please consider the concept of Growth when submitting your presentation.

In the past, the Planning Committee received feedback about Summit presentations being too much alike, specifically that many included a detailed explanation of each phase of the VM job plan making them become redundant over the course of the Summit. These comments were well received and to address the concerns, authors are encouraged to keep their presentations fresh and highlight portions of the VM that yielded their positive results but avoid elaborating on each phase of the methodology.

So here is your chance to share your innovative approaches, new technology advances, lessons learned and value enhancements to your peers and professionals in the VM industry as well as helping SAVE to support the professional development initiative for certification through our Core Competencies.

Be sure to read the Presentation Submission Guidelines before submitting your presentation, as there are several pieces of information required.

Presentations must be submitted through the SAVE 2026 Value Summit Presentation Submission Site - they will not be accepted via email. You will need to create an account for the submission site before submitting your presentation.

Accepted presentations must use the SAVE 2026 Value Summit Presentation PowerPoint presentation template, which will be available during selection notification.

The SUBMISSION DEADLINE is Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

For more information about the 2026 Value Summit, visit www.value-eng.org/2026ValueSummit.

Whether you’re an individual practitioner or a large firm, a paid listing or advertisement is your most economical way to promote your services to a global audience:

• Full Listing = $250 USD (includes a company profile with logo, 100-word description, basic contact information, and services provided)
• Half Page Advertisement = $350 USD
• Full Page Advertisement = $550 USD

Submissions, including payment and digital artwork, must be completed by January 30, 2026 to ensure inclusion.

Promote your services today! Visit www.value-eng.org/ConsultantDirectory to submit your listing.

To continue to grow in stature as a professional society, SAVE must select the best leaders and administrators from within its membership. Serving on the SAVE Board is a chance to help drive the decisions of our international society, and advance and promote the Value Methodology.

The opportunity to work with other leaders in SAVE allows you to be part of the decision-making process on the national level, driving the strategic goals of the society. This is an exciting time to join the leadership of SAVE and help us map our ambitious future!

Serving on the SAVE Board is a wonderful way to support a society you care about, but it can also be a powerful way to build your own skills and expertise. Those who serve on the SAVE Board have the opportunity to develop and grow as leaders, cultivate new skill sets and expand your network of peers, professionals and community thought leaders.

Help lead SAVE into the future by applying for one of the following open Board positions:

• Director (2 available)

Please note, SAVE no longer designates a special area of interest for Directors being elected (i.e., conferences, education, membership, etc.). Those assignments are decided once the Directors are elected to the Board.

If you are interested in serving on the SAVE Board, please email the SAVE business office at info@value-eng.org to request an application. The application submission deadline is February 25.

On behalf of the SAVE Nominating Committee and the entire membership, thank you for considering this opportunity to donate your time and talents to our profession!

The SAVE Honors & Awards Committee has issued a call for nominations in the following categories:

• Projects, Programs, and Processes
• Individual Achievement and Service
• Chapter Accomplishments
• College of Fellows

The Committee encourages SAVE members to submit nominations that clearly show the benefits of the Value Methodology (VM), not only to the specific topic but to SAVE and its members.

The nomination submission deadline is March 16. Each nomination must have a sponsor; self-nominations will not be accepted.

The nomination forms and SAVE H&A Program Recognition Manual are available on the Honors & Awards webpage of the SAVE website.

We look forward to receiving your nominations!

The Education Committee has completed the development of the new Value Methodology Fundamentals 2 (VMF2) education program which will follow a similar format as the new Value Methodology Fundamentals 1 (VMF1). The VMF2 materials will be offered in two parts - the VMF2A e-learning seminar (self-paced) and the VMF2B course (instructor-led). A VMF2BT instructor training course has also been developed.

The previous VMF2 course materials can be delivered by approved instructors until the new materials are launched, likely by the end of February. After which, instructors must commence with the new VMF2B course materials.

Beginning in January, there will be virtual Value Methodology Fundamentals 1BT (VMF1BT) and VMF2BT instructor training courses offered to eligible CVS and CVS-Life. The courses are listed in the Calendar of Events on the SAVE website. Both the VMF1BT and VMF2BT courses will also be offered in-person at the 2026 Value Summit in Milwaukee, WI this June.

In addition, two 4-hour sessions on Facilitation Skills will be offered as pre-Summit training opportunities at the 2026 Value Summit. The Facilitation Skills training will be provided by a third-party consultant, Leadership Strategies. After discussion and input from various members, the SAVE Board decided to solicit a third-party provider to introduce alternative facilitation techniques as an opportunity for new value practitioners to gain skills and existing practitioners to expand their current facilitation tools set.

SAVE also intends to offer two 4-hour Function Analysis sessions as pre-Summit training opportunities at the 2026 Value Summit. This training is intended for current value practitioners to refresh and hone their respective skills. Individuals seeking their initial CVS certification would also benefit from attending this session. SAVE is currently seeking proposals for these Function Analysis training sessions via the Value Summit submission site.

