ACEC President's Monthly Update - July 1, 2010
General - Addressed “Industry Achievements and Challenges” – including recent ACEC “wins” exempting A/Es from Project Labor Agreements and eliminating mandatory retainage on federal contracts – at the ACEC/Massachusetts 50th anniversary celebration, as well as at the ACEC/Metro Washington annual meeting.
- ACEC/Indiana became the third state so far to meet its 2010 PAC goal; and has met its goal for eight straight years “recognizing the importance ACEC/PAC to our advocacy programs.”
- Undertook “hands on” membership recruitment efforts in California, Rhode Island, Oregon, Colorado and Massachusetts, as part of an intensified program of recruitment and retention in a challenging economy.
- Participated in the annual conferences of the Canadian and Mexican engineering associations to promote mutual understanding on infrastructure funding, liability reform and other issues of common interest.
Government Affairs
- Headed off a major proposed tax increase on Subchapter S engineering firms in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.
- Supported liability protection legislation introduced by Reps. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Jim Matheson (D-UT) for engineering, architectural and construction firms that volunteer in the aftermath of terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
- Testified at a House Highways & Transit Subcommittee hearing on the benefits of “context sensitive solutions” in transportation planning – i.e., taking into consideration the natural and built environments affected by transportation systems.
- Criticized lack of Administration leadership in funding new 6-year transportation authorization and providing necessary capacity expansion – in comments submitted to DOT on its draft Five-Year Strategic Plan.
- Awarded Minuteman Fund grants to: ACEC/Illinois to support an appeal against an adverse court decision on the scope of a design professional's duty; and ACEC/Colorado to help fight against radical ballot initiatives that would seriously undercut the state’s ability to fund infrastructure.
Institute for Business Management
- Members were attracted to ACEC’s eight, highly topical, business seminars over the past month:
- The New Health Care Law: What It Means for Your Firm
- 2009 A/E/C Court Cases: Lessons Learned
- America’s Coming High Speed Rail Markets
- U.S. Water Demand, Supply and Allocation: Trends and Outlook 2010 to 2030
- Achieving Sustainability Goals Through By-Product Synergy
- Commissioning: A Growing Market
- Sponsored jointly with ACEC/Colorado, a two-day course: Applying Expertise as an Engineering Expert Witness
- Realizing BIM Profitability Potential
- Added two new resources to the Contracts Central website: a state-by-state listing of statutes of limitations for personal injury lawsuits; and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure guidelines for expert witnesses
- Bookstore hot sellers for the month: Wired to...Clients (ACEC); The Blue Sourcebook: Business Practices and Risk Management for Engineering Firms (ACEC); EJCDC E-500: Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner & Engineer for Professional Services.
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