PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: SHAPING TOMORROW, CELEBRATING 55 YEARS
It is a profound honour to serve as your President for the 2026-2027 term. On behalf of the new Council, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our Immediate Past President, Er. Chuck Kho, for his visionary leadership and dedication over the past term.
This year, ACES celebrates a significant milestone: 55 years of engineering excellence. As we reflect on our journey from foundational infrastructure to a smart, resilient city-state, our theme — “Shaping Tomorrow, Celebrating 55 Years” — serves as both a celebration of our past and a call to innovate for the future.
As we look toward the year ahead, the Council is committed to several initiatives to elevate the standing of the consulting engineer:
1. Driving Business Sustainability and Value
Our core mission is ensuring that consulting engineers are fairly rewarded for their expertise. We are actively evolving the Value Articulation Framework (VAF) to help member firms transparently document engineering effort and resources. Furthermore, we will remain a vocal advocate for fair procurement, continuing our robust dialogue with government agencies to challenge unfair contract terms and ensure alignment with the Enhanced Standard Consultancy Agreement. We will continue to participate in joint committees such as the Construction Industry Joint Committee (CIJC), Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (IACC), Transport Infrastructure Collaboration Panel (TICP) and Joint Accreditation Committee (JAC).
2. Leading the Digital and AI Transformation
Digital leadership is no longer optional. This July marks the commercial launch of our M&E Digital Design Automation Platform (DDAP). This Revit-based tool, created “by engineers for engineers,” is designed to maximize resource savings and automate detail design. As we navigate the implementation of CORENET X, ACES will continue to partner with the BCA to streamline digital submission frameworks and lead the industry in AI readiness.
3. Securing the Engineering Talent Pipeline
The future of our profession depends on our ability to inspire the next generation. We will continue to empower our Young Professionals Connection (YPC), giving our emerging leaders a platform to make a positive difference. Through various outreach programmes, we aim to make engineering a “career of choice” for the best minds in Singapore.
4. Advancing Climate Resilience and Technical Excellence
As environmental stewards, we play a vital role in providing solutions for a sustainable digital future. From engineering green data centres to advising on coastal protection, our commitment to technical excellence and science-based sustainability remains unwavering.
Let us work together-united and multidisciplinary-to engineer a future that we can all be proud of.
Er. Choong Choon Guan
President
Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES)