As AI accelerates design, analysis, and decision-making, the real disruption facing engineering firms is not technology, it’s how firms create, deliver, and price value. In this session, Dan Larson, Chair of ACEC, shares how engineering firms are starting to think about using AI. We’ll explore how small to large firms can compete in an AI-driven landscape, why the shift from billable hours to value-based pricing is inevitable, and how firms can turn their data into a strategic asset. The future of engineering won’t be won by those who adopt AI fastest, but by those who rethink how their firm operates.

In AEC firms, governance breaks down when data is entered multiple times across disconnected systems, leading to inconsistency and a lack of trust in project information.Join VLK Architects’ Practice Technology Director, Stephen Olson, for a practical look at how the firm built a governed information layer as the single source of truth for unstructured project data. By enforcing consistency through structure, naming, and version control, and connecting systems like Autodesk Forma, ERP, and Smartsheet, VLK ensures information stays accurate across the stack. This approach is rooted in a simple principle: the right data entered once, by the right person, in the right system. By leveraging integrations that move data across platforms without duplication, VLK has turned this principle into a functional reality. Attendees will learn how to embed governance into everyday workflows, create a trusted system of record, and ensure information remains consistent and usable across systems.