Benchmarking 2013 ACE Benchmarking is the industry’s annual peer to peer survey and report, providing participating businesses with an in-depth analysis of the operations, revenue per fee earner, costs, staff turnover, marketing activity and competitiveness. The ACE Benchmarking programme has been designed for companies with a headcount of more than 100, and is designed to provide a comprehensive set on metrics to analyses all aspects of a company’s performance. Currently it provides approximately 550 metrics covering a wide variety of business operations. If your company has a headcount of 100 or fewer and would like to participate in benchmarking, ACE has developed the Benchmarking Lite programme ACE Benchmarking covers both the UK and Europe, to enhance the comparative indicators available to companies. International comparisons are important given increasing international competition. ACE Benchmarking is a key tool for facilitating this industry debate, and so is run in conjunction with the European CEO Conference to pool the knowledge of key influential people within the construction and consultancy sector. Click here to register

	Frequently asked questions

	What size of company is the programme designed for? more The Benchmarking programme is designed for companies with a headcount of 100 and above.

	Who conducts the analysis? more The analysis for the Benchmarking programme is conducted by the Centre for Interfirm Comparison (CIFC). This ensures that participants receive an independent view of their company’s performance.

	How many metrics does the report analyse? more Approximately 550 metrics covering a wide variety of business operations

	About CIFC more Since 2005, The Centre has worked with ACE to design and operate the benchmarking project for Engineering and Consultancy firms. The Centre for Interfirm Comparison (CIFC) was one of the pioneers of benchmarking; it developed the concept of comparing company performance using management ratios in projects that range from a few simple measures to sophisticated analytical studies. It was set up in 1959 by the Institute of Management with the support of the CBI and the British Productivity Council to meet the demand for a neutral specialist body to conduct interfirm comparisons and benchmarking projects on a confidential basis as a service to management. Its objectives were to enable companies to assess their performance against that of their peers and so identify areas for improvement and to implement best practice.

	Who holds the data for the benchmarking programme? more The data for the benchmarking programme is held by the Centre for Interfirm Comparison (CIFC) and is only used for the purposes of the benchmarking programme.

	Will my individual company’s data be shared with any other parties outside of the benchmarking programme? more No. CIFC and ACE have a confidentiality agreement in place with CIFC holding the data for the programme to provide participants with the confidence that it will not be used for any other purposes.

	What will I receive? more As part of the ACE Benchmarking programme participants receive the following reports in both hard copy and electronic formats: An industry overview - Click here to download last years report An individual report - Click here to view a sample of the individually tailored report

	What information is in the industry overview? more The industry overview report compares the averages and upper and lower quartiles of companies’ data to draw conclusions on industry trends. Participants in the benchmarking programme receive a copy of this report which includes data tables for all the information contained in the report. The written analysis from the report is publically available with the exception of the data tables to promote important issues and trends within the industry to policymakers and government departments. The report contains no individual company data and does not identify any participants ensuring that participants’ figures in the scheme remain confidential.

	What information is in the individual report? more The individual report is one of the unique selling points of ACE’s programme, comparing data in detail to their peers and competitors. This report contains an individually written analysis unique to your company providing you with an independent review of your performance. In the report the companies’ data is compared on an anonymous basis. This ensures that individual companies cannot be identified and maintains the confidentiality of participants’ data. Your individual report will be sent direct to the person you have nominated at the point of registration. These reports are not shared with any other parties and are not publically available.

	Can I request another copy of our company’s individual report? more Companies can request for the individual report to be sent to other employees but to do this the individual that registered as the benchmarking contact at the point of registration will need to contact CIFC directly to request the change of recipient. This ensures that companies’ reports are only sent to the intending recipient and ensures confidentiality of participants’ data.

	What is the format of the European CEO Conference? more The European CEO Conference provides: A platform to CEOs for high level financial and strategic advice to help position and direct their corporate vision, mission and business strategy Information and tools for business and scenario planning Factual evidence to plan and manage business portfolios and M&A activities A European forum for discussion and debate between CEOs in the consultancy and engineering industry in the UK and continental Europe  An opportunity to discuss results of the Benchmarking analysis, comparing them on roughly 100 financial and business parameters Discussion on the impact of major events and developments within the economy, environment, and government