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Volume XXIII, Number 5
February 11, 2002
1015 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-7474
Fax
202-898-0068
www.acec.org
E-mail acec@acec.org
Ellen
Mullally, Editor
Francis George, Production Manager
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ACEC Means
Business
ACEC’s Minuteman Fund Needs Your Support
ACEC’s Minuteman Fund is a "war chest" that helps fund state legislative and legal battles of national importance. The Fund has supported numerous successful efforts in Alabama, Virginia, Nevada, California, Illinois and other states. Member contributions to the Fund are critical to ensure a favorable business environment. Click HERE to make your contribution to the Minuteman Fund today.
As part of ACEC/PAC’s mission to become a $1 million per year Political Action Committee, the current trustees are seeking energetic leaders to helpthe PAC meet its fundraising goals and objectives. For more information about becoming a PAC trustee, please contact Susan Doyle at 202-347-7474 or e-mail her at sdoyle@acec.org.
Organizational Peer Review: The Right Direction For Your Firm
Does it feel like you are headed north while your firm is headed south? If so, perhaps it’s time to consider an ACEC Organizational Peer Review.
Peer Reviews are confidential, cost effective, and focus on seven areas: General Management, Human Resources & Professional Development, Project Management, Quality Management, Computer Systems Management, Financial Management, and Business Development.
As Richard Mettee of Stanley Consultants says, "The peer review exceeded my expectations. I was impressed. I’d recommend it to anyone."
For more information call Emily Guerrero at 202-347-7474 or e-mail her at eguerrero@acec.org.
CEO Retreat: A Framework For Success
ACEC’s CEO Retreat, April 10-12 in Marco Island, Fla., provides a framework for personal and business success by giving participants insight into the present and future of their lives and their firms. The speakers will examine numerous areas of interest, including ownership transition, personnel and human resources issues, technology directions, strategic positioning and the marketplace, and management development.
To register for the CEO Retreat or for more information, go to http://www.acec.org/
meetmein/seminars/ceo.pdf
or contact Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org or
202-682-4324). Register today, as space is limited to 35.
Get Ready For Las Vegas!
Make plans today to attend ACEC’s 2002 Annual Convention in Las Vegas May 12-15! Make your hotel reservations at the beautiful Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino by calling 1-888-746-6955 and referencing "ACEC." The reservation cut-off date is April 12. Full registration materials will be available next month. Be sure to check ACEC’s Web site, www.acec.org, for convention updates and for instructions on how to register online.
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Rep. Graham Introduces ACEC’s FLSA Bill To Protect Engineers From Costly Enforcement Actions
ACEC Chairman Steve Goddard was a driving force behind the legislation, which will amend the FLSA "to clarify the exemption from the minimum wage and overtime compensation requirements of that Act for certain construction engineering and design professionals." Member company Malcolm Pirnie also provided invaluable assistance in the successful effort to bring the legislation to Capitol Hill. Among the duties cited for exemption are those relating "to the preliminary or conceptual design and development, design, bidding, construction, and postconstruction evaluation phases of engineering." ACEC’s response to the bill’s introduction was noticed by several prominent business Web sites, including CBS Marketwatch, CNET.com, and Finance Canada. President Signals Spending Priorities To Congress Defense and homeland security are major priorities in the president’s budget submission to Congress for F.Y. 2003. The budget sets aside $37.7 billion for homeland security, and includes major increases in defense spending to respond to security threats and bolster the acquisition of key weapons systems. The president’s budget submission represents his blueprint for spending priorities for the coming year. The focus now shifts to Congress, which will consider the president’s requests as it sets its own spending priorities in the coming months. A major emphasis in the president’s budget is management reforms that focus on privatization and enhanced agency performance. ACEC applauds this effort, which seeks to open more federal functions to the private sector. The document uses the Department of Interior’s plan to compete 3,500 commercial positions, including engineering services, to illustrate an agency that is aggressively moving to meet the administration’s competitive sourcing initiative. Transportation —$24.1 billion for FHWA, including $23.2 billion for the federal-aid Highway Obligation Limitation, which is below the funding level authorized in TEA-21 for F.Y. 2003 ($27.746 billion), and the F.Y. 2002 funding level ($31.8 billion). The reduction in funding is due to the fact that gas tax receipts are expected to fall nearly $5 billion short of original estimates in 2003.House and Senate committee leaders have introduced legislation aimed at restoring funds to "at least" TEA-21 authorized levels — $27.746 billion for F.Y. 2003 – and allowing for additional funds to be appropriated. ACEC worked closely with committee staff while the