American Council of Engineering Companies

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is a trade association founded in 1909 to promote the business interests of engineer in private practice in the United States. ACEC is a federation of 51 state and regional councils with national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

History

ACEC traces its roots to the founding of the American Institute of Consulting Engineers (AICE) in 1909. In its first years, AICE was largely a New York City-focused organization, with more than half of its members working in the New York City area. The organization was active in opposing the use of publicly employed engineers on public projects and advocated for engineers to be hired based on their qualifications rather than price.

In 1956, representatives from 10 state associations representing consulting engineers met in Tulsa, Okla. and created the Consulting Engineers Council, a nationwide association to promote the business interests of engineers. The new organization had an initial membership of 494 individuals and firms. In 1959, CEC joined the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). By 1960, CEC had 29 state-based member organizations, represented more than 1,000 firms, and had established a group liability insurance program.

CEC supported the passage of the A/E Selection Procedures Act, also known as the Brooks Act, in 1972, which requires that the U.S. Federal Government select engineering and architecture firms based upon their competency, qualifications and experience rather than by price. The Council has been a major proponent of the Act's Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) rules ever since, repeatedly beating back efforts from federal agencies to use price in procuring engineering services.

In 1973, CEC and AICE merged to form the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC).

In 1986, ACEC founded the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) to address unfair liability statutes nationwide.

In 1998, ACEC supported the inclusion of a provision in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to require that all state transportation departments follow QBS guidelines.

In 2000, ACEC changed its name to the American Council of Engineering Companies to reflect its firm-based membership. All of the 51 state and regional councils have since followed suit.

Later that year, ACEC backed the "Thomas Amendment" in the Water Resources and Development Act, which limited the ability of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to compete with private engineering firms in municipal works such as schools and utilities.

In 2004, the Council helped win passage of a 9 percent tax deduction for engineering firms as part of the American Jobs Creation Act.

As part of a broad business coalition, ACEC was successful in 2011 in winning the repeal of the 3 Percent Withholding Rule, which would have required federal, state, and local governments to withhold 3 percent from payments for goods and services.

In 2012, ACEC, along with the American Public Works Association (APWA) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), founded the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), which has developed the Envision sustainability rating system for civil infrastructure.

Advocacy

ACEC advocates for the business interests of its member firms on both the federal and state levels.

Key Council issues include limiting government competition, increasing infrastructure funding, reforming the tax system, and improving risk management protections.

Political Action Committee

The American Council of Engineering Companies Political Action Committee (ACEC/PAC) was established in 1975 to support federal candidates for office who promote a pro-business legislative agenda. ACEC/PAC is bipartisan and is funded solely by ACEC member contributions.

Education

The Council holds more than 130 online educational webinars annually, covering a wide range of business management and engineering topics

Founded in 1995, ACEC's Senior Executives Institute provides advanced management, leadership and public policy training for emerging firm leaders. More than 400 executives have participated in the program.

In cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, ACEC holds regular on-site educational workshops on how engineering firms can better navigate Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR).

Each fall, ACEC hosts two-day meetings for three educational forums: Information Technology; Financial; and Human Resources.

Coalitions

ACEC has six coalitions—dedicated communities of ACEC members organized by practice area or firm size:

• Design Professionals Coalition
• Council of American Structural Engineers
• Council of American Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
• Council of Professional Surveyors
• Small Firm Council
• Land Development Coalition

Publications

ACEC publishes Engineering Inc. magazine, a bi-monthly four-color journal that focuses on business and engineering industry issues. In 2014, the magazine won an APEX Grand Award, a national award for business communicators.

Last Word is the Council's weekly electronic membership newsletter.

In 2014, the Council introduced the ACEC Engineering Business Index survey, which charts the health of the engineering industry.

EJCDC

ACEC, ASCE, and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) founded the Engineers Joint Contract Document Committee (EJCDC) in 1975 to develop objective standard contract documents that represent both parties in engineer-designed construction projects in the United States.

Conferences

Each year ACEC hosts two Conferences. Each spring, the ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit is held in Washington, D.C. and features leading political speakers and coordinated member visits to congressional offices. The ACEC Fall Conference is held in different locations each year and focuses on member education. The 2016 conference will be held in Washington, DC^[1]

Awards Programs

• Engineering Excellence Awards—Introduced in 1967, the annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) program honors that year's most outstanding engineering accomplishments.
• Community Service Awards—Given annually to member firm principals who have made outstanding contributions to the quality of life in their community.
• Distinguished Award of Merit—The Council's highest award, the Distinguished Award of Merit is given to individuals for exemplary achievement in the field of engineering, pure or applied natural science, or an educator in one of more of these fields, either American or foreign. Recipients include former Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Herbert Hoover, General Lucius Clay, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, Carl Sagan, W. Edwards Deming, and Neil Armstrong.
• QBS Awards Program—Co-sponsored with NSPE, the QBS Awards recognize public and private entities that make exemplary use of the QBS selection process at the

state and local levels.

• Young Professional of the Year Award—This award strives to promote the accomplishments of young engineers by highlighting their engineering contributions and the resulting impact on society.

Scholarships

ACEC administers six scholarship programs:

• ACEC Scholar of the Year scholarship ($10,000)

• Kennedy/Jenks Consultants Scholarship ($7,500)

• ACEC Business Insurance Trust Scholarship ($5,000)

• ACEC Life/Health Trust Scholarship ($5,000)

• Small Firm Council Scholarship ($2,000)

• Coalition of American Structural Engineers Scholarship ($1,500)

References

External links

• Official website