Harris has worked with numerous design firms and their clients. She has observed that clients often see the technical services provided by different design firms as being about the same. What differentiates a firm positively in a client's eyes is the ability to provide leadership and facilitation for projects.

For example, a transportation engineering firm's public works client faces opposition from the community because a project would bring more traffic to a quiet area. The design firm has two choices: Leave the client's staff alone to try to deal with public opposition, or provide assistance through facilitation.

"With powerful facilitation skills, a design firm can take a worrisome load off the public works person. It can help demonstrate the value of the improvements to the community by bringing a broader set of perspectives to bear, making sure all points of view are heard, and making sure everyone is represented - that a consensus of the community is heard and responded to,"says Harris. If a firm can help its client with these difficult issues, it's much more likely to be noticed and to get repeat work.

Support California. s Proposition 35

In California, New York, Texas, and other states, public employee unions are promoting an end to outsourced engineering and architectural services. To defeat . private sector initiatives,. the unions have committed $4.6 million in TV advertising as well as $13.3 million for other political efforts in California. Nationally, public employee unions are spending tens of millions of dollars to gear up for similar activities. If the engineering industry is going to beat back efforts of the public employee unions that could destroy our industry through recent state and national initiatives, we must support Proposition 35. Proposition 35 will allow state and local government to select the most qualified architects and engineers . using the same competitive selection process used in most other states . to complete projects more efficiently. An economic study of Prop. 35 shows that the increased use of private sector expertise could save California taxpayers $2.5 billion every year and create 40,000 additional private sector jobs.

Additionally, Prop. 35 doesn. t just affect our transportation needs. Permitting public-private partnerships will also help deliver other overdue public works projects, such as classroom construction, school and hospital earthquake retrofits, flood control, and park improvements. Join the fight now and support passage of Proposition 35 in California! For more information, visit the campaign website at www.yesprop35.com. To make financial contributions, send checks payable to Taxpayers for Fair Competition, 1303 J Street, Suite 450, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 441-7991, FPPC ID# 990274.

Please note . Contributions to the Committee are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. Contributions are not subject to any contribution limits. Contributions may not be accepted from foreign principals but may be accepted from any other source. Donors may have their own campaign reporting obligations. The federal employer identification number for Taxpayers for Fair Competition is 68-0378296.

ACEC Business Insurance Trustees Announce 1998-99 Dividend

The ACEC Business Insurance Trustees are pleased to announce a group dividend of $1,626,710, representing 21.9% of the eligible premiums for the year ending November 1, 1999. This is the third largest dividend returned since the inception of the program in 1983. In total, more than $12 million has been returned to ACEC firms through dividend payments. Dividend checks will be mailed to those firms that participated in the ACEC Business Insurance Program during the policy period 11/01/98-99. More than 1,000 firms participate in the ACEC Business Insurance Program administered by Marsh and underwritten by The Hartford Insurance Company. If you are interested in obtaining information about the ACEC Business Insurance Program, call 1-800-338-1391. Checks will be mailed on October 1, 2000. If you do not receive your check by November 1, 2000, contact Marla Burger at 1-800-338-1391 ext. 2421.

ACEC/MO Joint Seminar

ACEC & CEC/Ohio are sponsoring joint seminars entitled . Managing and Motivating Today. s Diverse Workforce. (by Corey Hessen, P.E.) and . Checking Your Firm. s Vital Signs. (by Charles R. Holcomb, Jr., P.E.). The seminars will take place at the Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio, on October 19, 2000. Seminar leader Corey Hessen is a senior consultant in FMI. s Engineering & Architectural Services Group. He comes with a wide range of engineering management experience and works with design professionals in the areas of organizational management, strategic planning, ownership transition, and mergers and acquisitions. Charles Holcomb is the president of the Picus Group, which is a consulting firm to the design and construction professions. Prior to founding a management consulting practice, Holcomb spent 20 years in leadership roles in the architectural and engineering profession. A registered Professional Engineer, he is a Past-President of the Virginia Engineering Foundation at the University of Virginia. For further information, contact Donald Mader at CEC/Ohio, Columbus, OH (614-487-8844, dmader@cecohio.org) or Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org) at ACEC.

Coming in December: International Markets Conference

In the global marketplace, one way to increase the attractiveness of your project proposals can be to engage a federal agency as a subcontractor or as part of your project team. What. s more, more than a dozen federal agencies are available to lend their technical expertise to your international design projects. Plan to be in Washington, D.C., during the first week of December to find out exactly who, how, and why. ACEC. s semiannual International Markets Conference will allow you face-to-face contact with key representatives from agencies in areas as diverse as transportation, emergency management, energy, and natural resources. Watch the Last Word and other ACEC publications for more information on this one-day event, or contact ACEC. s Michele Moore (mmoore@acec.org). Don. t miss it!

ACEC Seminar Series - 2000-2001

ACEC CEO Retreat (Specifically for Small Firms)
November 10-11, 2000
Sheraton BWI
Baltimore, MD

How Energy Deregulation Is Unfolding
(co-sponsor: United States Energy Association)
December 12, 2000
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington, D.C.

Marketing Summit
(co-sponsor: Society for Marketing Professional Services)
January 19-20, 2001
Sheraton Buckhead Hotel Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

Human Resources Seminar
January 19-20, 2001
Sheraton Buckhead Hotel Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

For more information on ACEC. s Seminar Series, contact Roger Doucette (rdoucette@acec.org) or Nancy Mosely (nmosely@acec.org) at ACEC.

Register Online! Time Is Running Out on Member Discounts! ACEC. s Fall Conference Registration Forms Are Available Online. Visit ACEC. s web site at www.acec.org to register. Contact Tricia Payne tpayne@acec.org at ACEC, for more information.

Editor: Francis George (fgeorge@acec.org)

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