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Volume XXIII,
Number 18
May 31, 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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Business
HR Directors: Opportunity Is Key To Retention
After spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars training new hires, it is frustrating to watch another firm lure them away. ACEC's new seminar, Human Resources: The Art of Compensation and Transition (HR A.C.T.), focuses on employee retention and succession planning from the perspective of an HR director or administrator. The Coxe Group, one of the oldest and largest multi-discipline management-consulting firms serving the design profession, will explore more than 15 kinds of opportunities that will help you retain employees.There are eight dates and locations to choose from. Click here for a complete list or contact Anna Johnson (ajohnson@acec.org or 202-682-4349).
Highway Official Featured At June 6 Market Forecast Session
David Price, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) newly appointed program manager for transportation security, will be the featured speaker at the next ACEC Market Forecast Series event on June 6.Join us in person or through a teleconference at 12:00 p.m. (EDT) to learn more about FHWA projects and budgets for F.Y. 2003, as well as proposed changes in the contracting process.
Contact Roger Doucette (rdoucette@acec.org or 202-682-4330) to register or go online to www.acec.org/meetmein/seminars/mfs0602.pdf.
You Need
Market Watch
ACEC's Market Watch newsletter is your best resource for the information you need on A/E markets, including industry sectors to watch, federal construction updates, and key economic indicators that can make the difference between getting by and getting ahead. For a free sample or to subscribe, contact Michele Moore (mmoore@acec.org or 202-682-4326).
Attend Principals Bootcamp
As a firm principal you need to carry out many tasks, many times simultaneously. Are you doing things effectively, efficiently and productively? You definitely will if you participate in A/E/C Principals Bootcamp, brought to you by ACEC and PSMJ. Learn the latest about principal-level marketing, strategic planning, project delivery, financial management, ownership transition, human resources, and leadership development.Upcoming locations and dates include Boston, June 6-7; San Francisco, June 13-14; Seattle, June 27-28; and St. Petersburg, Fla., July 11-12. Contact Roger Doucette (rdoucette@acec.org or 202-682-4330) for more information.
Listen To Your Employees…Conduct A Peer Review
Employment trends indicate a shortage of qualified engineers over the next 10 years. The success of your firm will depend on your firm's ability to keep great employees, satisfy their needs, understand their frustrations, and enable their success.What is your staff saying? Are they angry that no one is listening? Do you have poor firm communication? What would impress your key employees? Learn the answers to these questions, and much more, through an ACEC Organizational Peer Review.
More than 1,100 design firms have used ACEC's Peer Review Program to improve firm and client communications.
"I would strongly recommend the ACEC Peer Review Program to all member firms," said David Fuller of Topsham, Maine-based Wright-Pierce. "This was our second Peer Review, and we benefited significantly." For details on the Peer Review Program, contact Emily Guerrero (peerreview@acec.org or 202-682-4324).
New Engineer/Owner Short Form Agreement
The long-awaited engineer/owner short form agreement (# E-520)—an abbreviated version of the flagship EJCDC Owner/Engineer agreement 1910-1—is now available for downloading on the ACEC Web site. The cost to download the document is $100 for members and $200 for non-members. A hard copy version is $25 for members and $50 for non-members, plus $4 shipping and handling. Purchase it online at www.acec.org/publications or contact Rina Lee (publications@acec.org or 202-682-4332).
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GA Report This week's edition: May 24, 2002 |
Progress Continues On Highway Funding RestorationThe House and Senate are making progress on restoring the proposed $4.4 billion cut in federal highway funding in 2003. Earlier this month, the House passed H.R. 3694 by an overwhelming margin. This legislation, which was the focus of the efforts of ACEC's "citizen lobbyists" during Consulting Congress Day last March, sets federal highway funding at $27.7 billion, the amount authorized in TEA-21.It now appears that Congress will use the 2002 supplemental appropriations as the vehicle to address this issue. The House passed its version of the bill last week and included language to restore highway funding to the authorized level. The Senate's supplemental bill, which was cleared by the Appropriations Committee last week, sets a floor of $27.7 billion but allows for the possibility of up to $28.9 billion in highway funding. This mirrors the amount provided in the Senate budget resolution. The Senate will consider the supplemental bill when it returns from the Memorial Day recess. Water Infrastructure Bill Moves AheadThe Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has passed legislation that authorizes $41.5 billion for needed improvements to wastewater and drinking water systems around the country.The Water Investment Act (S. 1961) reauthorizes the federal Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. The measure also revises the funding formula for the states, and includes changes to assist disadvantaged communities faced with significant and costly water infrastructure upgrades. ACEC has made the passage of a comprehensive water bill a top priority for this session of Congress. A vote on the Senate floor is expected this summer. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has already adopted similar legislation. However, a number of outstanding issues remain unresolved that may hamper further progress, including the application of the federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage law to subsequent rounds of SRF loans. ACEC is working with both sides to broker a compromise, and is also pushing legislative language to require the use of QBS in all federally funded water projects. ACEC Promotes Procurement Reforms Within DoDACEC offered its perspective on the Department of Defense's (DoD) contracting policies with small business at a May 15 hearing of the House Small Business Committee.Cathy Ritter of Constellation Design Group testified on behalf of ACEC's Small Firm Council, stating that DoD's indiscriminate use of contract bundling eliminates prime contracting opportunities for small firms. Ideally, agencies should employ a variety of contracting methods and sizes to ensure that companies of all sizes can compete. She also noted that the continued use of Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quality (ID/IQ) Contracts hurts businesses, especially smaller ones, since many of these contracts are "hollow" and lead to few, if any, business opportunities. In addition, the testimony emphasized that outsourcing "is a proven management tool that directly contributes to enhanced performance through improved quality, reduced standby costs, increased innovation, and access to technical expertise not available in-house." ACEC also went on record in support of the president's small business agenda, which calls for a reduction in contract bundling and an increased use of the private sector to compete work that is not inherently governmental. Maryland 33rd State To Adopt New NameMaryland recently became the 33rd MO to adopt the new name and national standard. A number of other MOs are also in the process of changing their names.
"We made the change because we wanted to further align ourselves with the national organization," said Jim Otradovec, III, executive director of ACEC/Maryland. "We also see this as a great way to improve our visibility with the public as well as with key opinion leaders and policy makers." ACEC Members Shine At International Business ForumMembers of several ACEC firms participated in a Pan-American Federation of Consulting Engineers (FEPAC) conference in Santiago, Chile, earlier this month. FEPAC represents the business interests of engineers throughout North and South America. As Raul Gutierrez of Black & Veatch remarked, "This was an impressive event—very focused and relevant."Speaking before a packed house, Michel Jichlinski of Louis Berger International delivered a presentation on project finance, noting the popularity of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) in Latin America but challenging participants to reject "the project finance myths of the 1990s." During his presentation on "Adding Value to Engineering Services," Valentine Lehr of Lehr Associates urged the audience to provide clients with not just "ingredients" but "a total package of solutions," including legal, financial and even political advice. ACEC Director of Markets & Forecasts Michele Moore, who moderated Lehr's panel, summarized: "The concept of engineer as 'trusted advisor' can extend far beyond traditional engineering disciplines." The next gathering of the international engineering business community will take place in late September in Acapulco, Mexico, at the annual conference of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). Sessions and roundtables on a variety of business practice issues are scheduled, including risk management, government as informed purchaser, and QBS. For more information on FEPAC or FIDIC activities contact Michele Moore (mmoore@acec.org or 202-682-4326).
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