ACEC Advances QBS In Congress; Also In The Washington Post And GovExec.com ACEC was quoted this week in two prominent media sources advocating the benefits of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS). The Washington Post, as well as prominent inside-the-beltway political website GovExec.com, featured stories describing the QBS provision in a recently passed amendment to the Treasury Transportation Appropriations bill sponsored by Senators Craig Thomas (R-WY) and George V. Voinovich (R-OH). ACEC and its industry allies are combating efforts by government employee unions to have the provision stricken from the amendment. In each story, ACEC President Dave Raymond affirms the benefits of QBS, pointing out its long-standing successful practice in government procurement. In GovExec.com, Raymond noted that procedures that follow QBS "ensure that government managers benefit from the highest quality in design services and that taxpayer dollars for infrastructure are efficiently spent."

Mark Your Calendars For CCD/EEA 2004 Mark your calendars and plan to attend ACEC's 2004 Federal Markets Conference (March 15), Consulting Congress Day (March 16-17) and the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala (March 16). All events will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington. The hotel is offering ACEC meeting attendees a discounted room rate of $221 single/double occupancy. For reservations, call the Grand Hyatt at 202-582-1234 and reference "ACEC" to receive the discounted rate. Watch for further Conference updates at www.acec.org and in Last Word.

TEA-21 Reauthorization Moving In Senate; House To Act Before Adjournment Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) Momentum is building in the House and Senate to move bills to reauthorize the highway and transit program. ACEC has made the passage of a six-year reauthorization bill a major priority, and continues to work with industry allies to urge the House and Senate to act. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plans to introduce its portion of the TEA-21 reauthorization package on Wednesday. The Committee is responsible for the highway portion of the reauthorization legislation, while other committees will be working on the safety, transit and financing portions at a later date. The Committee is seeking $255 billion in funding for highways over the next six years. Once coupled with the transit portion and the other titles, the package, to be sponsored by Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK), is expected to authorize over $311 billion over the next six years for transportation infrastructure improvements. On the House side, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young indicated that the Committee's reauthorization proposal will be introduced before Congress adjourns this month. "We are pleased that committees in the House and Senate are working to introduce TEA-21 reauthorization bills in the coming weeks," ACEC Chairman Eric Flicker said. "Hundreds of billions of dollars are at stake, and this bill must get done as soon as possible."

FLSA Fight Continues — ACEC Issues
'Action Alert'

House and Senate conferees continue to deliberate over Senate-passed legislation that would prevent the Department of Labor from moving forward on reforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). ACEC members are urged to send letters to their Representatives and Senators urging them to reject the Senate language and allow the reform process to continue. Click here for a sample letter.

In March, the Labor Department released proposed changes to the Act that will simplify compliance and provide needed clarity in classifying employees, particularly specialized professional positions such as engineering employees, as exempt or non-exempt from the Act's minimum wage and overtime requirements.

The proposed changes have provoked intense opposition from organized labor, and a concerted effort in Congress to stop the reform process. One such amendment was defeated in the House, but a similar amendment offered by Senate Tom Harkin (D-IA) was adopted, setting the stage for a fight in the House-Senate conference committee. ACEC is working closely with supporters in Congress and the White House in putting pressure on conferees to drop all anti-reform language included by the Senate. ACEC members are urged to fax letters to their Representatives and Senators — click here for contact information for your House and Senate members. Particular emphasis should be given to ACEC members represented by the following House conferees:

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK), Rep. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rep. Ann Northup (R-KY), Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), Rep. John Peterson (R-PA), Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA), Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL), Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), Rep. David Obey (D-WI), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-IL), Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA).

And Senate conferees:
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Senator Thad Cochran (R-MI), Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC), Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV).

For more information, contact Steve Hall, ACEC's Director of Government Affairs, at (202) 347-7474.

Congress Closes In On Energy Bill Passage; ACEC Battling for Key Interests

With a major breakthrough this week in contentious tax title negotiations, Congress is closing in on passage of a comprehensive energy bill that includes a clean, 20-year reauthorization of the Price Anderson Act.