The VM Guide (2020) has been translated into the Spanish language by a team of SAVE value practitioner volunteers led by Jacqueline Fahmy, CVS. This translation is currently being reviewed by an independent editing team to confirm nomenclature context has been retained. The SAVE Board anticipates publishing the VM Guide (SP) during 2026.

Certification Advisory Committee

In November, we launched the new Certification Advisory Committee to advise the SAVE Board on new and updated certification policy. This committee is meeting monthly and has been working on the priorities to pick-up where our previous certification advisors left off and continue the work to revitalize SAVE certification while providing stability and confidence. Initially, this committee has five appointed members and is chaired by the Certification Registrar; however, it will be expanded to include representation from appropriate international value organizations as new intersociety agreements are finalized.

CVS-Life

One thing a number of people may have noticed is that we sent out an email in December to all individuals eligible for CVS-Life who were not already granted this designation. If you received one of these emails and wish to obtain your CVS-Life designation, then it is imperative that you respond. Similarly, if you feel you should have received an email and did not, please check your email folders and contact the SAVE business office at info@value-eng.org. After this initial opt-in window, which applies to candidates eligible prior to October 15, 2025, all CVS-Life applications will be processed as part of the regular certification renewal cycle for each candidate on their next scheduled renewal date.

Also, a gentle reminder to all existing CVS-Life that in 2026 you will need to identify as either active or retired. If you wish to have retired status, there is no need for renewal fees or any recertification. However, to maintain active status, renewal is required per the SAVE Certification Program Manual. More clarification will be forthcoming on this in the first quarter of 2026.

Certification Portal

The big news for 2026 is the pending launch of our online Certification Portal. The portal is in the final testing phase and will be slowly rolled out in stages to different groups of users early in the new year. At this time, the expected first group of users will be new CVS applicants just starting their application journey.

Call for Reviewers

With changes in both our certification process and agreements with other value associations and societies, our number of certification applications and renewals is increasing dramatically. As such, we are in need of more volunteers to serve as reviewers. If you have relative experience with reviewing certification applications and are interested, please reach out to the SAVE business office at info@value-eng.org. Interested candidates will be vetted by the Certification Advisory Committee and a recommendation will be made to the SAVE Board.

Since that time, both Tiger Teams have been actively engaged in structured collaboration, research, and evaluation. Over several months, team members met regularly, brainstormed ideas, and examined current practices and future opportunities. This work is now nearing completion.

Each Tiger Team is finalizing a proposal to the SAVE Board of Directors, with formal presentations planned for late January. These proposals are intended to inform the Board’s strategic discussions and provide a clear foundation for potential next steps.

Purpose of the Tiger Teams

The Tiger Teams were intentionally chartered to operate within a defined scope and timeframe. Their role was not to produce fully developed, multi-year strategies, but to explore challenges, identify opportunities, and clarify pathways that could support SAVE’s continued growth while remaining aligned with its mission, governance structure, and volunteer culture.

Early in their work, both teams independently arrived at a shared observation and an observation that has not changed in years:

SAVE delivers significant value, yet awareness of VM remains limited outside traditional practitioner and certification-focused audiences.

This insight helped frame the teams’ discussions and reinforced the importance of looking forward to how SAVE communicates, engages, and connects with both current and future members.

Progress to Date

The Communications & Marketing Tiger Team focused on understanding how SAVE currently engages its audiences and how those efforts may evolve as the organization grows. In parallel, the University Outreach Tiger Team examined how VM can be introduced earlier in professional pathways, particularly within academic environments.

While the teams worked independently, their efforts were complementary and informed by consistent themes around growth, alignment, and sustainability.

Looking Ahead

The forthcoming Board proposals reflect a substantial amount of volunteer effort and thoughtful dialogue. They are intentionally forward-looking and designed to support informed decision-making by the Board.

The work of these Tiger Teams highlights the strength of SAVE’s volunteer community and its commitment to continuous improvement. Additional updates will be shared following the Board’s review and discussion.

The MVF-MVI has planned another VE/VM Virtual Education Forum on January 17, 2026 from 6:30-8:30 am Eastern Time. This forum is to solicit Voice of the Customer feedback from educators regarding VE/VM/VA related curriculum and courses for universities worldwide. The goal is to share and discover opportunities that may exist where the MVF can assist in providing potential support.

The forum will address:

• Overview of structured courses for advancing VE/VM in academia
• Strengthening pedagogy, student learning experiences, and research
• Expanding VE/VM education to grade schools, high schools, or other institutions of learning
• Adoption of technology and virtual platforms
• Collaboration with SAVE International, Society of Japanese Value Engineering (SJVE), MVF, and MVI

Presentations of various academics in VE/VM from Canada, India, and Japan will be featured.

Click here to register for the forum - the cost is FREE! The forum will be captured on video and a Zoom meeting link posted or shared online, including the MVF and MVI websites.

Contact the MVF at info@valuefoundation.org for more information.

Prof. Tsuchiya was one of the pioneers and leaders of Value Engineering (VE) in Japan. He was Emeritus Professor of SANNO Junior College and the SANNO Institute of Management, Lecturer at Tokyo University of Science, as well as Presidential Advisor of Society of Japanese Value Engineering (SJVE). In 2000, he officially retired from SANNO and was recognized as Emeritus Professor. Since then, he has been active as Executive Director of SJVE. Within SJVE, he served on a number of committees as the chairman and a member, such as Central Planning Committee, Miles Award Screening Board, Value Management Academy, Conference Paper Screening Committee, VE Certification Committee, etc.

