ACEC President's Monthly Update - May 1, 2011
Dear Colleagues – As Congress returns this week, ACEC is focused on several key near-term objectives, most importantly the six-year transportation reauthorization, which the T&I Committee hopes to report out within the next month; repeal of the 3% withholding mandate for which ACEC continues to gain co-sponsors (now 84 in the House and 15 in the Senate); passage of the Federal Aviation bill with more funding and ACEC’s QBS language in the Passenger Facility Charge program; and review/recommendations on SBA’s proposed new small business size standard. April activity is summarized below. David Raymond, ACEC President PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE
May 1, 2011 General - President Obama signed into law the ACEC-backed repeal of the expanded IRS Form 1099 filing mandate, which would have imposed an onerous paperwork burden on member firms.
- The Minuteman Fund provided grants to: ACEC/Georgia to support a new sales tax referendum to fund transportation; ACEC/Nebraska to fight government competition; and ACEC/Nevada for an amicus brief to defend the state’s Economic Loss Doctrine.
- ACEC collaboration with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) now includes “BooksforEngineers.com,” operated by the ACEC Bookstore on the SAME website.
- ACEC/Hawaii has become the second state organization to meet its 2011 ACEC/PAC fundraising goal, joining Wisconsin in crossing the finish line early.
Government Affairs
- Urged Securities and Exchange Commission officials to maintain the engineering exemption in a proposed new rule on municipal advisor registration.
- Defense Department officials briefed ACEC on their proposed design-build selection process change – to increase consideration of project life-cycle costs – for reaction and comment prior to the plan’s public release. (See April 27, Last Word)
- Lobbied to oppose the House budget resolution that would limit spending to existing revenue projections, resulting in a 30% decrease in annual highway and transit funding from the Highway Trust Fund.
- Urged negotiators on the final FAA reauthorization bill to provide maximum levels of airport infrastructure investment and to retain a House-passed provision supporting QBS on projects funded with Passenger Facility Charges.
- Polish government officials briefed ACEC members on infrastructure and energy development opportunities stemming from their new $100 billion program.
- Assembled working group of small, medium and large firms to develop a consensus position on the Small Business Administration’s proposal to increase the SBA size standard for the engineering industry from $4.5 million to $19 million in gross receipts.
- Hosted an in-district congressional fundraising event for House Energy and Commerce committee member Rep. Lee Terry (NE); and a Meet and Greet for freshman Transportation and Infrastructure committee member Bob Gibbs (OH).
Institute for Business Management
- The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure released its Envision rating tool for internal review by ACEC, ASCE and APWA; and plans to release it for public comment in July.
- Popular business webinars this month: Sustainable BIM – Use Virtual Modeling to Achieve “Green” Certification; “Have You Been Deposed? Key Practices for Engineering Expert Witnesses; Critical Design-Build Contract Provisions; Understand Legal Issues that Can Put Your Firm in Hot Water; Over $100 Billion in New Infrastructure Investment in Qatar: What You Need to Know to Get Involved; DCAA Audit Requirements Now Apply to Transportation Projects—How DOT Contracts Fall Under Defense Agency's Guidelines; and New Business Opportunities and Markets Through Public-Private Partnerships.
- Bookstore top sellers: Stimulated by Bob Woodward’s convention appearance are Obama’s Wars, All the President’s Men, The Brethren, and The Secret Man; another convention speaker book Gourmet Made Simple; and four ACEC-published books – Megaprojects, Wired to…Clients, Project Delivery Systems Owner’s Manual, and Marketing in the 21st Century for Design Professionals.
- Bookstore special: 25% discount on Megaprojects, an ACEC Press publication
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