About Us
Mission
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Minnesota (ACEC/MN) is the leading business practice and policy advocate for consulting engineering firms in Minnesota.
History
Formed in 1949, ACEC/MN represents the interests of its member firms by providing information to the public and acting as a conduit to provide excellent consultation services in the field of engineering to potential clients. Its 150 member firms, representing over 7,500 employees, provide services to all segments of society, including federal, state and local governments, private industry, and the general public.
ACEC/MN is a member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the largest national organization of engineers engaged in the practice of consulting engineering located in Washington, DC. ACEC is a federation of 51 state and regional councils representing more than 600,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors and other specialists who are responsible for more than $100 billion of private and public works annually.
What is a Consulting Engineer?
A consulting engineer is an expert in the planning, design, and construction of both public and private infrastructures. At all times during their work, engineers are guided by their responsibility to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
With varied backgrounds, consulting engineers may have expertise in many engineering fields, including civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, water resources/wastewater, geotechnical, transportation, chemical, technology, industrial. Engineers also work with other professionals in scientific, technical, coordinating or managerial roles at their companies to accomplish their work.
Clients from the private (companies) and public (government entities) sectors work with consulting engineers on when they have projects with a specific goal, or when expertise is needed to examine or solve a problem. Here are a few examples of projects that consulting engineers work on: roadways; bridges; buildings and building systems like mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC; wastewater treatment plants: parks: dams: transit systems: campuses: environmental restoration; airports; energy generation and transmission, stadiums; schools; regional trails; and many more.
What Do Consulting Engineers Do?
Consulting engineers may design an entire project, or they might be responsible for only one component of the design, depending on the need. Their support can be provided throughout the whole process from inception to completion in order to facilitate the best solutions.
Solutions and services that consulting engineers provide include:
- Pre-feasibility and investment studies
- Social-impact and environmental-impact studies
- Preliminary and final designs for construction or engineering work
- Supervision and inspection of construction work, including on-site project management
- Technical assistance and advice
- Asset-management studies