ACEC Research Institute

What ACEC Research Institute does

The ACEC Research Institute is the research and knowledge arm of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the US national trade association for the engineering industry. Founded in 2020 and headquartered at 1400 L Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, it publishes research reports, quarterly industry indices, economic forecasts, and forward-looking initiatives such as the 'Firm of the Future' program (horizon year 2035) for engineering and design firms.

Its core products are research publications spanning business sentiment, workforce trends, AI adoption in engineering, progressive design-build implementation, and an annual economic assessment. Supporting programs include an educational scholarships portal for engineering students and a calendar of roundtables and webinars, with distribution handled through the institute's website, email, ACEC's 'Engineering Inc.' media channel, and member-hosted events. Technology is content-centric — reports, datasets, and event programming — with no proprietary software, API, or AI model disclosed; AI is studied as an industry topic rather than deployed as a product.

The institute is structured as a nonprofit funded by one-time donations, pledges, and legacy/planned giving from engineering firms, members, and industry affiliates; research outputs and engagement are free to access. Its primary customer segment is US engineering and design firms of all sizes (a secondary segment of engineering students via scholarships), served under a direct-to-consumer motion through the ACEC website ecosystem rather than through paid commercial contracts.

Name

ACEC Research Institute

Legal name

ACEC Research Institute

Website

https://acecresearchinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACEC Research Institute is the nonprofit research arm of the American Council of Engineering Companies, publishing industry research, economic forecasts, and workforce studies for US engineering and design firms and offering engineering student scholarships, funded by industry donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Industry Research

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Engineering industry research
• Business sentiment reports
• Economic forecasting services
• Engineering workforce studies
• Industry research publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The institute operates as a nonprofit research organization funded primarily through donations, pledges, and legacy/planned giving from engineering firms, members, and industry contributors. The institute maintains a donor list and acknowledges contributors on its website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACEC Research Institute is the research and knowledge arm of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). It produces and publishes industry research reports, economic forecasts, business sentiment surveys, workforce studies, and specialized studies (e.g., AI in engineering, Progressive Design-Build implementation) for engineering firms. It complements these publications with an educational scholarship program for engineering students and an events/webinars program for industry engagement.

Product overview

ACEC Research Institute is a research organization serving the engineering industry, offering a portfolio of research reports, studies, and industry insights. The core offerings include research publications on business sentiment, economic forecasting, design-build implementation, AI in engineering, and workforce trends. Supporting programs include educational scholarships for engineering students, events/webinars, and news/multimedia content distribution. The institute operates under the Firm of the Future initiative, a forward-thinking effort designed to prepare engineering firms for the landscape through 2035.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Firm of the Future: Forward-thinking initiative designed to explore and prepare for the evolving landscape of engineering and design firms by 2035
• Engineering Business Sentiment

Products and services

• Redefining the Firm: Talent, Technology and Transformation

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ACEC Research Institute is an initiative of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the business association of the engineering industry. The institute operates as a research arm under the ACEC umbrella, leveraging the council's network and resources to conduct industry research and provide insights to engineering firms.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Engineering News-Record (ENR): Long-running trade publication and research provider covering the engineering and construction industry, including Top Lists and market intelligence. Comparable because both organizations are established channels for engineering industry research, rankings, and market commentary.
• Zweig Group: Management consulting, research, and advisory firm exclusively serving the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. Comparable to ACEC Research Institute because it produces industry research, benchmarking studies, and advisory for engineering firm leaders — directly overlapping the institute's customer base and content mission.
• FMI Corporation: Management consulting and research firm dedicated to the engineering, construction, and infrastructure industry. Comparable to ACEC Research Institute because it publishes industry research, benchmarks, and outlooks (e.g., FMI Industry Forecast) aimed at the same engineering firm leadership audience.
• Dodge Construction Network: Provider of commercial construction industry data, analytics, and research. Comparable to ACEC Research Institute because it produces industry-level research and outlook reports for engineering and construction firms and serves as a primary intelligence source for the built environment.

Emerging players

• Construction Industry Institute (CII): Research organization affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin that conducts industry-funded research on capital project delivery and engineering/construction practices. Comparable as a consortium-style research institute producing industry-funded engineering and construction research.
• Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA): Membership organization promoting design-build project delivery, with research and education programs serving the engineering and construction industry. Comparable because it produces industry-specific research on alternative project delivery methods — directly overlapping the institute's Progressive Design-Build research focus.
• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): Professional society representing licensed professional engineers, with industry research, ethics guidance, and policy work. Comparable to ACEC Research Institute as a parallel industry-aligned research and policy body serving engineering professionals in the US.

Broad incumbents

• ARC Advisory Group: Industry research and advisory firm producing research subscriptions and benchmarks for industrial and infrastructure sectors. Comparable as a subscription-based industry research model serving technical professionals, though it covers a broader industrial scope than engineering firms specifically.
• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): National trade association for the commercial construction industry, with research, education, and advocacy arms serving contractors. Comparable to ACEC Research Institute as a peer association research function covering the built environment, though AGC's primary audience is general contractors rather than engineering firms.
• McKinsey & Company (Engineering, Construction & Building Materials Practice): Global management consulting firm with a dedicated practice serving engineering, construction, and infrastructure clients. Comparable as a producer of widely-cited engineering industry outlooks and benchmarks that compete for the attention of the same engineering firm leadership audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acec-research-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACEC Research Institute