The Association for Consultancy and Engineering has a golden opportunity to reduce risk and professional indemnity bills within the engineering consultancy industry – and is calling for member organisations to get involved in revolutionising the sector.

Members can support the organisation by sharing their insights and expertise, which will help to create a compelling and coherent story on risk management, that will bring about lasting change and create a more sustainable industry that is fit for the future.

The story will come in the form of a new gold standard report on reducing risks and how enhanced services can be provided to member clients.

ACE’s collaborative approach to creating the report as part of a “pan industry effort,” will contribute to reducing professional indemnity (PI) bills for consultants, as well as creating more successful projects and satisfied clients, using the three Cs change model of clarity, commitment and capability.

Tim Chapman, director of Arup, said members of the ACE have a “unique opportunity” to contribute to a new gold standard for reducing the risks that apply to major projects “and to us as the engineering consultants that design them”.

“By collecting insights and expertise on how to minimise risks on projects, creating a consensus about how consultants can provide better services for clients, and exploring how we can make projects succeed far more often (and so be less culpable in an age when risks are rising), we can create a more sustainable industry,” Chapman said. 

“This should lead to more content clients with happier consultants alongside other members of their supply chains.”

He added ACE’s initial report will be focused on gaining increased clarity about key trends in the industry - “both good and bad ones” - along with ideas about how to improve practice by all parties to produce more successful outcomes. 

“This should lead to the industry making firm commitments in how to improve together,” he said. 

“Subsequent ACE activity will focus on creating the capability needed to embed meaningful change throughout the industry by better processes and supporting documents.

“By sharing our experiences and stories, we will engage and educate others on the importance of reducing project risks.

“Please join us in this pan industry effort to enable more successful projects, creating satisfied clients, as well as consultants with lower professional indemnity bills.”

For all parties wishing to get involved, please contact Natasha Kinnear.