One of ACEC's key legislative initiatives in the current Congress, Price Anderson provides critical liability coverage to engineering firms engaged in nuclear clean-up activities.

Conferees on the bill also reached an agreement on ethanol-blended fuels, but moved the debate over the ethanol tax exemption until a later date. Currently, ethanol is taxed at a lower rate than gasoline, and the exemption costs over $2 billion in potential revenue to the Highway Trust Fund. ACEC is seeking a correction to ensure that the Highway Trust Fund is fully funded. This issue will now be taken up during consideration of the TEA-21 reauthorization bill.

With negotiations stalled over the ethanol tax issue, ACEC and other stakeholders urged the Administration to intervene and broker an agreement. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, ACEC President Dave Raymond said: "ACEC has strongly supported the President's energy package, and this issue represents one of the final major hurdles to securing passage of legislation that will enact much of the President's agenda to make this country more self-sufficient in meeting its energy needs."

National Park Service's Sue Masica details the agency's construction program to a sold-out Market Forecast Series meeting on October 23.

ACEC's Market Forecast Series: Park Service Reveals $600 Million Construction Program

At a sold-out October Market Forecast Series meeting, Sue Masica, director of park planning, facilities and lands at the National Park Service (NPS), discussed the agency's $600-plus million construction program.

The Interior Appropriations bill, which passed the House in October, provides $334 million for NPS construction for F.Y. '04. NPS also foresees $300 million in F.Y. '04 for the Federal Lands Highway program, a 135% increase from the 2002 level. Smaller projects are funded through the NPS's fee demonstration program.

"The Park Service would like to increase its use of design-build," said Masica, stating she believes the Park Service is not using this delivery method as much as it should. Masica also discussed the role of the Denver Service Center, which is required to outsource its design program to a 90 percent level. The Park Service is now considering outsourcing the remaining 10 percent of its design capability.

ACEC members can access www.nps.gov/facility for list of repair/rehabilitation projects, www.nps.gov/dsc for the Denver Service Center, or www.nps.gov to contact individual parks.

The next Market Forecast Series will be held November 13 featuring Jim Wright of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), who will discuss upcoming NAVFAC projects. Click here for more information.

2003 Professional Liability Survey To Be Conducted Online

ACEC's 2003 Professional Liability Insurance Survey will be conducted online from November 10 through November 26. This annual survey collects information on member firms' professional liability insurance, their claims experience, and the impact of the potential threat of litigation.

An email containing instructions for accessing and completing the survey will go out to member firm key principals on Monday, November 10. The results of the survey will be compiled and a summary published in Last Word in December, with a more detailed article to follow in the March/April 2004 edition of Engineering Inc. It is important that only one completed survey be submitted by each member firm. All member firms are strongly encouraged to participate in the survey.

Desktop Seminars

How to Lead a Resilient Firm Without Losing Your Mind
Po-Sun Chen, Zweig White
December 10
The best in-house strategic business planning efforts may make running a successful firm look like a straight path from A to Z-but the reality is that it's not a neat, sequential process. Whether you're looking to grow, break into a new market, or survive a down period, effective leaders must often make things messy before they make them better. Join Po-Sun Chen, ZweigWhite principal and head of the firm's West Coast management consulting group, for a Webinar session that focuses on the leadership, facilitation, coaching, and effective decision-making skills necessary to lead a resilient firm. Members $199/non-members $249. Click here to register.

Ownership Transition: Options and Strategies:
Paul Lurie, Schiff, Hardin & Waite and Lowell Getz, Lowell Getz Company
December 12
If you missed this highly popular session at ACEC's Fall Conference in Phoenix last month, or attended this session and want even more strategies, then don't miss out on Paul Lurie and Lowell Getz's dynamic seminar on ownership transition.

Learn the advantages and disadvantages of an internal ownership transition, understand the options available in transferring ownership, and explore the principals of a merger or acquisition in order to gain the most benefits of such an important time.

Members $199/non-members $249. Click here to register.

Click here to review past editions of the Last Word.