The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has launched its new dedicated SME Manifesto at a member dinner, sponsored by Projectworks. Director of Policy, Marie-Claude Hemming explains why it's such important document for the future of the sector.

Putting SMEs at the heart of UK Infrastructure is the title of our new SME Manifesto. Our starting point is simple: if the UK is serious about delivering the infrastructure it needs, we need to make better use of the full breadth of engineering and consultancy capability available across the market. 

Our SMEs are a significant part of that capability. They account for around 65% of the value of services delivered by the UK engineering consultancy services sector and 70% of employment. They provide specialist expertise across the infrastructure lifecycle, from early strategy and design through to delivery, operations and asset management, with deep technical knowledge, experienced people and strong regional connections. 

Yet the system does not always make the best use of that expertise. 

Projects can reach the market before they are sufficiently defined or mature. Procurement can prioritise lowest upfront cost over whole-life value. Risk can be pushed down the supply chain rather than allocated to the party best placed to manage it. And specialist capability is too often brought in after key decisions have already been made, when its ability to improve the outcome is reduced. 

These are not only SME issues. They are infrastructure delivery issues. 

That is why our manifesto is not about favouring SMEs for the sake of it. It is about creating open and competitive markets where clients can access the capability a project actually needs. Depending on the scale and complexity of the project, that may mean a major integrated provider, a specialist SME, or a combination of both. 

The challenge has to be about what the project needs, rather than the size of the organisation providing the solution. 

That means getting the fundamentals of infrastructure delivery right. We need stronger early project definition and design maturity, earlier involvement of specialist technical expertise, procurement based on whole-life value as well as upfront cost, and fair and proportionate risk allocation. We also need procurement routes that do not unnecessarily narrow the supply base or make it harder for specialist firms to contribute where their expertise can improve outcomes. 

Getting this right strengthens competition, innovation and resilience across the market, reduces dependency on a narrow group of providers and helps retain specialist knowledge across regions. 

Long term certainty matters too. SMEs need visibility of future work to invest in people, training, technology and capability. Clearer infrastructure and procurement pipelines, alongside multi-year investment commitments, will give businesses the confidence to plan and grow in line with future demand. 

This is particularly important for regional economies, where SMEs support local employment, develop skills and retain specialist capability. So while this is an SME specific manifesto, its underlying argument is much broader. 

We do not need an infrastructure system that favours SMEs. We need one that is better at accessing and using the capability they provide. 

The recommendations in this report will help create a market where infrastructure clients can access the right combination of scale, specialist expertise, regional knowledge and technical experience for each project. That is how we improve the way infrastructure is planned, designed and delivered. 

And with an ambitious pipeline of investment ahead, making full use of the capability across our sector is essential if we are to turn that ambition into the infrastructure a twenty-first century society demands. 

Click here to read the full document.