association of cost engineers (acoste)

What association of cost engineers (acoste) does

The Association of Cost Engineers (ACOSTE), now operating under the trading name Controls & Skills Authority (CaSA), is a UK-based professional membership body headquartered in Wokingham that serves project controls professionals. It offers individual membership across five tiers (Student, Graduate, Associate, Full Member, Fellow) and company membership with a dedicated Company Member Portal, alongside three accreditation streams (Individual, Company, Training Accreditation) and Engineering Registration. The core technology is a third-party association management platform (YourMembership) that powers member registration, the forum, events, and self-serve sign-up, integrated with Facebook and LinkedIn social login. The organization runs five Communities of Practice (Estimating & Cost Intelligence, Planning & Scheduling, Commercial, Digital, Risk), an annual conference, regional chapters in Scotland, the North East, and the South East, a webinar series, vocational qualifications, and an annual awards programme. Distribution is direct and self-serve through the website, with peer engagement supported via LinkedIn, the member forum, and in-person regional events. Revenue is generated through recurring annual subscription fees across individual and company memberships, accreditation services, vocational qualifications, and event registrations; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

association of cost engineers (acoste)

Legal name

Association of Cost Engineers (ACoSTE)

Website

https://acoste.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Controls & Skills Authority (formerly Association of Cost Engineers) is a UK professional membership body for project controls professionals, offering individual and company memberships, accreditation, training, regional events, and Communities of Practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Project controls accreditation
• Cost engineering qualifications
• Vocational training programs
• Professional communities of practice

Headquarters

HQ city

Wokingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Tiered membership fees for individuals at Student, Graduate, Associate, Full Member, and Fellow levels. Annual membership renewals.
2. Company Membership Fees: Corporate membership fees for organizations with access to Company Member Portal.
3. Accreditation Services: Individual Accreditation, Company Accreditation, and Training Accreditation programs generating service fees.
4. Training and Vocational Qualifications: Training programs and vocational qualifications for professional development.
5. Event Registration: Revenue from webinars, regional events, and annual conference registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Association of Cost Engineers (ACoSTE), operating as the Controls & Skills Authority (CaSA), is a UK professional membership body that provides individual and company memberships, professional accreditation (for individuals, companies, and training providers), vocational qualifications, engineering registration, communities of practice in estimating, planning, commercial, digital, and risk disciplines, plus events, webinars, and publications for project controls professionals.

Product overview

The Controls & Skills Authority (CaSA), formerly the Association of Cost Engineers (ACOSTE), operates as a professional membership organization providing a unified portfolio of services for project controls professionals. The organization offers individual and company membership programs with tiered professional recognition (Student through Fellow), alongside accreditation services for individuals, companies, and training providers. The core offering includes professional communities of practice covering Estimating and Cost Intelligence, Planning & Scheduling, Commercial, Digital, and Risk disciplines, complemented by vocational qualifications, engineering registration, annual awards, events programming, and publications. The membership structure provides a comprehensive professional home specifically dedicated to project controls disciplines, combining networking, accreditation, career development, and continuous learning within a unified professional framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Professional membership tiers for individuals including Student, Graduate, Associate, Full Member, and Fellow categories, providing career development pathways and professional recognition in project controls disciplines.
• Company Membership Organizational membership enabling companies to support their project controls staff and access the Company Member Portal for collective professional development and accreditation.
• Individual Accreditation Professional accreditation programs recognizing individual competencies and qualifications in project controls disciplines.
• Company Accreditation Organizational accreditation for companies demonstrating standards and competencies in project controls practices.
• Training Accreditation Accreditation program for training providers and courses meeting professional standards in project controls education.
• Engineering Registration Professional engineering registration services supporting career advancement and regulatory recognition for project controls professionals.
• Communities of Practice (COPs) Professional communities including Estimating and Cost Intelligence, Planning & Scheduling, Commercial, Digital, and Risk groups enabling knowledge sharing and collaboration among members.
• Vocational Qualifications Vocational qualifications and credentials for career development in project controls disciplines.
• Events & Webinars Event programming including webinars, regional networking events, and annual conferences for professional development and networking.
• Publications Professional publications and resources including the Project Controls Book available through the APM Bookshop.
• Regional Chapters Regional chapters including Scottish Region, North East Region, and South East Region providing local networking and professional development opportunities.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PCG (Project Controls Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with PCG for joint networking and professional development initiatives. Listed under Networking section on website indicating a working relationship for mutual benefit of project controls professionals.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Association for Project Management (APM): UK-based chartered body for the project management profession. APM is named by CaSA itself as a primary competitor; both serve overlapping UK-based project professionals with membership, accreditation, and events, but APM is generalist while CaSA focuses on the project controls sub-discipline.
• Project Management Institute (PMI): Global non-profit membership association for project management professionals. PMI offers membership, certifications (PMP), and Communities of Practice that directly overlap with CaSA's offerings, though at global scale versus CaSA's UK niche.
• AACE International: International association for cost engineering, cost estimating, and project controls. Closest functional peer—AACE certifies cost professionals (CCP, CEP) and serves the same cost/planning/risk communities CaSA targets, providing global competition in the cost engineering niche.
• International Project Management Association (IPMA): Federation of national PM associations offering ICB-based certifications. IPMA competes for the same project controls professionals seeking international credentials and serves as a comparable accreditation authority.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): UK-based chartered body regulating property and construction professionals, including quantity surveyors with cost management overlap. RICS is a broader incumbent whose cost-related credentials partially substitute for CaSA's cost engineering accreditation.
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB): UK chartered body for construction management and building professionals. CIOB covers construction project cost/planning discipline members with broader scope, competing for similar UK corporate memberships in the built environment.
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE): UK chartered body for civil engineers offering professional registration (IEng, CEng). ICE's Engineering Registration offering overlaps with CaSA's, and ICE members include civil engineering project controls practitioners.
• Engineering Council UK: UK regulatory body for engineering registration (CEng, IEng, EngTech). As the umbrella authority for engineering registration, the Engineering Council sits upstream of CaSA's engineering registration offering and represents both a competitor and a partner relationship.
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET): UK-based multi-disciplinary engineering institution with membership, registration (IEng, CEng), and professional communities. IET serves engineering professionals broadly and overlaps with CaSA's engineering registration and community functions.

Regional players

• Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS): UK chartered body for procurement and supply professionals. CIPS operates an adjacent UK professional membership model that targets commercial/procurement professionals—overlapping with CaSA's 'Commercial' Community of Practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookws.yourmembership.com/Ams/SocialOAuth/facebook?Continue=%2fAms%2fFinalizeLogin%2ffacebook%3fReturnUrl%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.controlsandskills.co.uk%252fsocial%252fconnect.aspx%26ClientID%3d0%26UseReturnUrl%3dTrue
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acoste-limited
• Xx.com/ACostEUK

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 association of cost engineers (acoste)