The Institution sets standards for the training and admission of engineers. It has strict rules governing the conduct of its members and, as a learned society, it enables its members to keep abreast of the latest developments in engineering. Many of the learned society activities take place at the Institution's headquarters in Causeway Bay. It provides a venue for seminars, talks and meetings as well as the office of the Secretariat.

An important development in 1982 was the Hong Kong Government's decision to recognise Corporate Members of the HKIE for civil service. Most engineering companies in Hong Kong recognise Corporate Membership of the HKIE as the key qualification for employment of professional engineers.

On the representation of the engineering profession in the HKSAR Government, we have one seat representing the Engineering Functional Constituency in the Legislative Council, and among the 800-member Election Committee (EC) for the election of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR, there are 20 EC members from the Engineering Sub-sector. These representatives are elected by the Corporate Members of the Institution. In addition, Corporate Members and Graduate Members of Information Technology Division of the Institution are eligible to vote for the representative in the Information Technology Functional Constituency in the Legislative Council and its Election Committee Sub-sector. Views of the engineering profession are well respected both by the HKSAR Government and the community through these establishments.

The HKIE has established close relationship with engineering institutions throughout the world and it has signed agreements for reciprocal recognition of professional qualifications with engineering authorities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Mainland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It has also signed agreements of co-operation with other organisations in Europe, the Mainland, North America and Southeast Asia

In June 1995, the HKIE joined the Washington Accord as one of the signatories. The engineering degrees accredited by the HKIE are recognised by other signatories including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1999, Hong Kong became a founding member of the APEC Engineer Framework. Corporate Members of the HKIE who are also Registered Professional Engineers (R.P.E.) are eligible to register as Hong Kong APEC Engineers.

In June 2001, the Institution became a founding signatory to the Sydney Accord. Under this Accord, higher diplomas and associate degrees accredited by the HKIE are recognised by other signatories including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. On multilateral recognition of engineers' and technologists' qualifications, the Institution is a founding member of the Engineers Mobility Forum and the Engineering Technologists' Mobility Forum. The former is to provide a framework for the recognition of experienced professional engineers by responsible bodies in each of the signatory economy, while the latter is to facilitate multilateral recognition of technologists' qualifications.

Both the APEC Engineer Register in Hong Kong and the Engineers Mobility Forum International Register of Professional Engineers in Hong Kong were launched in April 2002.

The HKIE is also an affiliated member of World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and a member of Federation of Engineering Institutions of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (FEISEAP).