Texas Society of Pro Engineers, 11555 Clay Rd, Ste 100, Houston, TX 77043, US

Houston Council of Engineering Companies originated in 1980 as The Association of Consulting Municipal Engineers of Metropolitan Houston as a non-profit business organization. In June 1999, ACME became the local chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. In July 2002, we became the Houston Council of Engineering Companies ( Houston-CEC ) to reflect our goals and our national affiliation. Originally created to address problems that private consulting engineers were having in getting timely plan reviews by local agencies and to discuss other problems faced by engineers involved in municipal/civil type work, we have expanded the scope of our purpose. Representing all sizes of consulting engineering firms, Houston-CEC represents a voice for the private consulting engineer. We are a forum for the interchange of ideas, a source of technical information and expertise and a political voice for engineering interests in the Houston metropolitan region involved with public works agencies to resolve problems and issues common to the industry. We work to advance the interests of the private practicing engineer as a whole in a way that no single firm can do on their own. The recently approved NPDES Guidelines for the City of Houston and Harris County had substantial input from our Drainage Committee, including the designs for Best Management Practices ( BMP ). Houston-CEC members have developed a reputation of high technical expertise and thus are routinely requested to review and make recommendations to our public agencies on a wide range of design criteria, guidelines, policies and regulations affecting many types of civil engineering projects. Preliminary engineering was provided by Houston-CEC member firms for the first 14 Neighborhoods to Standard for the City of Houston. Our Plan Review Committee was responsible for the "Express Plan Review Sheet" now being used by the County and City. Our Contracts Committee worked with both the City and County to revise the engineering fee curves in 1995 and is working this year ( 2001 ) to update them again.