ACEC President's Monthly Update - November 1, 2011
Dear Colleagues – It was great to see so many of you at our Fall meeting in Las Vegas – one of our best-attended and most successful conferences. No sooner had we returned from it than the House resoundingly voted to repeal the 3% withholding mandate – a major ACEC gain after our long five-year national campaign and grass roots effort. It now goes to the Senate where we are pressing the fight to put the final nail in the coffin; President Obama has stated that he will sign the bill upon passage. I will keep you up to date as events unfold.
--- David Raymond, ACEC President PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE
November 1, 2011 General - Big Win - Secured House passage of legislation to repeal the 3% withholding mandate, by an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 405-16; now putting it before the Senate where ACEC continues to lead aggressive coalition efforts to achieve final resolution. Senator Scott Brown, who leads the Senate repeal effort, is featured in the November-December issue of Engineering Inc., soon to be mailed.
- ACEC’s Fall Conference in Las Vegas was attended by record numbers and highlighted by Governors Sandoval and Huckabee, CEOs Craig Martin (Jacobs), Richard Fox (CDM), Bud Wendorf (Sargent & Lundy), and Hisham Mahmoud (AMEC), and former Shell President John Hofmeister. (See Last Word, October 26, 2011)
- The Board addressed industry trends including alternative financing of infrastructure, P3s, insourcing, “value proposition” for members, and budgetary challenges.
- Subject to Board approval, ACEC’s Nominating Committee tapped Gregs Thomopulos (Iowa) for Chair in 2013-2014; Ralph Christie (Colorado), Mike Matthews (Virginia), Bill Stout (Pennsylvania) and Peter Strub (South Carolina) for Vice Chairs commencing in April 2012.
- Participated in FIDIC Annual Conference, promoting QBS, sustainability, integrity, and risk management.
Government Affairs - Lobbied Republican House members to sign a letter to their Leadership supporting a multi-year surface transportation bill as a centerpiece of the economic recovery agenda in Congress.
- ACEC/PAC raised $145,400 at the Fall Conference in Las Vegas, setting a new conference fundraising record.
North Dakota, Maryland and Oregon became the latest state organizations to meet their 2011 fundraising goals.
Hosted or co-hosted fundraising events for Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. John Mica (R-FL), and Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA). - Briefed members of SEI Class 17 on key issues before Congress and federal agencies; took class members to Capitol Hill for briefing with senior congressional staff.
- Briefed ACEC/Colorado and ACEC/North Carolina on key federal issues.
Institute for Business Management - Popular A/E business webinars in October: Writing the Perfect Finding of No Significant Impact; Mergers and Acquisitions 101; The Nationwide Sustainability Program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Recent Developments in Procurement Law; Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) Fees – Long-term Solution for Financing Transportation Programs?
- Don’t miss the A/E business webinars coming in November: Know What Drives Your Clients; Overview of a FAR Compliant Accounting System; Integrating Cloud Services Into Your IT Strategy; FAR 31 Cost Principles; NAVFAC Program Outlook; Black & Veatch Electric Utility Survey; and the second annual Essentials of A/E Financial Management and Firm Valuation, November 3-4, 2011, in Orlando, FL.
- October Bookstore Top Sellers: A Simple Government by Mike Huckabee; Why We Hate the Oil Companies by John Hofmeister; Do the Right Thing by Mike Huckabee.
- Released The Negotiation Waltz: The Fine Art of Give-and-Take for Architects, Engineers, and Constructors by David Stone.
- Save 10% on all EJCDC documents at BooksforEngineers.com from November 1, through December 31, 2011.
ACEC/Georgia was approved as a Registered Continuing Education Provider, bringing to 90 the number of RCEP educational providers.
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