ACEC extends best wishes to all Council members and their families for a happy and festive Thanksgiving. Let us appreciate our many blessings.

Please Contribute to New MO Feature in Engineering Inc. Beginning with the upcoming January/February 2007 issue of Engineering Inc., a new "Across the Federation" feature will highlight the latest news from Member Organizations—similar to USA Today's popular state-by-state wrap up. The new feature is designed to present significant MO efforts and accomplishments. Topics will include community involvement, legislative achievement and special events. All Member Organizations are encouraged to participate in this great opportunity to showcase the important things being accomplished in their respective states. All submissions must be no more than one paragraph in length. An MO can submit up to three news items for consideration for each issue. MOs are urged to submit at least one news item per magazine issue. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to email your submission(s) for the January/February "Across the Federation" feature no later than November 29 to Andrea Keeney, akeeney@acec.org. Call 202-682-4301 for further information.

Navy Construction Funding Priorities Revealed At ACEC Clay Dean discussed NAVFAC funding priorities at the latest Market Forecast Series event at ACEC headquarters. Contracting opportunities under the Naval Facilities Command's (NAVFAC) construction program, including a new emphasis on sustainable development, were the focus of the latest Market Forecast Series event last week at ACEC headquarters. Clay Dean, program manager for the Office of the Chief Engineer at NAVFAC, explained the agency's funding priorities for its current military construction program, which has 112 projects in the Atlantic region and four projects for the Pacific region planned. Dean also reviewed the current inventory of indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts. NAVFAC has in place 637 regional (IDIQ) contracts, with an emphasis on environmental NEPA/Cleanup Compliance totaling $2.2 billion, as well as general A/E IDIQ contracts worth $581.7 million. He also detailed NAVFAC's streamlined design-build process, including a shortened Request For Proposal template to make it easier for A/E firms to prepare design submittals. Dean said NAVFAC's new focus on sustainability seeks to assure that all facilities meet the LEED Silver standard, and be designed for energy consumption levels 30 percent below American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) requirements, as mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. "Meeting the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is currently being incorporated into the scope of all work and will be a major component in future projects," he said. For further information about opportunities available through NAVFAC's military construction program, click here.

ACEC/Georgia Celebrates Golden Anniversary ACEC/Georgia members are all smiles during their recent gala to celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary. From the left are: Robert Peoples, of Peoples & Quigley in Atlanta; ACEC/Georgia Executive Director Tom Leslie; Kathi and Al Pond, of Pond & Company, in Norcross, Ga.; and Tom Gorman, of CH2M Hill in Atlanta. More than 250 ACEC/Georgia members celebrated the organization's 50th Anniversary last week at a black-tie gala at the Capital City Club in downtown Atlanta. Past-President Chris Quigley chaired the organizing committee that created a truly memorable night, which included a $5,000 donation to ACEC/Georgia's scholarship endowment in honor of the anniversary. A special 150-page book titled History of Engineering in Georgia was also issued as a permanent record of ACEC/Georgia's history and the many accomplishments of its member firms. ACEC national President Dave Raymond presented the organization a commemorative plaque, and ACEC/Georgia Executive Director Tom Leslie led attendees on a walk down memory lane using historic photographs from the Council's archives. "It was great that so many turned out to celebrate our organization's great past and promising future," said ACEC/Georgia President Richard Little.

Congress Clears Stop-Gap Spending Bill; Will Return In December ACEC is urging Congress to complete work on critical funding bills when it returns from the Thanksgiving Day recess. The House and Senate passed a "continuing resolution" last week to keep transportation and other government programs funded through December 8. Congressional leaders will return the week of December 4 in an effort to finish work on the appropriations bills, although there are growing indications that another, longer term continuing resolution will be adopted, pushing final consideration of the F.Y. '07 spending bills into the new year. Those bills fund key infrastructure projects and programs administered by the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others. Final passage of the F.Y. '07 Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill is particularly critical. Funding increases for state departments of transportation under SAFETEA LU cannot go forward without an appropriations bill signed into law. Also awaiting consideration is the final bill for the Corps of Engineers, which is expected to include well over $5 billion for Corps programs. The measure will also fund the Department of Energy's defense environmental cleanup program, which is expected to be funded at $5.5 billion. ACEC members and their clients in the water and wastewater sector also are urging Congress to increase funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). Both the House and Senate—passed Interior and the Environment Appropriations bills provide only $688 million for the SRF program—a significant reduction from the previous high $1.35 billion funding level just a few years ago. ACEC and its industry partners plan to work closely with the new majority in Congress to secure funding increases for this important program.

Sold-Out 50 Legal Concepts Seminar Gets Rave Reviews; 2007 Encore Planned Construction law attorney Michael Loulakis leads a sold-out 50 Legal Concepts forum at ACEC headquarters. A new two-day seminar on a wide range of legal pitfalls that A/E professionals should avoid was presented recently to a sold-out audience at ACEC headquarters. The seminar, 50 Legal Concepts That Every Engineer Should Know: A Design and Construction Law Immersion Course, discussed how practitioners can optimize risk management by understanding the dangers in contract development, insurance and indemnity issues, design-build issues, and contract management and dispute resolution. Renowned construction law attorneys Michael Loulakis and Kent Holland of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt Wickwire Gavin, punctuated their lectures with real-world examples of failed risk management. Loulakis warned of the legal dangers of working with less-than-complete contract documents and relying for too long a period on Letters of Intent (LOIs) or Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) for a project. Holland described the risks posed by marketing materials that promise or seem to promise more than called for by the contract. These were only two of dozens of practical examples of legal pitfalls that the instructors identified and discussed. Charles Kim, ACEC General Counsel, gave the seminar very high marks. "This course provided great value to the members who attended. The legal information and principles they took back to their firms can be applied right away and, in conjunction with appropriate counsel, can help to reduce the risk of costly litigation." Because of the strong positive response, plans are underway for a 2007 repeat of the 50 Legal Concepts seminar. To receive advance notice of the next 50 Legal Concepts event, e-mail Education@acec.org and use the subject heading "Next Legal Concepts Seminar."

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