2026 ACECNJ Fall Conference

The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is driving one of the largest capital buildouts in modern history, and the federal government has put incentives, programs, and subsidies in place to ensure the United States continues to lead on AI. ACEC NJ members are at the center of this work, but most are significantly underutilizing these programs meant to subsidize the work they are already doing in this space. Programs such as Section 41, Section 48, advanced manufacturing incentives like Sections 48C and 48X, energy infrastructure credits Section 48A energy efficient building deduction 179D, and production credits Section 45 are all highly relevant to data center and AI infrastructure projects. When combined with state and local incentives—such as hiring credits, abatements, and location-based subsidies, the financial impact can materially improve project economics and firm profitability. However, these programs are complex and require a deep understanding of both engineering workflows and tax policy. Firms that rely on generalist advisors often miss substantial value because their work is not properly identified, documented, or positioned. For ACEC NJ members these programs can represent six, seven, or eight figures in funds when claiming multiple benefits

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify federal, state, and local incentive programs available for AI infrastructure, data center, energy, and advanced manufacturing projects, including the tax credits and deductions most relevant to engineering firms.
2. Recognize qualifying engineering and design activities that can generate substantial tax credits, deductions, and incentives, and understand why these opportunities are frequently misse
3. Assess opportunities within their own project portfolios to capture available incentives and improve project economics, client value, and firm profitability.

Audience:
This session is designed for owners and executives for engineering, architecture, and consulting firms, particularly ACEC NJ members—working on AI infrastructure, data centers, energy, and advanced manufacturing projects. It addresses the challenge of underutilized federal, state, and local tax incentives that can significantly improve project profitability and economics when properly identified and claimed. Key themes include AI infrastructure, tax credits, government incentives, R&D credits, energy incentives, strategic tax planning, project profitability, and engineering-driven growth.

In the past decade, CREATES has made a significant impact regionally and nationally in conducting projects funded by federal, state and industry.  It has attracted close to $70million dollars and graduated annually 60 undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on experience in transportation engineering.

Learning Objective:
The participants will have a clear understanding of the impact CREATES is having on the state and nation. The participants will also be introduced to some of the research work conducted at CREATES.

Audience:
CREATES at Rowan University is home to a state-of the-art accelerated pavement testing facility featuring a Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) capable of replicating up to 20 years of traffic loading in just a few months, enabling rapid evaluation of innovative transportation solutions. This session is intended for transportation agencies, engineers, researchers, consultants, contractors, and industry partners interested in advancing resilient, sustainable, and data-driven transportation infrastructure. It highlights CREATES' research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer activities across innovative construction materials, pavement engineering, pavement preservation, asset management, transportation safety and mobility, bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, and additive manufacturing for concrete infrastructure. The session will showcase CREATES' expanding capabilities in artificial intelligence, digital twins, pavement management systems, and infrastructure sensing, demonstrating how emerging digital technologies are supporting performance-based decision-making, predictive maintenance, and the next generation of smart transportation infrastructure. With its unique capabilities, and broad portfolio can be a great resource to engineering companies to New Jersey, this presentation will serve as an introduction of these capabilities and how we can collaborate that is mutually beneficial

Every engineering firm leader has had the same conversation: a project went over budget and nobody saw it coming. The data was in Deltek the whole time. The Friday report came on Monday. The change order conversation happened three weeks too late. This session walks through a different model. Instead of dashboards waiting to be read, AI agents continuously read project, time, billing, and resource data from Deltek Vantagepoint and surface what needs attention - before the margin erosion happens. We will share the practical architecture, what is working today, and the honest gotchas (data quality, PM adoption, false positives) we have encountered along the way. This is a practitioner session for principals, CFOs, COOs, operations leaders, and IT decision-makers at engineering firms who are evaluating AI for project management and finance operations. Attendees will leave with a realistic view of what is possible today, what still requires manual work, and a framework for evaluating AI investments against their firm's data maturity.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the practical architecture for connecting AI agents (such as Claude) to Deltek Vantagepoint data via API and MCP (Model Context Protocol).
2. Identify which project intelligence use cases (margin risk, utilization forecasting, AR aging, pipeline analytics) are realistic today versus aspirational.
3. Recognize the data quality and process prerequisites that determine whether an AI implementation will succeed or stall.
4. Apply a decision framework to evaluate AI investment opportunities against the firm's specific project portfolio and operational maturity.

Audience:
Engineering firm principals, CFOs, COOs, finance directors, operations leaders, and IT decision-makers — both Transportation and Non-Transportation tracks. Particularly relevant for mid-sized engineering firms (50–500 employees) operating on Deltek Vantagepoint or Deltek Vision who are evaluating practical AI investments in 2026 and 2027.
The session addresses the strategic question every firm leader is being asked by their board this year: "What is our AI plan, and is it real?" It speaks to project-based service business models where margin protection, resource utilization, and proactive intelligence are operational priorities.

An insightful discussion on the evolving regulatory landscape for procurement by our state and regional transportation agencies. 

Learning Objectives:
To provide insight on navigating the Interim Final Rule (IFR) effective October 3, 2025; Learn how businesses may be affected by the new compliance regulations and federal funding requirements, delve into the practical implications of New Jersey’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) legislation (A-4928/S-3401), and clarify the updated recertification process and timeframes.

Audience:
WHO: Sales & Business Development Professionals, Diverse Business Owners, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) & Startups
TYPE OF ISSUE: Doing Business with the agencies ad recertification requirements
RECENT EVENTS: Interim Final Rule (IFR), effective October 3, 2025.
KEYWORDS: Interim Final Rule (IFR), new compliance regulations, federal funding requirements, practical implications of New Jersey’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) legislation (A-4928/S-3401), recertification process and timeframes.