Join The ACEC 1,000 at the Annual Convention Don't miss out on an outstanding lineup of speakers, programs and activities as part of the upcoming ACEC Annual Convention, April 30-May 3, in Washington D.C. Join the 1,000 who are already signed up. There’s still time to register. Highlights include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; a debate between former chairmen of the Democratic and Republican National Committees, Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie; a Town Hall Meeting on the pros and cons of national licensure; and the 40th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala —honoring the year’s most impressive engineering achievements. The Convention also features exceptional education programs addressing important engineering business challenges; along with CEO Roundtables and Professional Business Forums. Make your reservations today! Click here to view Convention registration information.

ACEC Set To Launch New Liability Insurance Survey Of Member Firms ACEC's Professional Liability Insurance Survey of member firms for fiscal year 2005 will be conducted online beginning next week through April 28. This annual survey collects information on member firms' professional liability insurance, their claims experience, and the impact of the threat of litigation. An email with a link to the survey will be sent on April 17 to the key contacts of the member firms. "This information is crucial to determining the professional liability insurance landscape which our members must deal with, and it provides important information for our tort reform efforts in Congress," said Chuck Kopplin, chairman of the ACEC Risk Management Committee. "I strongly encourage each member firm's headquarters office to participate in the survey." The results of the survey will be published in Last Word, with a more detailed article to follow in the July/August 2006 issue of Engineering Inc.

ACEC Business Insurance Trust Unveils New Website; Adds Identity Theft Coverage The ACEC Business Insurance Trust (BIT), provider of business and professional liability insurance to ACEC member firms, has unveiled a new and improved website. The new site, www.acecbit.com, includes several user-friendly enhancements such as interactive video; vehicle and location change requests; simplified certificate of insurance ordering; a loss-control library; and "Meet the Trust" and "Meet the Marsh Team" (the program administrator) pages. The BIT also announced that its underwriter, The Hartford, has added Identity Recovery Coverage as part of the core product offering to BIT program participants in most states. Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America, with nearly 10 million victims in 2002, according to the Federal Trade Commission. On average, it takes victims of identity fraud some 60 hours and $1,200 to correct the problem; in many cases, the cost is much higher. The enhanced BIT coverage is automatically included at no additional premium. Visit the BIT's new website for more information on this coverage.

Registration Now Open For June BDC Business of Design Consulting June 14-17, Minneapolis, MN Registration is open for ACEC's flagship program for 21st century design firms. For more than a decade, the Business of Design Consulting has helped firm managers become great business managers. This intensive multi-day course offers engineering leaders in-depth training in eight different management areas, and features interactive workshops, extensive discussion and application exercises. Fee before May 19: Members $1,395/non-members $1,595 Fee on/after May 19: Members $1,595/non-members $1,795 Click here for more information.

April Market Forecast Series Event—GSA Real Property Asset Management April 20 ACEC HQ/Your Desktop The Real Property Asset Management Executive Order directed GSA to assess all government property. This presentation will showcase the program's goals, and how it can be beneficial to your firm. Members $109/non-members $129 Click here for online registration information. Click here for onsite registration information.

Upcoming Online Seminars April 18—Decline of the Engineering Class: The Effects of Global Outsourcing of Engineering Services, Paul Bryant, O+I Consultants Click here to register. April 19—Building Your "Smart" Equity, Mike Cucka, Group 1066 Click here to register.

Copyright © 2006 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC.

Click here to review past editions of the Last Word.

Click here to subscribe to the Last Word.