Engineering Inc. - March/April 2009 - 24

2 0 0 0–2009 The History of A C E C the outset of the new millennium, the National Council changed its name from the American Consulting Engineers Council to the American Council of Engineering Companies in recognition of its firm-based membership— and by mid-decade, virtually all State Member Organizations had followed suit—creating a unified nationwide brand. The Council also issued a new, highly focused six-point strategic plan, emphasizing advocacy and business education as its primary objectives, while also enumerating PAC fundraising, state legal and legislative initiatives, communications and membership growth goals. Major legislative successes during the decade began in early 2000 with passage of a Council-backed amendment to the Water Resources and Development Act, the “Thomas Amendment,” limiting the ability of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to compete with private engineering firms in municipal works such as schools and utilities. The Council went on to defeat five serious efforts to circumvent QBS or increase government competition. In 2003, for example, ACEC successfully defended QBS at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. A year later, it persuaded the Federal Highway Administration to disallow the use of “reverse auctions” to secure engineering services for federally funded highway projects. It also defeated a measure to allow the Department of the Interior to maintain a monopoly on providing engineering and related services to the federal government. In mid-decade, the Council secured passage of a 9 percent tax deduction for engineering firms as part of the American Jobs Creation Act. It also gained a 30 percent increase in funding for surface transportation in the six-year, $287 billion Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) authorization bill. Other legislative successes included: defeat of an effort by the 24 ENGINEERING INC. MaRCh / apRIl 2009 at TranSystems designed the world’s largest rail “flyover”—the Argentine Connection in Kansas City—to eliminate major bottlenecks through the nation’s second-busiest railroad center. (Photo courtesy of TranSystems) President George W. Bush addresses the ACEC 2006 Annual Convention. Small Business Administration to restructure the small-business size standard for engineering firms; passage of legislation eliminating the ability of state departments of transportation to place arbitrary caps on overhead, and requiring all state DOTs to use QBS for federally funded design work; and an innovative student loan forgiveness program to address a worsening engineer shortage. The decade also witnessed the rise in prominence of ACEC’s Engineering Excellence Awards, highlighted by an elegant annual black-tie gala, attended by leading members of Congress, and recognized as the “Academy Awards” of the engineering industry. Last Word, the Council’s weekly newsletter, won first place in national media competitions throughout the decade as the leading business association publication. cHarLes fazIo

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2009

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