Vol. XXVI, Number 4
January 28, 2005
1015 15th Street, NW
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-2605
202-347-7474
Fax 202-898-0068
www.acec.org
E-mail acec@acec.org
Alan D. Crockett, Director, PR
Ann Brandstadter,
Editor/Designer |
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ACEC Means
Business
Register Now For
SEI Class XI
Registration is underway for ACEC's Senior Executive Institute's Class XI beginning in September. Space is limited and enrollment for Class XI is filling fast.
SEI, the A/E/C industry's premier leadership training program, celebrates 10 successful years of helping industry executives develop skills in advanced management, leadership, and public policy.
Click here to register or contact Dee McKenna, Deputy Director of ACEC's Institute for Business Management, at dmckenna@acec.org or 202-682-4328 for more information. |
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On Sale Now
Wired! How to Crawl Inside Your Client's Mind for Success in Business Development
By David A. Stone
This helpful publication on business development instructs how to effectively use persuasion to:
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Attract clients; |
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Develop checklists to determine which projects are a good fit for your firm; |
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Build business development game plans; |
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Write winning proposals. |
Originally $49—order now for only $35.
Click here to order.
ACEC Salary and Benefits Report
Do you know the average CEO salary at an engineering firm? Employee perks? Training methods offered by employers?
Conducted in September 2003, this survey includes a salary breakdown for staff members by region.
Originally $149, order this valuable publication now for only $99 and find out about these statistics and more.
Click here to order. |
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Business Practice Forums To Meet At Annual Convention
Save the date for ACEC's spring 2005 Professional Forums. All forums are held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C. in conjunction with ACEC 2005 Annual Convention, April 10-13.
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Finance Forum—Monday, April 11; |
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HR Forum, IT Forum, and Professional Sales & Marketing Forum—all held Wednesday, April 13. |
Each forum is a day-long meeting structured for networking in an interactive roundtable format. Eight PDH hours are awarded for each forum.
Please contact Andrew Fort at afort@acec.org for further information.
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Online Seminars
February 2
Negotiating Better Engineering Contracts: A Win-Win Approach
Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group
February 9
Fair Labor Standards Act—New Overtime Regulations: How Will They Affect Your Practice
Jason Schwartz, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
February 15
CASE—Marketing Special Inspection Services
Jim DeStefano, DeStefano Associates
February 16
Marketing Green Buildings—The Insider's Guide
Jerry Yudelson, Interface Engineering
February 23
Design Firm Organizational Structure
Paul Bryant, P.E., FMI Corporation
March 2
Truth or Consequences: Methods for Conducting Client Surveys
Joanne Linowes, Linowes Executive Development International
March 9
Engineering Firm Employees Retirement Planning—What Works and What Doesn't
Nancy Barrette, Wachovia Securities
March 15
Successful Project Management in a Small Firm
Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group
March 16
Branding for Growth
Mike Cucka and Michael Megalli, Group 1066, LLC
March 22
There's A Whole Lot of "I" in Team: How YOU Can Transform Your Management Team's Performance
Mick Morrisey, ZweigWhite
Click here to register for any or all of these seminars or contact the Institute for Business Management at 202-347-7474.
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On-site Seminar
March 16-19 Denver, CO
Business of Design Consulting
Click here for more information and to register.
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New A/E Tax Benefit To Include ACEC-Proposed Broad Definition of Engineering
In a guidance released last week on the implementation of the new 9 percent A/E tax deduction, the Treasury Department incorporated ACEC's recommended definition of engineering services, maximizing the benefit of the bill's tax deduction for engineering firms.
ACEC was the major player in securing passage of the tax cut which was signed into law in November as part of the American Jobs Creation Act (H.R. 4520). A/E firms will now qualify for a new income tax deduction for engineering services performed in the U.S. The deduction starts at 3 percent for the 2005 tax year, and ramps up to 9 percent by 2010.
When the Treasury Department began the process of drafting regulations for the tax benefit in December, ACEC President Dave Raymond urged that a broad definition of engineering services be included. Raymond stressed that "such a definition would simplify record keeping and documentation requirements and provide engineering companies with a clear understanding for planning purposes of what activities are subject to the provision."
ACEC is in the process of reviewing the guidance, and may submit further comments to the Treasury regarding the new tax benefit. Comments will be used to draft the proposed final regulations which will be released this summer.
Click here to view the guidance. The deadline for comments is March 31. |
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Record-Breaking Entry Total Seeking 2005 Engineering Excellence Award Honors
The Grand Conceptor Award |
The 2005 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) has an all-time record number of entries—175 projects—vying for top honors in the competition, known as the "Academy Awards" of the engineering industry.
Judging will take place February 11-13 and will be conducted by a distinguished panel of engineers and architects, along with representatives from the federal government, media, and academia.
Winners in 24 engineering categories, including the prestigious "Grand Conceptor Award" for best overall engineering achievement in 2005, will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, Monday, April 11, 2005, as part of the 2005 ACEC Annual Convention at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.
This year's Convention for the first time combines Consulting Congress Day, the EEA Gala, the Federal Markets Conference and the Annual Convention into one dynamic event.
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| Register online by February 1 for the 2005 Annual Convention and receive 5 percent off the registration fee. Make hotel reservations early—as spring is the popular tourist season for the Washington D.C. area.
Reservations can be made by visiting www.acec.org, or by contacting the Grand Hyatt directly at 202-582-1234 and referencing ACEC. Discounted rates for ACEC members are available through the Feb. 1.
Contact meetings@acec.org or 202-347-7474 for further information. |
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Several State Organizations Brace For Attacks On QBS
Texas Executive Director Steve Stagner |
Several ACEC State Organizations are preparing for challenges in 2005 to remove the Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) requirement in procuring engineering services.
The Texas Transportation Commission is proposing that all government entities may include price as part of the initial selection criteria for design professionals. ACEC's State Organization in Texas has begun a substantial grassroots campaign to educate lawmakers about the importance of QBS.
"This proposal is classically penny-wise and pound-foolish," said Texas Executive Director Steve Stagner. "It fails to recognize that although engineering is typically a small fraction of construction and life-cycle costs, it is the quality of the decision-making in the engineering phase that drives these costs."
In Virginia, the state's universities are attempting to opt-out of QBS and incorporate a low-bid model for the selection of professional design services.
In Alabama, the engineering community has been fighting anti-QBS initiatives for the past three years and anticipates additional threats this year. Threats to QBS also are expected in Maryland, Montana, Washington, and Michigan.
ACEC has established an online QBS resource center to assist states with protecting and promoting QBS and will continue to provide information and assistance to State Organizations as needed. To visit ACEC's QBS web page, click here.
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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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