ACEC Canada, a long-standing advocate for the consulting engineering industry, is celebrating its remarkable 100-year milestone this year. This Spring, ACEC Canada hosted an insightful webinar featuring Nick Koudas, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of Workorb AI. The event, attended by over 150 engineers, focused on how firms of all sizes can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to preserve institutional knowledge and automate proposals, positioning themselves for long-term success in an increasingly competitive market.
Leading consulting engineering firms across Canada are embracing AI to enhance their business operations. Koudas’ presentation provided a deep dive into how AI is reshaping firm performance through knowledge preservation, proposal automation, and compliance reviews. By integrating AI into business development, firms can make more strategic go/no-go decisions, enhance proposal efficiency, and ensure compliance with industry standards.
One of the central themes of the webinar was the importance of knowledge retention. In the AEC sector, critical expertise and insights are often dispersed across different systems, offices, and individuals. This siloed information can pose significant risks, including loss of institutional knowledge when key employees retire or leave. Workorb AI helps bridge these gaps by structuring and making data more accessible, ensuring that a firm’s collective knowledge remains intact and actionable.
Proposal development is one of the most time-consuming and high-stakes processes in consulting engineering. By leveraging AI-powered automation, firms can streamline proposal writing, reduce manual workloads, and increase win rates. Koudas showcased how AI-driven tools can analyze past proposals, extract relevant insights, and generate tailored responses in a fraction of the time, freeing up teams to focus on strategy and differentiation rather than repetitive tasks.
Moreover, AI contributes to risk mitigation by ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and contract specifications. As AEC firms navigate complex projects with stringent guidelines, AI-powered tools can help identify potential risks, improve accuracy, and enhance overall proposal quality.
If you would like to learn more about our proposal automation technology, book time with our team.
The session also explored the broader implications of AI adoption in AEC firms. Beyond improving efficiency, AI can support business sustainability and succession planning. As firms look to the future, embedding AI into their workflows ensures continuity by maintaining historical knowledge, refining business processes, and enabling seamless transitions between leadership generations.
Koudas emphasized that successful AI integration requires a strategic approach. Firms must consider data protection, change management, and employee upskilling to fully harness AI’s benefits. The discussion highlighted how AI adoption is not merely a technological shift but a business transformation that impacts growth, resilience, and long-term profitability.
ACEC Canada has long been a champion for consulting engineering firms, advocating for policies and initiatives that strengthen the industry. As the organization marks 100 years of leadership, its commitment to driving innovation and knowledge-sharing remains evident.
With AI becoming an indispensable tool for AEC firms, sessions like this provide valuable insights that empower firms to stay competitive, mitigate risks, and maximize efficiency.
The discussion with Nick Koudas underscored an essential truth: AI is not just a tool for automation—it is a strategic asset that enhances business value, preserves knowledge, and secures the future of consulting engineering firms. As firms embrace AI, they position themselves for greater success, sustainability, and impact in the years to come.
