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ACE Board has approved a new corporate plan for the coming three years, the third such plan since the restructuring of 2004. Impact looks at its aims and principles.
The new plan aims to build on the development works and achievements already delivered, and take account of the changing environment and developing challenges for ACE’s member companies.
There is also attention paid to the key findings of new market research conducted for ACE by ComRes in July 2010.
At the core of the plan are three strategic principles. These are:
The need to develop ACE’s representational and positioning strategies in the light of policy and economic challenges;
The need to grow ACE’s income stream, including non-subscription income; and
The need to improve operational efficiency and reduce waste.
Guiding principles
This Corporate Plan is grounded in a number of guiding principles. It aims to build on ACE’s achievements over the last six years, to do fewer things and do them well. It looks to improve on ACE’s public advocacy to strengthen ACE as the voice of the industry, and to increase market penetration, attracting more members and a more diverse membership.
The plan also makes clear a need to recognise external pressures on members’ businesses, and to focus on deliverable objectives on members’ services. ACE also commits to be sustainable and financially viable for the future and to celebrate appropriately, its own centenary in 2013.
A major challenge for ACE is to ensure that its offering and services remain relevant to members. This means developing the strategy to reflect changes in the market.
A key development in this Corporate Plan compared with previous plans is a broader focus on professional services in the built and natural environment, in contrast with traditional consulting engineering. This reflects changes in the ways that ACE members and their clients work, for example a shift from traditional design-and-build toward holistic asset management.
Deployment and measurement
Performance against the Corporate Plan will be the key means of measuring ACE’s performance.
To facilitate this, a scorecard has been developed. This summarises the key objectives, strengths and weaknesses, risks, financial considerations and KPIs.
Each team within ACE will develop its own version of the scorecard, cascading the overall organisational objectives to the team level.
The scorecard will help to focus on monitoring performance and ensuring that ACE’s activities are aligned with the Corporate Plan throughout.
Each area of the Corporate Plan is assigned a lead team and supporting teams. The lead team will hold overall responsibility for developing and coordinating responses to the headline objectives, with support from other teams where appropriate. This will ensure a clear understanding of responsibilities and leadership throughout the Corporate Plan period.
ACE’s key ambitions for 2013
To become the voice of the UK industry
To establish ACE as an industry thought leader
To increase ACE’s representation
To promote the business interests of its sector
To celebrate and mark ACE’s centenary in 2013
To promote members’ views on procurement
To promote construction liability law reform
To provide information, services and standards for the sector
To develop a sustainable corporate governance structure
To market ACE’s members in the UK and internationally
To promote the value of the industry
To develop and support ACE’s people
To extend reach within devolved nations and English regions
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