AACE Bulletin

AACE Brazil successfully delivered the XIII International Meeting on November 12–13 at the Blue Tree Transatlantic Convention Center (São Paulo), welcoming more than 600 attendees (with a waiting list of 120+) for two days of technical exchange and professional networking across cost engineering, project controls, and related infrastructure, industry, and construction sectors.

Event highlights

• Scale and impact: The meeting continues to consolidate itself as one of Brazil’s most relevant spaces for technical reflection, exchange, and professional development in cost engineering and capital project management.
• Program depth: 28 panels featuring 60+ national and international specialists, addressing topics including:
  • Digital transformation in estimating, budgeting, and planning
  • AI applications in claims and contract administration (delays, unproductivity, disputes)
  • Dispute boards, contract innovation, data modeling, integrated risk management, and market trends
  • A timely panel on tax reform and 2026 impacts, including discussion on the New BDI and recent exemption changes affecting engineering and project execution

AACE International leadership participation
This year’s meeting was strengthened by the presence of AACE International leadership, including:

• Michael Kobylka, MBA, CAE – Executive Director and CEO, AACE International
• Michael Bennink, P.E., CCP, PSP, PMP – President, AACE International
• Mark C. Sanders, P.E. – President-Elect, AACE International

International speakers also included João Dias, Felix Soto Morales, and José Castillo Salas. In his presentation, Michael Kobylka emphasized the meeting’s scale and technical quality, underscoring the evolution of the community in Brazil and the growing role of AACE Brazil on the international stage.

A note of appreciation from the Brazil section President
Inaiara Marini, President of the AACE Brazil section, shared special thanks to the Board of Directors, volunteers, members, and the event team, recognizing that the success of an event of this magnitude reflects many hands and minds working together to deliver an unforgettable experience.

AACE Brazil also acknowledged the organizations that helped make the event possible, including 27 sponsors and 17 supporters, as well as the speakers and participants whose contributions expanded the technical dialogue and reinforced the importance of maintaining a strong space for professional exchange.