Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)

Construction analysis: Sir Vivian Ramsey, former judge of the Technology and Construction Court, considers the new editions of the Professional Services Agreement suite published by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), and why the changes were implemented. The revised agreements include a new Professional Services Agreement and Sub Consultancy Agreement as well as new Schedules of Services for both Civil & Structural and Mechanical & Electrical Engineering.

The ACE Professional Services Agreement (PSA) is a standard form consultant appointment published by the ACE (Association for Consultancy and Engineering). This Practice Note looks at the 2017 edition (ACE published previous editions of the ACE Agreement and associated documents in 2009). The ACE PSA contains integrated guidance notes and is available in digital and hard copy form. The ACE also publishes other agreements, including the ACE Professional Services Agreement: Advisory, Investigatory and other services, a sub-consultancy agreement, a short form agreement and an agreement for use by a consumer (which are not covered by this Practice Note). This Practice Note considers notable terms of the ACE PSA. It also looks at the form of collateral warranty intended for use with the ACE PSA and also refers to the services schedules published separately by the ACE for civil and structural engineering and mechanical and electrical engineering. For more commentary on these forms from the time of their release, see News Analysis by Sir Vivian Ramsey: ACE Professional Service Suite of Agreements 2017 released. This Practice Note

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and Autodesk published a report titled 'AI and the New Era of Engineering Innovation', illustrating that 68% of UK business leaders are increasing their technology investments, and AI-enabled automation is boosting productivity by up to 40%. The report calls on the government to develop a National AI in Engineering Strategy, modernise procurement processes to incentivise innovation, and expand apprenticeships in AI. It also urges industry stakeholders to establish ethical AI governance frameworks and invest in digital skills training.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has announced that the government’s Structures Fund is now open, having been introduced in June 2025 as part of the 10-year infrastructure strategy to support upgrades to ageing bridges, flyovers and tunnels across England’s road network. The fund will draw on the remaining £410 million from a £1 billion settlement after £590 million was allocated to the Lower Thames Crossing and aims to address restrictions affecting around 3,000 bridges across Great Britain that cannot support the heaviest vehicles, limiting freight and agricultural transport. Councils must submit draft applications by 19 June 2026, with final applications due by 3 August 2026 and all approved projects must be completed by March 2030. The government has also published guidance for local highway authorities and Transport for London, setting out eligibility criteria, the application process and the required templates and economic assessment toolkit.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has announced the publication of Glenigan’s January 2025 edition of its construction review, which analyses year-on-year construction data for the 12 months to the end of 2024. The review highlights a 20% increase in construction project starts compared to 2023, with major projects (£100m or more) seeing a 58% increase. Underlying project-starts (£100m or less) saw a modest growth of 1%. The review also revealed strong performance in several sectors, including hotel and leisure (30%), infrastructure (17%), and utilities (14%). However, residential construction starts faced challenges, declining by 4% from 2023 levels. Detailed planning approvals declined by 19% overall, with major projects experiencing a 34% decrease and underlying approvals dropping by 6%. Glenigan’s Economic Director, Allan Wilen, noted a positive outlook for 2025, with projected growth across various sectors, including private housing (13%), office developments (18%), and hotel and leisure (6%). Notable projects driving expansion include the £250m Therme UK development, £8bn Hornsea Four, and the £400m G Park Docklands Data Centre.

The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) has published a report by Currie & Brown, forecasting that global construction costs will rise by 2.4% in 2026, with UK costs expected to increase by 3.6%. The cost management and advisory services provider noted that the Autumn Budget introduced no new tax incentives for construction, while wage and tax changes have increased the pressure on the industry.

The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) has published a case study, commissioned by the Home Office’s Public Safety Group (PSG), outlining how artificial intelligence (AI) products could be exploited by criminals. ACE produced reports on four key areas: image and video generators, chatbots based on large language models, voice cloners, and data on predictive analytics tools for victim identification and social engineering. ACE produced baseline reports and individual analyses for each category, identifying key AI products, associated risks and safety measures implemented by companies. In response to PSG’s request for ongoing horizon scanning, ACE also delivers a monthly horizon-scanning newsletter to over 350 policing and law-enforcement professionals, supporting the UK’s approach to AI safety and assisting law enforcement with staying ahead of AI-enabled crime.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has released the latest construction industry data from Barbour ABI, following the July 2024 general elections.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has reported that the S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 44.7 in July 2026 from 38.4 in June 2026, remaining below the neutral 50.0 threshold. Output has declined continuously since January 2025—the longest such run since the global financial crisis. All three sub-sectors saw slower contraction: (1) commercial work showed the greatest resilience at 46.8; (2) house building fell at its least marked pace since October 2025 at 41.8 and (3) civil engineering saw the steepest decline at 38.3. New business fell at its slowest pace in 10 months, with some firms noting a turnaround in tender opportunities, though geopolitical uncertainty and subdued domestic conditions continued to weigh on demand. Optimism improved, with 38% predicting expansion and only 17% anticipating decline. AECOM's head of cost management, Brian Smith, warned that projects remain on hold due to high inflation and interest rates. Smith called for swift government action on the Social and Affordable Housing Programme and major infrastructure schemes, with Heathrow cited as a key driver of long-term recovery.

The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) of Austria, Germany and the Netherlands are working together to reinforce their scrutiny, under the REMIT framework established under Regulation (EU) 1227/2011 (the Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency Regulation) to detect and sanction possible instances of energy market abuse. While ACER and EU NRAs are actively assessing the behaviour of market participants, including non-EU companies, on the wholesale energy markets, ACER and the three NRAs have established a cross-border investigatory group on the oversight of the gas markets in order to co-ordinate and strengthen the efforts on fact-finding and evidence gathering.

The Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) has approved amendments to the Harmonised Allocation Rules (HAR) for long-term electricity transmission rights, following a proposal submitted by Transmission System Operators (TSOs) in March 2025. These rules govern how long-term transmission rights are allocated across the EU, including auction procedures and eligibility criteria. The proposed changes reflect evolving market conditions, such as the shift to a 15-minute market time unit in the day-ahead electricity market and lessons learned from incidents like the June 2024 market decoupling.