Private Sector Committee (PSC)

Our Private Sector Committee (PSC) serves member firms that have a private sector client base and business practices. The PSC strives to bring to ACEC/MA member firms enhanced programming on timely and informative topics, understanding and awareness of legislative issues, and information from other outside professional organizations related to private sector topics and business sector activities relevant to engineering practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The PSC is currently interested in or pursuing the following initiatives:

• Provide a forum where business issues and information can be discussed and exchanged about:
• Existing regulations, laws and pending legislation pertaining to private sector business
• Market forces and trends
• Services procurement
• Networking opportunities among member firms.
• Develop and conduct, or recommend programs that pertain to business issues of concern to member organizations.
• Create liaisons with other Massachusetts organizations that provide programs and business information pertaining to the private sector.

Meeting Schedule

The Private Sector Committee typically meets monthly on the first or second Tuesday of the month at The Engineering Center. In certain cases, as required by mutual consent of the participating committee members during the year and during the months of July and August, the committee meets on an as-needed basis. Committee meetings are listed on the ACEC/MA calendar.
 
During 2023-2024, the PSC is planning to focus efforts on selected issues:

• Best Practices on Peer Review Protocol – Municipalities;
• Landscape Architecture – Project Requirement Overview and Green Infrastructure;
• Geospatial Service for Private Development;
• Inflow/Infiltration Requirements for Development within Municipalities;
• BPDA – Smart Utility/Other Policy Update

Resource Materials (newest items first)

6/11/2024: ACEC Adaptive Lighting from WSP, ACEC: PDF of Presentation

1/9/2024: ACEC Market Intelligence & Industry Insights from Thomas Grogan & Diana Alexander, ACEC: PDF of Presentation

9/12/2023: Recent Updates in Wetland Delineation and Replication Standards: Considerations for Engineers: Andrew Gorman Senior Environmental Planning Specialist, Beals and Thomas

11/17/2022: Private Sector Committee Meeting: Preparing for Vehicle Electrification: Phil Jonat, PE, CEM, Lilly Picchione, AICP, Sean O'Rourke, all from WSP

- PDF of Presentation

1/20/22 Private Sector Committee Meeting: Boston Wetlands Ordinance with Stacy Minihane, Beals and Thomas, Nicholas Moreno, Executive Director and Kate Oetheimer, Conservation Assistant of the Boston Conservation Commission. 

- PDF of Presentation

11/16/21 Private Sector Committee Meeting:  The Retention Solution: Creating an Exceptional Employee Experience with Paul Weisman (SMART Conversations)

- PDF of Presentation
- Participant Handout

- ACEC October 2021 Monthly Economic Update on YouTube
     In ten minutes or less, ACEC Vice President for Private Market Resources Erin McLaughlin provides a concise update on the key economic data that you need to know for our industry. She looks at the latest Construction Put-In-Place numbers and offers her analysis of what they mean. The private markets continue to be strong, with residential construction powering ahead, but the public markets may have bottomed out and are climbing. The consensus forecast at the recent National Association of Business Economists for 2021 GDP growth fell to 5.6% from the May forecast of 6.7%. That’s still healthy growth, but the economists have concerns about COVID, inflation, the infrastructure bill, and the tight labor market. 
The economists continue to assert that a robust infrastructure investment program, such as the one before Congress right now, would be a huge boost to the economy, second only to a faster COVID vaccine rollout.

- Private Market Resources from ACEC National

- 8/9/2021: Private Sector Committee (PSC) and Water Energy & Environment Committee (WEEC) Member Briefing on Resilient Massachusetts Action Team (RMAT): Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool: PDF of Presentation

- 4/2021: A & F Forum + Private Sector Committee (PSC) on Economic Trends: Erin K. McLaughlin, VP, Private Market Resources, ACEC Download pdf of Presentation

- /16/21: Private Sector Committee Meeting: Bridging the Gap: Designing Ecologically Sound and Cost Efficient Stream Crossings for Ground-Mounted Solar Projects, led by Eric Las, PE, LEED AP, Vice President, Beals and Thomas, Inc. and Titus Edwards, Lead Senior Bridge Consultant, York Bridge Concepts, Inc.:  Download pdf of Presentation

12/16/20 Private Sector Committee Meeting: Innovation Through Green Infrastructure

- pdf of Presentation from Robert R. Uhlig, FASLA, LEED AP BD+C, Vice President of Landscape Architecture & Urban Design at Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio

- pdf of Presentation from David J. LaPointe, RLA, LEED AP, CPSI, Principal, Beals + Thomas 

11/17/20 Private Sector Committee Meeting: Geospatial Analysis & How Today's Technologies are Used for Creating Base Plans for Design with David Prince, PLS (WSP)

- Recording of Session