Three Percent Withholding Mandate Undergoes Critical House Scrutiny Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) ACEC joined with its coalition allies in submitting testimony this week before a House Small Business Committee hearing on "The New Hidden Tax on Small Business." The hearing focused on the burdens that engineering companies and other businesses will experience due to the new 3 percent withholding mandate, which will apply to all government contracts and payments. Signed into law as part of a larger tax package in 2006, the mandate will require federal, state, and even some local governments that procure $100 million or more in goods and services to withhold 3 percent of payments to engineering firms and other contractors, starting in 2011. "This is an issue that has generated real concern, particularly among small business owners," said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). "I want to work closely with ACEC and other organizations to find a solution, and today's hearing was an important step in that effort." ACEC is actively lobbying in favor of House and Senate legislation-H.R. 1023 and S. 777-that would repeal this sweeping mandate. Enactment of these bills is one of ACEC's top legislative priorities, and will be among the key issues that the Council's "citizen lobbyists" take to Capitol Hill at the Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. "This is a huge issue looming over this industry," said ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett. "Every ACEC member firm that does work for federal and state clients, has a stake in the outcome of our lobbying effort. We need an all out effort in May, and I hope that every firm will be present in Washington to participate." For more information on registering for ACEC's Annual Convention, click here.

ACEC Hosts Important Infrastructure And Procurement House Leaders Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) The leader of a coalition of pro-business Democrats and strong proponent of water infrastructure investment, as well as the senior House Republican in charge of federal procurement policy, were hosted by ACEC in recent weeks as the Council continues to build political relations with key members of both parties. Last week, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) was ACEC’s guest. The six-term California lawmaker serves on the House Committees on Armed Services and Transportation & Infrastructure, and also chairs the centrist New Democratic coalition in the House. Tauscher and the New Democrats have increasingly played an important role in the new Congress, providing a critical link with the business community. In addition, ACEC has worked closely with Congresswoman Tauscher in recent years to promote federal legislation to increase investment in water infrastructure. Her work in this area culminated recently in the passage of major water legislation in the House (HR 720), which boosts funding for wastewater projects to $14 billion over four years (Click here to see Last Word story, March 9, 2007).

Virginia Congressman Tom Davis (right) talks to ACEC members during a special event at ACEC headquarters. The Council also hosted a special meeting at ACEC headquarters this week featuring Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), the senior Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Now in his seventh term, Davis is a key player on the House committee which has jurisdiction over federal procurement policies. ACEC has worked closely with Congressman Davis over the years on efforts to encourage federal agencies to contract out to the private sector. The wide-ranging discussion, which included participation by members of ACEC's Federal Agencies and Procurement Advocacy Committee chaired by David Greenwood of Michael Baker, Inc., also included QBS and the impact of the of new oversight efforts in Congress on engineering firms. Davis played a critical role in softening the impact of a problematic procurement reform bill that cleared the House last week, and will play an important role going forward in protecting private sector interests.

New One-Day Summit To Address Future Of Land Surveying The Lay of the Land—A Look Ahead for Professional Surveyors May 31, San Jose, CA ACEC, the Council of Professional Surveyors (COPS) and Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California (CELSOC) presents The Lay of the Land—A Look Ahead for Professional Surveyors, a one-day summit on the future of surveying on May 31, San Jose, CA. Attendees will choose from morning and afternoon breakout sessions, and the day will conclude with a Town Hall-style discussion on the future of surveying. Guest speakers include Lance Bishop, California Bureau of Land Management; Paul Doherty, K. Hovnanian Homes; Professional Surveyor magazine columnists "Surveyor Randy" Rambeau, PLS, and "GIS Janet" Jackson; M.L. Love, Collins Engineering; and William Cox, RBF Consulting. There is no fee for the event, but advance registration is required. Attendees are encouraged to make a tax-deductible contribution to be used to fund an ACEC/COPS California Surveyor Scholarship to be awarded for undergraduate study of surveying. Click here for full information, agenda and to register.

Exclusive "Concierge," Top "Things To Do In D.C." List Available For Convention-Goers Attendees at the upcoming Annual Convention May 6-9 in Washington, D.C. can take advantage of a special new concierge service designed to help them enjoy some of the capital's most impressive and enjoyable features including dining, entertainment, tours and shopping. The "ACEC Concierge" will be staffed by experts to answer questions and provide information for a variety of attractions. In addition, ACEC also offers an easy reference on the "Top 101 Things to Do in D.C." to help Convention participants map out their social activities ahead of time. Click here to view the listing. For a complete lineup of Convention social activities, click here. Other Convention highlights include exceptional speakers such as Chris Matthews, host of the nightly talk show Hardball with Chris Matthews, and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and TV political analyst George Will, and the 41st annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala. Easy Convention registration is available by clicking here. Register online and receive an additional five percent off the published price*. Bring two people from your firm and receive an even greater registration discount! Make your hotel reservations early by contacting the Grand Hyatt Hotel directly at 202-582-1234. Reference ACEC and receive the discounted room rate of $245 plus tax. ACEC's room discounted rates are available through April 17 or until the rooms in the block are gone, whichever occurs first. * Does not apply to 2nd member price and cannot be combined with any other discounts.

Design-Build Course Sold Out; VIP List Available For Encore Event ACEC is pleased to announce that the first of several new 2007 courses, Leveraging the DesignBuild Trend: How Engineering Firms Can Profit from Integrated Delivery, has sold out, and registration for the March 29-30 event in Washington is closed. Those interested in receiving early notification of an encore presentation of this course may be placed on a VIP list by e-mailing Education@acec.org and adding the words "Design-Build Course" to the subject line.

Upcoming Online Seminars Business Continuity Planning: Lead the Charge, Rally the Troops and Get Out of the Way March 28, 1:30-3pm                   1.5 PDHs Robert vanArsdall, XL Design, presents an important discussion on how to select the future owners and leaders of your company. This seminar provides up-to-date guidelines on what is and is not working in the area of business continuity planning. Click here for details and to register. How to Plan Your Project More Effectively April 3, 1-4pm                   3 PDHs From the initial contact with a potential client or the receipt of an RFP, the project planning process is the single most important ingredient of a successful project. This special online double session by Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group, demonstrates how to do it right and what the benefits will be for all involved. Click here for details and to register. Improving the Quality of Environmental Documents: A Guide for Practitioners April 10, 1:30-3pm                   1.5 PDHs This highly focused online seminar will discuss the published results of a joint effort by AASHTO, ACEC and FHWA to identify ways to improve the quality of environmental documents. Presenters include Hal Kassoff, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Lamar S. Smith, Federal Highway Administration; Timothy M. Hill, Ohio Department of Transportation; and Carol Lee Roalkvam, AASHTO and the Washington State Department of Transportation. The seminar emphasizes issues identified by practitioners and reviewers in the report including length, complexity, jargon, and a general lack of coherence. The report, Improving the Quality of Environmental Documents, is also available from the ACEC Bookstore at http://store.acec.org. Click here for details and to register.

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