BCECA then and now
BCECA was formed in London by four companies in January 1966. As it was known back then, the inaugural meeting of the British Chemical Engineering Contractors Association was held at the offices of CJB (Constructors John Brown) Ltd. and hosted by John Staniforth. In addition to CJB Ltd., the initial members were Humphreys and Glasgow Ltd, PowerGas Corporation Ltd, and Simon Carves Ltd.
The Association was founded to help promote the export of process plant and equipment. The scope of the Association was defined as covering the design, procurement, supply and erection of major chemical, oil, gas or petrochemical process plants for installation in the UK or abroad. Its creation provided a single, informed, and authoritative body through which government departments, allied trade bodies and other interested parties could talk to the chemical engineering contracting industry in the UK. 
The Association quickly established productive relationships with government and parliamentarians, prompting the then Secretary of State, Anthony Wedgewood Benn, to praise BCECA member companies for their vital role in "Transforming the research results into economically viable plants".
The good working relationship with the UK government continued into the 1970s. Benn's successor, Peter Walker, highlighted the importance of chemical engineering contractors in "Opening up new markets in Eastern Europe and elsewhere". Over the next two decades, the Association continued to grow in size and influence, with its member companies employing over 20,000 people in the UK and generating new business with a value of over £2.5 billion, 40% of which was accounted for by export markets.
The Association celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2016 with a special reception in the House of Lords hosted by the former Chair of the UK Trade & Industry Select Committee, Lord Martin O'Neill
Today, the member companies under the BCECA umbrella account for the UK activity of global engineering companies employing more than 500,000 people with a combined annual turnover exceeding $200bn. Since the Association's formation, dramatic changes in global manufacturing have dictated that most projects are no longer based in the UK. However, the remaining balance is substantial and important to the UK economy. The pressing need for decarbonisation, net-zero emissions, and the transformation of the UK's energy systems augurs well for engineering contracting in Britain.
From its modest beginnings, chemical engineering contracting has become one of the UK's major exporters, with over 80% of its work being delivered for international clients. Now in its sixth decade, BECA continues to fulfil an important role in providing knowledge networks for some of the world's largest contracting companies and their supply chains. The Association's offices are near Vauxhall Bridge on the south bank of the River Thames.
