September 30, 2025

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ACEC Louisiana 2025–2026 Priority Planning Retreat Recap

Earlier this month, the ACEC Louisiana Board of Directors, committee chairs, and staff gathered for our annual Priority Planning Retreat. This retreat serves as a cornerstone for setting the direction of our organization, ensuring our committees are aligned with ACECL’s mission and positioned to advance the interests of our members and the business of engineering across Louisiana.

Throughout the retreat, our standing committees presented proposed goals and objectives for the 2025–2026 cycle. These plans reflect months of preparation, dialogue with members, and coordination with key public and private stakeholders. The resulting committee work programs are both ambitious and practical, designed to strengthen the business of engineering, elevate our advocacy, and ensure ACECL remains a trusted voice in Louisiana’s engineering landscape.

Legislative Committee

Chair: Nathan Junius | Board Liaison: Brett Bayard

• Draft legislation clarifying the definition of engineering versus architecture.
• Propose amendments to the Louisiana Indemnification Act (R.S. 9:2780.1(B)) to require specific indemnification language in design service contracts.
• Develop a strategic legislative contribution plan with the ACECL State PAC Board of Trustees.
• Engage the Attorney General’s Office for opinions on violations of the Anti-Indemnification Act.

Facilities Planning and Control (FPC) Committee

Chair: Craig Campbell | Board Liaison: David Stelly

• Advocate for fair increases to the Facility Planning and Control (FPC) State Fee Curve.
• Collect and provide data comparing Louisiana’s fee structures with neighboring states.
• Request transparency for subconsultants in prime design contracts, including contract amendments and payment reports.
• Evaluate FPC complexity and renovation factors applied to fee calculations, using project feedback from member firms.
• Meet with the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to review legislative impacts on plan reviews and enforcement of scope-of-practice laws.
• Develop a white paper (with AIA and SFM) clarifying scope-of-practice compliance and enforcement.

Transportation Committee

Co-Chairs: Thomas Gattle & Ed Wedge | Board Liaison: Sherri LeBas

• Work with LADOTD and the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction to implement 2025 transformation legislation.
• Advocate for:
  • A strong Chief Engineer role with oversight of change orders.
  • Greater autonomy for District Administrators and Engineers.
  • Stronger outsourcing provisions in program guidance.
• Support DOTD in adopting best practices for staff augmentation to meet infrastructure investment demands.
• Champion long-term, stable transportation funding across federal, state, and local sources.
• Promote alternative delivery systems (CMAR, Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, P3s):
  • Create a subcommittee to compare alternative delivery to traditional design-bid-build.
  • Produce findings reports and recommendations for future legislation.
• Lead discussions on emerging technologies, including Open Roads, BIM, and Model as Legal Document (MALD).
• Collaborate with LTRC to improve inspector certification training processes.

The 2025–2026 Priority Planning Retreat reaffirmed ACECL’s commitment to being proactive, collaborative, and solutions-driven. With strong committee leadership and active member participation, our organization is well-positioned to navigate the challenges ahead and continue advancing the business of engineering in Louisiana.

We encourage all members to stay engaged with their committees and contribute insights that strengthen our collective voice. As a collective voice, we will continue to shape a strong future for engineering in our state.

The Board of Governors met on Friday, September 19, 2025.

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October 2025

1              Shreveport Chapter Breakfast, East Ridge Country Club

1              Monroe Member Luncheon 

5-8          ACEC National Fall Conference, San Diego, CA

13           Baton Rouge Chapter

ACEC Business Insurance Trust

ACEC Life/Health Insurance Trust

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.

BAR Environmental, Inc.

BFM Corporation, LLC

Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP

Brown & Brown of Louisiana

Cadence Insurance

CxA Services, Inc.

Deutsch Kerrigan, LLP

ELOS Environmental, LLC

Environmental Technical Sales, Inc.

Faulk & Winkler

Foley & Judell, LLP

Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith, LLP

Gulf South Technology Solutions

Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP

Headlight

Insperity

Keogh, Cox & Wilson

Quality Sitework Materials, Inc.

Tensar Corporation

Turner Insurance & Financial Services