Resource
Our last annual report focused on how ACEC was rallying to support its member firms as the nation emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking back on one year ago, much has changed. The economy has reopened. The engineering and design industry experienced its best year ever in 2021 with over $380 billion in revenues. We’re busier than ever and now with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill in the rearview mirror, we’re only going to get busier as states act to spend this historic investment in the built environment.
Opportunities abound across all market segments where our member firms operate, and firm executives are bullish on the future. Seventy-three percent of industry executives surveyed by the ACEC Research Institute report that they expect the new infrastructure bill
to create new business opportunities at their firms. This includes firms doing private sector work with high levels of optimism in health care, energy, data centers, and real estate.
It is now ACEC’s job to position the engineering and design industry to seize the opportunities that surround it.
Our most potent tool to achieve this goal continues to be ACEC’s advocacy. Our policy agenda puts an emphasis on several core principles:
Sustainable, growing investment in the nation’s core infrastructure — roadways, bridges, transit systems, airports, water systems, rail networks, ports, and waterways.
Policies that encourage investment in sustainable, energy-efficient buildings. Regulations that emphasize resilient designs that adapt to a changing climate and increasingly severe weather events. An “all of the above” energy strategy that engages all of America’s energy resources, from traditional oil and gas to cutting-edge renewable sources. A workforce agenda that prioritizes STEM education and immigration policies allowing us to keep the best and the brightest. Contracting and procurement rules that emphasize project success. International development programs that make full use of American engineering talent and innovation.
The question today isn’t whether the engineering and design industry has the will to do the work ahead of it. It’s a question of capacity. We must ensure that we attract the talent necessary to fill current firm openings and expand the engineering pipeline to meet future demand.
The power of the ACEC Federation is tied directly to a vibrant and engaged membership. Growing our community of member firms and making them active voices in the Council will determine our success. Thankfully, we have our Strategic Plan to guide our efforts. Throughout this year’s report, you will read how we are turning that plan into action across ACEC National.
We have a lot to look forward to as an industry. Let’s seize the opportunities around us.