ACEC President's Monthly Update - January 1, 2012
Dear Colleagues – Happy New Year! Although December is typically a slow month with the holidays, Team ACEC put some points on the scoreboard – notably language in the year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill that spurs Corps of Engineers outsourcing. The new year – an election year – will test us, but we intend to prevail with infrastructure reauthorization bills and regulatory reforms no less important than last year’s achievements of 3% withholding and 1099 repeals. Our record ACEC/PAC fundraising of more than $700,000 in 2011 gives us a powerful war chest to propel our legislative agenda. We look forward to working with you in 2012.
--- David Raymond, ACEC President PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE
January 1, 2012 General - ACEC/PAC raised over $700,000 in 2011, setting a new record over the previous high of $608,000 in 2008; final receipts are still being tallied with official state-by-state results expected within two weeks.
- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting of the 100 top business associations, including ACEC, reports that the economy is on the mend and is expected to experience sustained but slow growth this year.
Government Affairs - At ACEC’s request, Congress included language in the year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill to promote contracting out on Corps of Engineers projects.
- Secured language in Omnibus Appropriations Bill to limit ability of World Bank to adopt the “Program for Results” procurement method that would have weakened oversight and potentially exposed U.S. firms to corrupt practices by foreign governments.
- Achieved Congressional passage of legislation requiring the Administration to grant a permit for the Keystone pipeline within 60 days unless the President determines the project is not in the country’s best interests.
- ACEC/Arkansas, ACEC/Connecticut, ACEC/Delaware, ACEC/Idaho, ACEC/Illinois, ACEC/Iowa, ACEC/Kentucky, ACEC/Metro Washington, ACEC/Nebraska, ACEC/Nevada, ACEC/Tennessee, ACEC/Virginia and ACEC/West Virginia all reached their 2011 PAC fundraising goals in December.
- ACEC/PAC and state organizations hosted fundraising events for U.S. Representatives Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Renee Ellmers (R-NC)
Institute for Business Management - The International Municipal Lawyers Association endorsed ACEC’s EJCDC contract documents and has designated a liaison to attend meetings and provide input into the documents.
- Released a new EJCDC document: EJCDC E-580 (2010), Joint Venture Agreement between Engineering Firms for Professional Services.
- Valuable A/E business webinars held in December: Top Legal Concepts Every Engineer Should Know; Marcellus Shale Gas Development: The Market and Challenges; Harassment in the Workplace: How to Protect Your Employees From Illegal Harassment and Protect Your Company From Legal Claims.
- Don’t miss A/E business webinars coming in January: Ethical Decision-Making for PEs; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2012 Programmatic Outlook; BIM and the Engineer; 2011 Legal Year in Review.
- Held inaugural session of Navigating Government Projects and FAR Requirements – A/E/C Insiders’ Guide to Government Procurement and Compliance, where participants got the latest updates on federal procurement and contracting.
- Added two new CASE publications, Tool 2-3: Employee Evaluations & Commentary on the Use of AIA Document A295, now available at BooksforEngineers.com.
- December Bookstore Top Sellers: APWA Red Book; EJCDC E-620: Contractor’s Application for Payment; Why Should Anyone Be Led by You; 2011 Financial Performance Survey.
- RCEP now holds PDH records for over 20,000 professionals and there are 90 approved providers in the system.
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