M.C. Dean Wins ACEC Grand Pinnacle Award and National Recognition      

M.C. Dean received the 2025–26 Grand Pinnacle Award, the highest honor from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington (ACEC/MW), and the ACEC National Recognition for its Washington Aqueduct Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Upgrades project.

Tysons, Va. — ACEC/MW presented the award to the top project selected from five Grand Award winners at its Engineering Excellence Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. 

“Upgrading a legacy SCADA system within a water treatment facility that operates 24/7 demanded precise engineering and unwavering coordination. Our team rose to that challenge, delivering a modern, resilient control system without disrupting critical operations,” said Bob Link, M.C. Dean vice president of Automation Systems. “This recognition reflects our commitment to technical excellence and dependable public infrastructure. We’re proud of what we accomplished and grateful for the trust the Washington Aqueduct placed in us.”

The Washington Aqueduct delivers safe drinking water to over one million people in the Washington D.C. area and operates nonstop, relying on a complex control system to manage treatment and distribution. Its aging SCADA system required modernization to improve reliability and security. M.C. Dean designed and installed modular, prefabricated control panels that allowed the upgrade to be completed efficiently without disrupting water service, while reusing existing equipment to reduce costs and environmental impact.

“This was a highly complex project,” said W. Scott Buswell, chief of the operational technology and instrumentation branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District. “M.C. Dean’s team integrated aging infrastructure with new technologies while maintaining uninterrupted water service. Their professionalism, workmanship, and technical competency were the best I’ve seen in my 20-year career in the chemical and water industries.” 

The Grand Award is the highest-level recognition by ACEC regionally each year, given to projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, creativity and social, economic, and environmental benefits. Recognized by the Metropolitan Washington chapter, the project became eligible for the national award.

For more information about the award, click here. 

About M.C. Dean

M.C. Dean is Building Intelligence®. We design, build, operate, and maintain cyber-physical solutions for the nation’s most recognizable mission critical facilities, secure environments, complex infrastructure, and global enterprises. The company’s capabilities include electrical power systems, electronic security, telecommunications, life safety, automation and controls, audio visual, and IT systems. M.C. Dean is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, and employs more than 9,000 professionals who engineer and deploy automated, secure, and resilient power and technology systems; and deliver the management platforms essential for long-term system sustainability.