ACEC New York: Organized for action

The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) is the voice of New York State's engineering companies. Since its formation in 1921, ACEC New York has been true to its mission: to be the leading advocate in New York State for consulting engineers and to enhance the image and business practices of professional engineering companies. Historically, ACEC New York's member firms have been responsible for New York's most notable and innovative projects, including bridges, airports, tunnels, planetariums, highways, stadiums and world's fairs. Today, ACEC New York represents 230 engineering companies with over 400 offices, and close to 18,000 employees, throughout New York State. In aggregate, these firms generate $5.5 billion in design services and $55 billion in related construction every year. This strength in numbers - combined with a proactive, articulate approach and agenda - gives ACEC New York a persuasive, influential voice as it promotes the interests of engineering companies to legislators, clients, colleagues and communities. Political and Legislative Influence As a statewide association, ACEC New York continually brings the concerns of New York's consulting engineers to the attention of lawmakers, working with legislators to draft legislation that is fair to both the public and the private sectors. Striving for a level playing field, ACEC New York fights hard for standards of doing business, such as qualifications-based selection, outsourcing by public agencies for engineering projects and increased infrastructure funding. The organization supports a political action committee that endorses New York officials, maintains lobbyists in Albany and New York City, and hosts an annual reception for legislators in Albany during its winter conference. At all times, the goal is to communicate effectively and to ensure that issues are clearly articulated and understood. Affiliation with the national American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) promotes this goal on the federal level as well. Educating and Supporting Members While ACEC New York works hard to improve the business climate and business practices of engineering companies statewide, it also strives to keep members in the forefront on regulatory issues and business know-how—knowledge that is critical, not only to the success of the industry but also to the future well-being of New York State. Through networking opportunities, including statewide conferences and receptions, annual awards programs, and local and regional meetings; print and electronic communications; training seminars and education programs to maintain licensing and knowledge of codes; and a well-organized media program, ACEC New York helps members stay abreast of such important matters as: * Contract issues. We are active on a host of contract issues relating to indemnity clauses, the engineer as additional insured, MBE/WBE requirements, and the streamlining of processing of government contracts and change orders. * Design/build, public-private partnerships, and alternative project delivery systems. Today's project delivery methods demand that design professionals stay ahead of the curve so that a project satisfies today's client needs and also anticipates the future by incorporating features to accommodate changes in five or ten years. * Business issues. Engineering today requires business acumen, as firms of all sizes deal daily with risk management, IT, human resources and a host of other critical matters. In addition, as highly skilled and trained professionals, consulting engineers face the challenge of winning contracts - based on the quality of their services - in an increasingly cost-driven environment. Promoting the Profession ACEC New York actively promotes the engineering profession, both to acknowledge and demonstrate the significance of the work of its members, and to encourage young people to pursue engineering as their chosen field. Several annual awards programs—including the Engineering Excellence Award Program, which is recognized as the best in the country—celebrate outstanding achievements and leadership of ACEC New York's members. A scholarship program for promising New York State undergraduates attracts bright, motivated engineering students to college-level engineering programs at schools throughout the state. An 8-minute movie entitled "Consulting Engineering - A Career that Matters" offers young people an inside look into the consulting engineering profession. The video can be downloaded from the Scholarship page of our website, www.acecny.org. And this year, ACEC New York launched its first-ever statewide image advertising campaign in February 2009 to kick off the celebration of National Engineers Week. The ad campaign focused on communicating the message that engineers are creative, imaginative problem solvers. With a full agenda driven by today's complex business issues, ACEC New York is organized for action - both for its members and for the engineering profession as a whole. Jay Simson, CAE, is the president of ACEC New York.