bill was being developed, and is lobbying members of Congress for increased transportation spending. ACEC members are encouraged to send letters of support to their Congressional delegation. You can access draft letters at http://capwiz.com/acec/issues/alert/?alertid=99667&type=CO. In addition, the budget request calls for $14 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (compared with $14.2 billion this year), $7.2 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (a 5 percent increase from F.Y. 2002 levels), $7.1 billion for the Coast Guard (the largest year-to-year increase—18 percent—in its history), and $761 million for the Federal Railroad Administration (including $521 million for Amtrak). Environment—$7.6 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is $300 million below current funding. Homeland security would receive $124 million, with $20 million aimed at drinking water security. The majority of the budget comes from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) and the Drinking Water SRF, for which the administration is proposing $1.21 billion and $850 million, respectively, representing level funding compared to 2002. Energy—$21.9 billion budget for the Department of Energy (DoE), with emphasis on homeland security. The DoE Environmental Management program is increased $14.6 million with the increase representing a reprioritization of the cleanup program. The budget proposes $800 million for an "expedited cleanup" account as part of the program’s $6.7 billion request to clean up the nation’s nuclear weapons complex. Non-defense environmental cleanup and fossil fuel R&D funding has been reduced, while the Yucca Mountain Project budget has been increased by 40 percent. The administration is requesting $1.46 billion for cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, which is several million dollars short of what is needed. Defense—The administration is requesting a significant increase in defense spending for 2003 to carry out the war on terrorism and protect homeland security. The $379 billion budget includes major increases for weapons systems and other procurement needs. $4.8 billion is allocated for military construction, a $1.7 billion reduction from 2002 due to Congress’ delay in starting another round of base closures. Funds for family housing goes up slightly to $4.2 billion. Economic Stimulus: Dead Or Just Temporarily Sidetracked? The Senate’s version of the economic stimulus package appeared to suffer a deathblow earlier this week when Democrats and Republicans could not agree on a final version of the legislation, but both sides approved a narrower proposal extending unemployment benefits by 13 weeks. Despite the grim situation on Capitol Hill, President Bush would still like to see passage of legislation to stimulate the sluggish economy. ACEC supports the president’s plan to provide additional tax relief and will continue to fight to keep the previous tax legislation that was successfully signed into law in place. Federal Markets Conference Spotlights TDA Opportunities Early Bird Registration ends Feb. 15 for ACEC’s Federal Markets Conference, Consulting Congress Day (CCD), and Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Gala, which are being held March 11-13 in Washington, D.C. President Bush has been invited to join us in honoring the EEA winners and to also take part in a special tribute to those engineers involved in the rebuilding in New York and Washington, D.C., following the tragedies of Sept. 11. Nationally recognized political analyst Charlie Cook is confirmed as the March 12 luncheon speaker for CCD. Other speakers are being added to the program on a regular basis. Thelma Askey, director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), will participate in the Federal Market Conference’s "In Depth with TDA" session on March 11. Joining her will be Deputy Director Barbara Bradford and TDA regional managers discussing specific infrastructure projects in developing countries slated for funding this year. There will be many other exciting speakers and related events announced in the days ahead, so register today! Go to https://www.acec.org/Events/esa.pdf for complete information, or call Susan Doyle (CCD), Roger Doucette (FMC), Daisy Nappier (EEA competition), or Susan Courtney (EEA Gala) at 202-347-7474. Business Of Design Consulting: A Seminar For Design Firm Olympians Similar to the athletes in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, design firm principals have been training for years to effectively and efficiently manage their business. This rigorous exercise of always keeping on top of the latest trends and the hot topics affecting design firms can be frustrating and time consuming. Because each principal has the potential to be a "gold-medal" manager, ACEC has designed a seminar that provides all of the information necessary to increase the bottom line and improve management skills: Business of Design Consulting, Feb. 23-27, in Orlando, Fla. This seminar boasts top-notch speakers and interesting sessions that focus on Marketing and Business Development, Financial Management, Risk Management, Information Technology, Human Resources, and Leadership…seven management areas in one incredible seminar. Time is running out to register for the Business of Design Consulting. Log on to http://www.acec.org/meetmein/seminars/business.pdf or contact Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org, 202-682-4324) today!
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