A Look Back on a Busy September
- administration478
- Sep 30, 2025
- 7 min read
To the ACEC Community,
We’re closing the books on a very busy September and keeping our eyes on Capitol Hill for developments in the budget battle. Stopgap funding is set to expire tonight at midnight; without a new agreement, federal funding will lapse, and a partial government shutdown will begin. Earlier this month, our Advocacy team put together a memorandum for our firms on what to expect should there be a shutdown. That memo can be read here. There is a wealth of good information to be found, but we continue to hold out hope that ultimately it won’t be needed. Stay tuned.
Earlier this month, the ACEC Research Institute was honored with a FIDIC Member Association Excellence Award for their original research on the Firm of the Future. The award was presented in Cape Town, South Africa during the 2025 FIDIC Global Infrastructure Awards Gala Dinner.
September also saw the release of two new publications from our communications and marketing team: our 2024-25 Annual Report and the completely revamped digital version of our award-winning magazine, Engineering Inc. The former is a department-by-department accounting of the year at ACEC, highlighting the initiatives and events that contributed to our success, while our new Engineering Inc. takes us from a printed publication to an always-on, continuously updated hub for Council and industry news and information.
You’ll have a chance to take it for a test drive at our Fall Conference in San Diego, now less than a week away! Visit our onsite Media Center to check out the new Engineering Inc. And if you haven’t yet registered to join us at the Conference, there is still time.
Here are some more September highlights:
Advocacy:
ACEC is pushing back against a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications and a proposed rule to allocate H-1B visas based on highest compensation and skill level instead of through a lottery; another anticipated proposal will increase prevailing wages for H-1B visa holders. ACEC will petition for an exemption from the new fee for engineering firms and will comment on the proposed rules.
Presented advocacy updates to the ACEC Finance Forum, HR Forum, and Business Development and Marketing Forum.
Submitted policy priorities for surface transportation reauthorization to the U.S. Department of Transportation in response to a formal Request for Information from the public and stakeholders.
Signed transportation coalition letter to House and Senate leaders in support of full funding for transportation programs for Fiscal Year 2026.
Hosted congressional briefings for SEI Class 31 with speakers from Congressman Marc Veasey, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee; Congressman Jake Ellzey (R-TX) spoke at a reception for SEI participants.
Submitted comments on proposed changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 36 that could weaken the application of QBS by federal agencies.
Engaged with Congress and the Administration to oppose language in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that seeks to restrict the ability of DOD agencies to use American firms under foreign ownership.
Participated in the FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference where ACEC President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr moderated a panel on financing infrastructure; Manish Kothari, a Past Chair of ACEC and current FIDIC Board Member, was elected to a Vice President role.
The House passed two energy bills that ACEC supported -- H.R. 1047, which allows grid operators to prioritize projects utilizing power generation such as natural gas, nuclear, and hydro to connect to the national grid and H.R. 3062, which creates a single, clear certification process for new pipelines or electric transmission lines that cross the U.S. border with Canada or Mexico.
The ACEC/PAC raised $168,536 in the month of September, bringing the current total to $1,149,675, compared with $934,376 in 2024 at this point in the year. $48,050 of the month’s total was from ACECdirect contributions.
Water & Environment Committee held its annual summer meeting in Portland, ME
ACEC signed onto a US Chamber-led letter to Congress in support of permitting reform
Participated in the rollout of ACEC-NE’s new workforce development videos and attended the ACEC-OR Fall Meeting to present on Workforce Committee activities, including the MO Playbook and shared strategies for companies to engage on workforce development issues in Oregon; also took part in an ACEC podcast featuring an author of STEM-focused books.
Oregon, Illinois, Alabama, North Carolina, and Delaware made their PAC goals; 23 states have made their goal as we head into convention month.
Hosted 3 ACEC MO Congressional Fly-in receptions at the ACEC Residence including Minnesota, North Carolina and Alabama with a total of 23 members of congress attending.
Hosted 2 private fundraisers for Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) the House Democratic Conference Chair and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL).
Held a Leadership Circle fundraising dinner for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) raising $135,000.
Communications & Marketing:
The department released the 2024-2025 ACEC Annual Report.
Launched the new digital Engineering Inc. as a stand-alone always-on ACEC news site.
Planned for an Engineering and Public Works Roadshow event in San Diego on October 4. Watch the livestream here.
Recorded several podcasts, including:
Worked across departments to prepare for the 2025 Fall Conference.
Meetings, Exhibits & Awards:
2025 Fall Conference – San Diego, Oct 5–8: Our best-attended Fall Conference yet is almost here! Thousands of industry leaders will gather on the waterfront for four days of ideas, inspiration, and connections.
Technology at the Center: From AI to cutting-edge tools, technology takes the spotlight. Keynotes from futurist Mike Walsh and innovation strategist Kaihan Krippendorff, plus 40+ education sessions, demos, and partner presentations designed to keep your firm ahead of the curve.
