"Call To Action" Issued For ACEC Citizen Lobbyists At Annual Convention John Woods of Woods Peacock Engineering Consultants A large turnout from the Council's "citizen lobbyists" is imperative at the upcoming Annual Convention, May 6-9 in Washington D.C., to help turn the congressional tide on a number of critical industry issues. Defeat 3 Percent Withholding Mandate—ACEC is leading a broad coalition to overturn a new 3 percent withholding mandate on government contracts which is scheduled to take effect in 2011. This provision, which would apply to all contracts of federal, state or local governments that spend $100 million or more annually, is "nothing more than a hidden tax that could devastate engineering firms, particularly smaller firms," said John Woods of Woods Peacock Engineering Consultants in Virginia. Pass New Water Legislation—ACEC is supporting final passage of the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007, which authorizes $14 billion over four years for wastewater projects funded through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, and includes an ACEC-backed Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) provision. Promote Expansion of H-1B Visa Program—To ameliorate the growing shortage of engineers, the Council is advocating expansion of the H-1B visa program to acquire more engineering talent from abroad, along with education measures such as increased scholarship opportunities to encourage more young Americans to pursue engineering careers. Promote Changes To Transportation Funding—ACEC is urging Congress to address a funding crisis in the Transportation Trust Fund that without new action is expected to go bankrupt by 2009, the final year of SAFETEA LU. Among the options Congress needs to consider are increasing and indexing for inflation the motor fuels tax, and innovative financing options to raise private capital and dedicated user fees. "Every one of these objectives address bottom-line issues that affect virtually every engineering firm in this country," said ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett. "We cannot afford to lose on any of these, which is why we need a strong showing in Washington in May." Early-bird registration rates are still available for ACEC members, and registrations online qualify for an additional five percent discount. Click here for more information.

Continuous QBS Challenges Make Member Participation in Benchmark Study Crucial Recent challenges to Qualifications-Based Selection emphasize the importance of member participation in the current QBS study, commissioned by ACEC. Researchers from the University of Colorado and Georgia Tech are conducting a critical study on the value of QBS. The researchers are collecting data from ACEC member firms on as many projects as possible, including life-cycle costs, client satisfaction, schedule, and the achievement of community/societal goals such as sustainability. The results will be extremely valuable when challenges to QBS arise, such as recent instances in Illinois and Texas. In Illinois, The College of DuPage argued in a lawsuit that it was allowed to ask for pricing information from engineering firms because the local QBS law did not specifically prohibit them from doing so. In Texas, legislation would have allowed all government entities to circumvent QBS by allowing the inclusion of price as part of the initial selection criteria for design professionals. In both cases, quick grassroots campaigns led by ACEC/Illinois and CEC/Texas respectively, helped defeat the anti-QBS efforts. ACEC members are encouraged to participate in the study, which will provide pertinent data needed to continue vigilant defense against future anti-QBS efforts. A website explaining the nature of the study and project information being solicited can be reached by clicking here. "This project will fill a critical need," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. "While there is a great deal of evidence on the value of QBS, there has not yet been an exhaustive, comprehensive and empirical study on it." University of Colorado Professor Paul Chinowsky and Georgia Tech Professor Gordon Kingsley will lead the research effort. Both have extensive experience with engineering and construction industry issues. Professor Chinowsky is available to answer questions about the research at paul.chinowsky@colorado.edu. Further information is also available by contacting Steve Hall, ACEC's vice president of Government Affairs at shall@acec.org or Jeffrey Beard, ACEC's vice president of Business Affairs at jbeard@acec.org.

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.

New Immigration Bill Would Aid Engineer Shortage; Increase H-1B Visas Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would help to address the shortage of engineers in the United States by making it easier for firms to recruit qualified engineering talent from abroad. Titled the "Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) (STRIVE Act)" the legislation was introduced by Congressmen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and includes a broad package of comprehensive immigration reforms. Among other provisions, the bill would increase the number of H-1B Visas from 65,000 per year to 115,000. H-1B Visas are the primary vehicle used by businesses to import highly technical foreign employees to the U.S. The legislation also exempts from the 115,000 cap those individuals who have earned advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from a U.S. university. The measure also creates a new student visa category to allow U.S. STEM degree holders who have a job offer to transition directly from a student visa to a green card. This will ensure that engineering firms which hire foreign students graduating from U.S. universities will be able to retain those employees. Current law requires graduates with student visas to return to their country after one year of technical training in the U.S. ACEC is a member of coalition of industry organizations that are actively pursuing the passage of the STRIVE Act in the House, and are working to secure the introduction of similar language in the Senate.

Project Management for Project Leaders Course With Northwestern University June 11-12 ACEC's Institute for Business Management will present the 2007 edition of Project Management for Project Leaders, an unparalleled two-day course in state-of-the-art project leadership, co-sponsored with the Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, June 11-12, Evanston, IL. This highly focused immersion course will introduce new management skills and techniques critical for keeping pace with the complexities in pre-design, design, construction and beyond. The course will feature six recognized experts and instructors specializing in various phases of the project management process from inception to owner turnover. Participants will take an integrated approach to design and construction project management with development of a project business case from the owner perspective, and transitioning to the point of view of pre-design project management. The course carries 16 PDHs. For full agenda, faculty information and to register, click here.

Upcoming Online Seminars How to Plan Your Project More Effectively April 3, 1-4 pm                   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 to register. Follow Up! The (Misunderstood) Heart of Business Development and Positioning April 4, 1:30-3 pm                   1.5 PDHs Lynne Waymon, co-author of Make Your Contacts Count will discuss the rules and tools for creating, cultivating, and capitalizing on networking relationships and opportunities in order to attract an ongoing flow of clients and referrals. Click here to register. Improving the Quality of Environmental Documents: A Guide for Practitioners April 10, 1:30 pm                   1.5 PDHs This highly focused online seminar will review the results of a joint effort by ACEC, ASSHTO and FHWA to identify ways to improve the quality of environmental documents. Emphasis will be on issues identified by practitioners and reviewers in the report including length, complexity, jargon, and lack of overall coherence. The report, Improving the Quality of Environmental Documents, is also available from the ACEC Bookstore. Click here to register. Pandemic Flu—Implications for Your Firm and Your Clients April 19, 1:30 3 pm                   1.5 PDHs Dr. Daniel Barnett, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presents this online seminar to make A/E/C firms aware of the internal and external consequences of what the U.S. government describes as "a virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak or pandemic of serious illness." Participants will gain an invaluable foundation for preparedness and action in anticipation of such a major health-related crisis. Early registrants will receive reminder e-mail notification in advance of the event. Click here to register.

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