If you've never seen New England in the Fall, don't miss ACEC's upcoming Conference in beautiful, historic, Portland, Maine.

While Boston and New York are the political convention sites, one of the highlights of the political season will be at the upcoming ACEC Fall Conference, September 29-October 2, in Portland, Maine.

There Republican William Bennett and Democrat Howard Dean will debate the issues that will determine who America chooses as its next president—just one month prior to the election.

Also on the Fall Conference agenda is "Perfect Storm" Captain Larry Brudnicki, seminars on the latest A/E business trends, and a myriad of opportunities to enjoy the enchanting Maine seaside environment, including charming shops, and a lobster bake.

The Conference headquarters hotel is the Holiday Inn by the Bay, site of the Board of Directors meeting, general and concurrent sessions, welcome reception, luncheons and exhibit hall activities. Other participating hotels include the Portland Regency, site of ACEC committee meetings, and the Doubletree, where the Legal Counsels Forum will be held.

ACEC will provide complimentary shuttle service between the three Conference hotels. Shuttles will operate from Wednesday, September 29 to Saturday, October 2.

Make your reservations online at www.acec.org before September 3, and receive a five percent discount on registration.

TEA-21 Chair Inhofe Encouraged By ACEC To Stand Firm As Funding Debate Narrows

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) confers with ACEC Chairman Bill Howard (center) and ACEC President Dave Raymond (left) prior to the TEA-21 conference meeting.

ACEC Chairman Bill Howard and President Dave Raymond encouraged Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to stand firm on a high level of TEA-21 funding, just moments before he chaired the last meeting of conferees prior to Congress' adjournment for the summer.

Inhofe proposed $289 billion in guaranteed funding, and House conferees countered with a $284 billion proposal.

The House and Senate appear to be getting closer to reaching a deal.

There are concerns, however, that too little funding will fail to satisfy so-called "donor" states looking for a 95 percent return on their gas tax receipts, and too much funding would trip a veto from the Bush Administration.

Inhofe was encouraged by ACEC's visit and vowed to resist efforts to lowball the nation's transportation infrastructure needs.

Before Congress recessed, Congress passed its fifth extension bill that provides funding for highways through Sept. 24 and funding for transit and other programs through Sep. 30. During the summer recess, ACEC will continue working with the committee staff to keep the funding level as high as possible.

ACEC Leads Fight Against Iraq Amendment

ACEC has mobilized an industry effort against a Senate amendment that seeks to replace engineering firms with government agencies on several major Iraqi reconstruction assignments.

Claiming the engineering and management services in question are "inherently governmental" and not appropriate for private sector performance, the amendment authored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) has been attached to the F.Y. '05 National Defense Authorization Act.

Among ACEC firms affected are two major joint ventures—Parsons Corp./CH2M-Hill and Louis Berger Group Inc./URS Companies—which were awarded Iraq reconstruction contracts in March.

The House-passed version of the Defense Authorization bill does not include the restrictive language currently contained in the Senate version, and the issue is now before a House-Senate conference committee. ACEC, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and other engineering and construction organizations have launched an aggressive campaign to have the measure removed from the final bill.

GSA, Corps Reveal $16B Construction Plans

In exclusive "Market Forecast" events at ACEC headquarters, representatives of the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Army Corps of Engineers said their agencies are gearing up for major 2005 construction programs totaling a combined $16 billion.

The Corps is planning a $11.2 billion military program, including $738 million for engineering, $416 million for Superfund and $375 million for environmental projects, according to Don Basham, the Corps' chief of engineering and construction. Basham also estimates that the Corps' F.Y. '05 civil works appropriations will be close to the $4.5 billion it received last year.

With $587 million in new construction and nearly $1 billion for repair and alterations to existing facilities, GSA's F.Y. '05 appropriations are likely to exceed $1.5 billion, according to David Eakin, the agency's chief engineer.

Eakin underscored his agency's commitment to Qualifications-Based Selection for engineering services, and stated that between 50-60 percent of its projects were procured using a design-bid-build approach.

Basham stressed that the Corps will continue to rely on private contractors to execute most of its work and underscored his agency's commitment to working with ACEC to enhance the role of QBS in selecting design-build teams.

Senate Committee Passes $8B Corps Water Bill

The ACEC-supported Water Resources Development Act was passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, setting the stage for floor consideration when Congress returns in September.

The $8 billion bill authorizes funding for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control, navigation and environmental restoration projects, including $1.46 billion for new lock construction and ecosystem restoration on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

The House has already cleared a $4.6 billion package. House and Senate conferees face significant differences between the two packages, both in terms of funding as well as issues related to peer review and mitigation standards.

ACEC is encouraging both houses to complete work on this important legislation prior to adjournment in October.

Copyright © 2004 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC.

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