AACE Bulletin
Central Savannah River Section
The Central Savannah River Area section hosted a casual networking event on November 20 at 5th and Fire in Augusta, Georgia. The section welcomed a small but mighty group, with great conversation and the kind of camaraderie that fosters connection and helps build the local community.
The evening brought together professionals and peers from estimating, scheduling, project controls, risk management, and project planning. These local meetups help strengthen professional relationships, create space for sharing lessons learned, and introduce new faces to AACE and the value of section involvement.
For those working in estimating, scheduling, project controls, cost engineering, risk management, or project planning in the Augusta/CSRA area, the section would love to connect. Follow the section’s LinkedIn page for local updates and upcoming events: AACE Central Savannah River Area Section. You can also connect with the section leadership through our website: https://communities.aacei.org/csra/section-leaders.
Attending a Central Savannah River Area section casual networking event on November 20 were: shown above from left to right, John Salter, Kam Khaksarford, David Moore, Charles Immomen, Larry Sheron, and Brad Nichols.
Delaware Valley Section
On December 3, the AACE Delaware Valley section hosted the Future Leaders in Philly Construction Happy Hour at Yards Brewing Co. The event brought together emerging professionals from across the Philadelphia-area construction and project controls community for an evening focused on connection, including meeting peers, exchanging lessons learned from active projects, sharing ideas, and making introductions that can carry forward beyond a single event.
Attendees represented a strong cross-section of organizations, including Turner Construction Company, Amtrak, Jacobs, TYLin, EwingCole, McKissack, and Merck, among others. The mix of perspectives and project experience helped drive practical conversations and valuable networking.
The AACE Delaware Valley section wants to thank all who attended and those who were recognized as future leaders. Your passion and love for what you do is what makes our Philly construction industry so great to work in!
Emerging professionals from across the Philadelphia-area construction and project controls community gathered on December 3 with the Delaware Valley Section for an evening focused on connection, including meeting peers, exchanging lessons learned from active projects, sharing ideas, and making introductions that can carry forward beyond a single event.
Some of the attendees, shown above, at a December 3, Delaware Valley section Future Leaders in Philly Construction Happy Hour at the Yards Brewing Company.
Norway Section
The AACE Norway section held its 12th annual professional day on 27 November 2025 at the Grand Hall, Aker Solutions in Fornebu. The theme for this year’s event was “Project management in change,” with a focus on how trends, methods, and new technologies such as AI are shaping project management in practice.
The half-day program brought together speakers from several organizations and perspectives:
- Dr. Daoud Kiomjian, IPA: Current Trends in Contracting
- Marte Bache & Olaf Denris, Metier: AI “use case”s – how is AI used in projects today
- Lars Sunde Løseth, Aibler: How can AI affect projects and estimation in the future
- Håvard Skaldebø, Ex. Marstrand/Metier: Project management and cost estimation in Norway – a historical retrospective
- Camilla Danielsen, Marstrand: The interaction study – how do interaction contracts affect cost
- Sølve Øverbø, Baseline: Earned Value Management in Practice
The event combined technical presentations with time for discussion, networking, and informal exchange among members and partners, highlighting both historical experience and forward-looking perspectives on project management in Norway.
Good attendance—Shown above are attendees at the AACE Norway section’s 12th annual professional day on November 27, at the Grand Hall, Aker Solutions in Fornebu.
At the Norway Section’s 12th annual professional day, it the half-day program brought together speakers from several organizations and perspectives.
Seattle Section
On Thursday, November 20, 2025, the AACE Seattle Section marked a milestone with its first annual gala, an evening dedicated to celebrating its members, recognizing outstanding contributions, and supporting the next generation of professionals through a scholarship award. While the event may not have featured the traditional trappings of a gala—no red carpets, dramatic lighting, or ball gowns—the atmosphere was vibrant and engaging. The focus was on community, knowledge-sharing, and fun, reflecting the spirit of AACE.
The evening began with a moderated discussion on Mega Project Performance worldwide, a topic that sparked lively conversations among attendees. Industry experts and members exchanged insights on the challenges of large-scale projects, offering perspectives that resonated across disciplines. Following the thought-provoking dialogue, the night shifted gears to a more playful tone with trivia games, where participants competed for cash prizes. The friendly competition added an element of excitement and camaraderie, rounding out an evening that balanced professional enrichment with entertainment.
The highlight of the night was the presentation of a scholarship, underscoring AACE Seattle Section’s commitment to fostering education and supporting future talent in the field of project controls and cost engineering. This inaugural gala set the stage for what promises to be a cherished annual tradition—one that blends learning, recognition, and fun in a uniquely AACE way”
Not your typical gala — The Seattle Section on November 20 hosted an evening dedicated to celebrating its members, recognizing outstanding contributions, and supporting the next generation of professionals through a scholarship award.
Seattle Scholarship Award — Shown above, in November, the Seattle Section awarded Idris Salice a scholarship.
Spain Section
The AACE Spain Section held its first technical session on December 4 at the MAD 12 (Amazon) office in Madrid. More than 30 participants attended in person for an evening focused on project control, managing uncertainty in cost management, and networking.
The program featured two technical talks:
Session #1: Managing Uncertainty in Cost Estimation
Speaker: Gerardo Vilcahuaman Espinoza, PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, AACE Spain Section Secretary
Session #2: Why a Project Control Plan Matters
Speaker: Joao Dias, PSP-PMI SP, AACE International Director-At-Large, Planning & Scheduling Consultant, Constructer AI Co-Founder & CEO
After the technical sessions, participants stayed for informal networking, continuing the conversations, exchanging experiences from their own projects, and building new professional connections within the local AACE community.
The section was pleased to welcome Mirela Tsagkari, Ph.D., CEP, AACE Region 9 Director (Europe & Africa), who joined the session and contributed to the discussions. Special thanks were also given to Jose Luis Gonzalez Junco and the Amazon team for generously hosting the event.
Attendees highlighted the value of the interactive discussions and the opportunity to connect with colleagues working in cost engineering and project controls. AACE Spain looks forward to building on this momentum with future technical and networking events in the year ahead.
Joao Dias is shown speaking at the Spain Section’s first technical session on December 4th. Dias, PSP-PMI SP, is an AACE International Director-At-Large, Planning & Scheduling Consultant, Constructer AI Co-Founder and CEO.
More than 30 participants attended in person, with others participating online, at the AACE Spain Section’s first technical session on December 4th at the MAD 12 (Amazon) office in Madrid. The evening focused on project control, managing uncertainty in cost management, and networking.
Syria Section
The Syria section supported a milestone event in Damascus with the country’s first AACE-focused conference, centered on practical approaches to reconstruction and rebuilding capability. The two-day program drew strong attendance, with approximately 950 participants on the first day and about 500 on the second day, and generated enthusiastic feedback from local professionals.
The agenda featured a mix of international and Syrian presenters, including professionals from inside Syria and the diaspora, with roughly 75 expatriate Syrians traveling to participate. Sessions covered timely reconstruction needs, including investment and contracting frameworks, public-private partnerships, dispute resolution, and legal structures that support project delivery and attract investment.
Mohamad Daaboul, Chair of the Syria section, shared that connecting Syrian practitioners with international lessons learned and proven best practices can help teams anticipate common reconstruction challenges and manage their cost and schedule impacts more effectively.