Powerhouse Mainstage: Inspiring voices including Debra Searle (courage) and Chaunté Lowe (resilience) round out a lineup that will challenge and energize us all.
Innovation Everywhere: Meet 56 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services, explore interactive sessions, and celebrate member achievements across the program on our speakers and awards pages.
Membership, MO Services & BRE:
On September 10, the Essentials of Risk Management for Consulting Engineers kicked off its online course with 53 participants. The nine-week course offers a deep dive into the fundamental elements of risk management, from contracts to the standard of care and more.
Ten MO Staff attended a training session at the National office to better understand the operations of the federation and how MOs and the national team can work together to support ACEC members.
Membership engagement virtual roundtables were held for the coalitions representing professional surveying, structural and small firms and three more are planned next month. The new coalition engagement process was launched, which allows members to easily sign up for the coalition that best serves their firm’s discipline(s) or firm size.
On September 11, the Business Development & Marketing Forum launched“Seller-Doer Accelerator: BD for Engineers.” This training is for mid- to senior level technical staff who are looking for seller-doer training. There are currently 132 registrants participating and the five-module course continues through early November.
ACEC hosted the Annual Forums event in St. Louis September 7-9 where 525 members of the Business Development & Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Women’s Leadership Forums came together for open discussion and roundtables where they shared best practices and gained valuable insights into industry trends.
ACEC launched a new Health & Safety Forum bringing together health and safety professionals to discuss solutions to common and uncommon safety issues, share best practices, and address emerging trends impacting the health and safety of those working in the built environment. Click here to join the Forum and access the online community. ACEC has also launched a new Forum Portal to give member firm employees an easy path to join any Forum. Click here to see the full list of Forums and join with one easy click!
The Tech Committee’s Data + AI subcommittee began its three-part “Lunch and Learn” on September 22. More than 140 registrants joined for a presentation on “Standards for Use: Data Readiness” and a demo of the new “Data + AI Readiness Tool.” The recording is available here. If your firm is interested in sponsoring the tool and/or being involved in future development and programming on Data + AI readiness, please reach out to Thomas Grogan.
The Market Intelligence Committee hosted a data center market briefingfocused on the roles of nuclear and water in the space. The final of three briefings in the series will be held on 10/29 and will focus on the land development of data centers. Click here for more details and to register.
Research Institute:
New and Renewing Donors
The Institute is thankful for two new donors, Ames & Gough and WSB, as well as nine donors who have recently renewed their commitments to the Institute, including: 2IM Group, ACEC Ohio, GFT, IMEG, Olsson, PKF O’Connor Davies, Raba Kistner, Stolfus & Associates, and Stanley.
FIDIC Excellence Award
The ACEC Research Institute’s Firm of the Future initiative won a FIDIC Member Association Excellence Award. The award was presented on September 23 in Cape Town, South Africa, during the 2025 FIDIC Global Infrastructure Awards Gala Dinner and accepted on behalf of the Institute by Linda Bauer Darr and Chair John Rathke who were in attendance. Story link.
New Research
The Institute released Q3 2025 Engineering Business Sentiment report on September 4th in conjunction with the State of the Engineering Economy 2025 Q3roundtable hosted by Joe Bates and ACEC’s Thomas Grogan.
Joe Bates led a session during ACEC Minnesota’s leadership breakfast on September 16, featuring the Institute’s newly released AI study, The Role of AI in the Engineering Industry. He also delivered a similar session for ACEC North Carolina on September 24 at the ACEC/NCDOT Joint Transportation Conference.
Daphne Bryant delivered Institute research highlights alongside AIA, during a recent Deltek webinar, “How 2025 Will Shape Your 2026 Annual Plan,” attended by 321 AEC professionals.
Private Industry Brief
Institute leadership delivered a private briefing on the state of the industry and an update on the Institute to top donors (Founder and Chair Circle) on September 25. The briefing included an early look at new research scheduled to be released at the ACEC Fall Conference.
Achievement Report Released
Earlier this month, the Institute released its 2024-2025 Achievement Report. This year’s report celebrates the Institute’s five-year anniversary and highlights numerous accomplishments from this past fiscal year, including research on Progressive Design-Build, AI in engineering, and the state of our industry’s economy. Read the Achievement Report
Scholarship Program
The scholarship program for the 2025–26 academic year awarded 99 national scholarships, totaling $678,000, to outstanding engineering students. These recipients will be recognized at the Awards Lunch during the ACEC Fall Conference. The Institute has been featuring winners of National Scholarships through a “Scholar of the Day” series on its LinkedIn Channel with video testimonials from the winners.
Have a great week,
Linda Bauer Darr
President & CEO
American Council of Engineering Companies | ACEC
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