The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) welcomes the Conservatives’ proposals for reform of the energy market as a contribution to the debate on energy and low carbon investment. ACE believes that the proposals to establish a green investment bank, green ISAs and a floor price for carbon will move the UK closer to greater investment in low carbon energy infrastructure.

If the UK is to achieve its ambitions of a secure, diverse energy supply and a low carbon economy, then it is essential to send the right signals to the market. The Conservative Party’s proposals are a novel way of doing this, and ACE looks forward to seeing concrete proposals from all parties as to how to drive investment into the right markets.

Given the urgency of the need for new, low carbon energy infrastructure, there is little time to lose. All parties need to engage seriously and sensibly in preventing an energy gap.

ACE has previously proposed such measures as an investment bank, infrastructure gilts and reformed public-private partnerships to help direct investment into essential infrastructure.

ACE has issued a statement by Nelson Ogunshakin, ACE chief executive, on the recent CIC and Construction skills report.

The statement is as follows:

“ACE welcomes the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and Construction Skills report on their recent survey that looks at the issues facing the professional services sector within the construction industry.  The report highlights the challenges that the sector faces in terms of decreases in fee income, redundancies and underemployment.  It is vital that policymakers understand that the issues that face the construction industry also impact on the UK’s ability to meet its economic and climate change ambitions.  This is why ACE welcomes this timely survey.  ACE agrees with Graham Watts, CIC chairman, that skills will be essential to the UK in order to help move towards a low carbon economy.”

The press release regarding the report can be read by clicking this link.

ACE welcomes the chairman of BAE’s call for better recognition of qualified engineers. It is hoped this would help attract more young people to do engineering degrees.

Dick Oliver has warned that the use of the word ‘engineer’ to describe a wide range of technical jobs makes it hard to attract young people to the sector.

Engineers will be key to rebalancing the economy in the years ahead. The Royal Academy of Engineering has called for an increase in engineering courses to match the economy’s need. This comes as universities face pressure over funding.

ACE members know how hard it can be to find young engineers with the required talent and qualifications. Moves to highlight the importance of professional engineering, and the fascinating careers on offer are welcome.

The two awards help recognise the best that consultancy engineering has to offer. The nominees this year have been impressive. A shortlist of four has been announced for each of the awards. They are as follows: 

Young Engineer of the Year Award.

Matt Jordan - Environment Director, Pell Frischmann.

Matt has risen quickly at Pell Frischmann since joining in 2005. He specialises in environmental geotechnical engineering, environmental impact assessments, and ecology, waste and contaminated land. He also helped set up regional centres of excellence.

Hayley Gryc – Senior Structural Engineer, Arup

Hayley has worked on engineering projects in the developing world with a passion for promoting local solutions to problems. She has managed projects on school designs for African nations, and innovatively soundproofed school rooms with coconut shells.

Nariba Gittens – Halcrow

Nariba came to the UK from Barbados to study mechanical engineering in Cardiff. She has designed and manages technically complex fish pathways in Wales. She is involved in a wide range of activities to help encourage more women to enter engineering.

Melanie Buckley – Halcrow Yolles

Melanie studied physics before entering engineering to help pioneer low carbon building techniques. She has dealt with a wide portfolio of work, and undertook work to help a secondary school become one of the first to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.

Outstanding Achievement Award

Dr Paul Starr and the Dames Point Container Terminal

Dr Paul Starr project managed the 40 month development of the Dames Point Container Terminal on the U.S. east coast. This is a 160 acre terminal with two 1,200 feet berths for a depth of 45 feet. Development involved innovative dredging methods to support re-use of dredged material.

BDP - BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ status achieved

BDP raised the PwC building at 7 More London Riverside to the new BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating under the tough new 2008 standards. To do this required the use of a wide range of innovative and complex technologies for water sub-metering and efficient heat recovery added to ‘shell and core’ chillers.

Yogita Maini – Halcrow

Before coming to the UK, Yogita Maini received the Botswana Institution of Engineers award for Best Graduating Engineer in 1994. She works tirelessly to promote the visibility of women engineers around the world. After starting her career with the Botswana Roads Department, she came to work on technically advanced projects as part of Halcrow’s transportation and highways team.

WSP Post-Tsunami Banda Aceh Reconstruction Team

Following the Indian Ocean Tsunami, significant parts of Aceh were decimated. WSP’s team have been involved in the region since shortly after the disaster to help rebuild communities. They have used local firms to construct 4,000 safer and better designed homes in three years to help communities in the region recover.  

The winners will be announced at the awards lunch held at Claridge’s on Friday 26 March 2010.

For more information about the awards, please contact Mai Cheung, ACE events programme manager on 020 7227 1888 or email mcheung@acenet.co.uk

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering has called for further cross-party co-operation on plans for High Speed 2 ahead of the next election. This follows a breakdown in consensus over the route for a new high speed railway heading north from London.

Nelson Ogunshakin, ACE’s chief executive commented: “The Conservatives are right that no government should force a proposal on the public without full consultation. But we also recognise the importance of a common purpose in such major areas of national interest as new rail investment.

