Technology Readiness in AEC: Benchmarking Performance and Defining the Path Forward-ACEC Technology Benchmarking Study

ACEC Technology Benchmarking Study - Presentation May 2026

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The 2025 ACEC Technology Benchmarking Study surveyed 220 member firms to assess technology readiness. Respondents were broadly representative of ACEC members across the U.S., with most firms small: the median firm had 24 FTEs, and three-fourths had fewer than 50 employees. Revenue was fairly balanced between public and private clients, averaging 56% public and 44% private.<br /><br />Overall technology readiness was low. The median overall score was 26 out of 100. Larger firms were consistently more prepared: firms with 50 or fewer FTEs had a median score of 21, firms with 51–200 FTEs scored 27, and firms with more than 200 FTEs scored 43.<br /><br />Technology infrastructure readiness was the strongest area, but still modest, with a median score of 34. Most firms reported having a dedicated cybersecurity strategy (71%), and adoption increased sharply with firm size.<br /><br />Fostering a culture of technology and innovation ranked second, with a median score of 21. Only a minority of firms had dedicated technology leadership or governance structures: 25% had a Data Lead, 17% an AI Lead, 30% an AI use policy, and 23% a data governance plan. Larger firms were much more likely to have these roles and policies.<br /><br />AI adoption was still emerging. Just 34% of firms supported the use of AI large language models, and about 10% of employees were using generative AI regularly on average. One-third of firms reported no regular generative AI use at all.<br /><br />Technology advancements in skills and client delivery scored lowest, with a median of 16. Adoption was highest for high-bandwidth wireless, digital field data collection, and geospatial/satellite data integration, but most other technologies showed only low to medium adoption.

Keywords

ACEC Technology Benchmarking Study

technology readiness

engineering firms

cybersecurity strategy

AI adoption

generative AI

technology infrastructure

data governance

innovation culture

firm size