Mr. Tsuchiya had undertaken numerous consulting and/or in-house training services for over 270 large and medium size industrial corporations. Some of his clients were Matsushita (PANASONIC), Isuzu Motors, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Nippon Steel, IHI, Mazda, JVC, Toyota, Canon, Mitsui Shipbuilding, etc. He provided consulting services to overseas corporations such as Korean Management Association, Korean Standard Association, Daewoo, Goldstar, and Samsung in South Korea.

Mr. Tsuchiya wrote many books, texts, and papers on VE including some translation of foreign books. He presented the following papers at SAVE International conferences: “The significance and methods of Evaluation of functions” in 1974, and “Profile of VE application by industrial sectors in Japan” in 1990.

Upon learning of his death, the following recollections were submitted by SAVE Fellows:

• Yoshihito Sato, “Professor Tsuchiya was my mentor. I am very sad.”
• Bruce Lenzer, “Sara and I send our condolences and heart felt sympathies to Tsuchiya-san's family. He was a treasured VE and Management Consulting professional and educator in Japan. His contributions will be remembered.”
• Ramani Rukmini, “I am sad to hear about the passing of a valued colleague.”
• Surya Prakash Prabhaker, “This is really sad news for us. May God give strength to his family to bear this loss. Om Shanti.”
• Istvan Tariani, “Unfortunately, it is impossible to find the proper words for such bad news. Our sincere condolences to the family.”
• Abdulaziz Al-Yousefi, “Very sad to hear. I still remember the good time and best hospitality I spend with Professor Hiroshi Tsuchiya during my visit to Tokyo back in 1998. May God bless him and our condolence to his family.”
• Jim Rains, “I have known Tsuchiya-san for over 25 years. He always played a predominant role at the SJVE conferences and entertained and have dinner with me. I will be forever grateful for his efforts to arrange many corporate meetings for me and my business clients.”

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am excited to announce the new SAVE chapter officers:

Australia & New Zealand
President - Emad Shublaq
Vice President - Issa Shaweesh
Secretary/Treasurer - Andrew Williamson

Eastern Mediterranean & Africa
President - Jacqueline Fahmy
Vice President - Ayman Mansour
Secretary/Treasurer - May Emam

Gulf
President - Ahmed Ali
Vice President - Muhammad Al-Ghamdi
Secretary/Treasurer - Prakash Rengasamy

Kuwait
President - Ahad Alotaibi
Vice President - Abdulrahman Alfuraih
Secretary/Treasurer - Hadeel Alkhubaizi

U.S. Central
President - Michael Meyer
Vice President - Jeffery Borowicz
Secretary/Treasurer - Corey Burns

U.S. Northeast
President - John Corcoran
Vice President - Grace Hagan
Secretary/Treasurer - Samuel Porter

U.S. Southeast
President - Cyrus Sinor
Vice President - Christopher Johnson
Secretary/Treasurer - Leigh Shaw

U.S. Southwest
President - Rick Wyly
Vice President - Ryan Thomas
Secretary/Treasurer - open

U.S. Western
President - Leah Vigoren
Vice President - Philip Mok
Secretary/Treasurer - Chad Vellinga

Congratulations to the chapter officers and thank you to all members who volunteered. Your support and involvement in SAVE and its chapters is critical to the success of our organization.

The session was delivered by Er. Anita Lukose, Partner, Atina Systems LLP, Bangalore, a highly accomplished VE professional and Certified Value Specialist (CVS) approved by SAVE International. With over two decades of industrial experience across infrastructure, real estate, manufacturing, oil & gas, and automotive sectors, Ms. Lukose brought rich industry insights to the program and previously served as AGM & Head of VE and Innovation at Sobha Ltd. She is a member of SAVE International and currently holds key leadership positions in national and international VE organizations, including the Indian Value Engineering Society (INVEST).

The technical session focused on the fundamental principles of VE and the Value Methodology (VM), emphasizing function-oriented thinking rather than conventional cost-based approaches. Ms. Lukose elaborated on the VM Job Plan, the importance of function analysis, and the role of multidisciplinary teams in generating innovative and customer-oriented solutions. Through real-world examples from construction and building components, the participants were introduced to concepts such as basic and secondary functions, FAST diagrams, cost-worth analysis, and life-cycle cost optimization.

The session also highlighted the growing relevance of VE across industries and its alignment with modern engineering practices such as sustainability, resource optimization, and innovation management. Special emphasis was given to the employability advantages of VE skills, including certification pathways for students and their applicability in procurement, design, construction, and project management roles.

The program was well received by students and faculty members, who actively engaged in discussions and interactive segments. It effectively bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and industry expectations, contributing to outcome-based education and professional competency development. The program aligned with NBA and NAAC quality indicators related to industry interaction, skill development, and curriculum enrichment, and reinforced the department’s commitment to producing industry-ready graduates.