“High Speed 2 is a vital project to support growth and the environment. Investment in infrastructure of this sort can significantly boost local and national economic prospects. We would urge all parties to be open minded about the eventual route.”

ACE has called for longer term investment in UK infrastructure. That is best secured when everyone can set aside their differences and work to get important projects off the ground.

We have also made the case for long term thinking on investment that looks beyond electoral and economic cycles. We have proposed new measures such as Infrastructure Gilts and a Regulatory Asset Base to help secure investment in Britain’s economic interests.

It is reported in today’s Financial Times that Infrastructure UK is exploring the use of green bonds and the establishment of an infrastructure bank or fund.

The green bonds would be offered to the public through National Savings as a way of getting funding into infrastructure.

ACE has been making the case for infrastructure gilts and innovative ways of encouraging private funding, given the need to tackle public debt.

ACE has also called for consistent government funding for infrastructure and is concerned about the report’s suggestion that the government is considering cutting capital expenditure by more than half.

ACE strongly urges the government to reconsider this.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering has welcomed Liberal Democrat proposals to upgrade ports to promote wind turbine manufacturing.

Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg has announced that his party would set aside £400million to invest in North Sea and Irish Sea ports.

The ports chosen would use the money to deepen their docks for larger ships. That in turn would allow them to manufacture and ship wind turbines for use in growing offshore wind farms.

Nick Clegg explained: “New off-shore turbines, with blades the size of the London Eye, need to be built and launched from modern docks, so we need to upgrade our shipyards to take advantage of this massive opportunity.”

ACE welcomed the proposal and the wider recognition that investment in infrastructure is vital to the future wealth of the country.

The Lib Dems suggest that £400million of investment in docks could create 45,000 jobs in the industries that benefit. It would also create 12,000 jobs in developing the ports.

This illustrates why, despite concerns over the public deficit, long-term investment in the UK’s infrastructure must be secured.

ACE today welcomed shadow chancellor George Osborne’s clear commitment to delivering Crossrail and a high speed line.

Mr Osborne today launched the Conservatives’ policy paper A New Economic Model: Eight Benchmarks for Britain. In it, the shadow chancellor set out a range of policy options to be implemented should the Conservatives form the next government.  These included an unambiguous commitment to a new high speed railway line linking London and Leeds, with ambitions to connect to Scotland.

ACE looks forward to seeing further details about how this ambitious programme would be financed.

ACE’s Roads Sector Interest Group (SIG) today explored the future of the UK’s road network with two key government organisations.

Highways Agency procurement director David Poole, along with strategy and supplier development group manager David O’Neill, discussed the Agency’s current procurement strategy. The SIG provided feedback on the strategy and emphasised the value that consultancy can add to the strategic road network.  The discussion centred on eliminating waste and delivering sustainable value through the supply chain.

This was followed by a round table discussion with Martin Capstick, director of strategic roads and national networks at the Department for Transport.  Mr Capstick outlined the current approach to developing national road policy, and took on board the views of SIG members on the need for a long term vision for roads.

Transport investment is set to be a major issue as the general election approaches.  At this critical time, ACE will continue to ensure that the views of the industry are heard in the public policy debate.

Castleford Bridge (Alan Baxter with Tony Gee and Partners)

The ONS has announced the official end of the longest recession since the 1930s.  However, with overall growth being only 0.1 per cent, it is clear that there is still work to do to boost the UK’s prosperity.

There is, seemingly, an emerging consensus across the political spectrum on the importance of infrastructure to the recovery.  All three main parties have recently signalled their intentions to focus investment on energy, transport and utilities.

Lord Davies, the trade and investment minister, has proposed to develop a new capital market for infrastructure investment. This would aim to persuade pension funds to help plug an investment gap of up to £500bn over the next ten years.

Writing in The Times, shadow chancellor George Osborne called for a new economic model built on saving and private sector investment, including a focus on green investment, a modern transport system and planning reform.

For the Liberal Democrats, Vincent Cable also called for greater investment in infrastructure as part of a broader vision of economic reform.

ACE welcomes Lord Davies’s comments as a helpful contribution to the debate.  Bringing alternative sources of investment into infrastructure has been a key theme of ACE’s policy work in recent months. In our paper, Avoiding an Infrastructure Crunch, ACE explored how the establishment of a regulatory asset base would encourage pension fund investment in infrastructure.

ACE also welcomes the recognition across the political mainstream that infrastructure is a vital plank in building the recovery.  Delegates at ACE’s annual conference this April will be exploring this very subject.

However, with an election approaching and the possibility of short term cutbacks in expenditure, the consultancy and engineering industry will be anxious to see these sentiments turned into real action.

The Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a £125 million fund for high tech, low carbon businesses is a signal of intent.  Yet, as Lord Davies notes, much more is required.

The traditional response to a budget deficit has been to cut back on capital investment.  ACE hopes that, with new attitudes and fresh ideas, this mentality will soon become a thing of the past.