For recent ACEC news, click below:
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Energy
Obama Targets Commercial Properties for Energy Incentives
President Obama has called for an overhaul of tax incentives for energy efficiency upgrades at commercial buildings, as well as new federal spending for a large-scale retrofit initiative... click here for more.
Buildings/Land
School Design Increasingly Focuses on Sustainability
Increasingly new schools are being built with “green” materials and include features that encourage recycling, save energy by using natural daylight and ventilation, prevent mold and other air irritants, and capture and reuse rainwater... click here for more.
Water
Washington State Considers Stormwater Pollutant Fee
In an effort to make vehicle travel safer, greener, and easier through the use of wireless technology, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration has announced a national competition called the Connected Vehicle Challenge... click here for more.
Transportation
High Cost Puts High-Speed Rail’s Future in Doubt
It may seem like a no-brainer to encourage investment in rail projects—it is greener, safer, and eases the burden on congested highways and airways... click here for more.
Click here for more News Briefs.
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Ensure Your Risk Management Strategy is in Place
The Blue Sourcebook: Business Practices and Risk Management for Engineering Firms
ACEC
A unique real-world guidebook that belongs in the library of every engineering firm. Chapters describe a wide variety of challenging everyday—and the less usual—situations and circumstances in which a firm may find itself, with advice and/or alternatives on what to do next.
To order printed copy, click here.
To order downloable PDF, click here.
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Risk Management for Design Professionals
William G. Ramroth, Jr.
In Risk Management for Design Professionals, architect and author William G. Ramroth explains the principles of risk management and how any design firm can apply them to every project.
To order, click here.
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Identifying and Managing Project Risk, 2nd Edition
Essential Tools for Failure-Proofing Your Project
Tom Kendrick
Identifying and Managing Project Risk, now updated and consistent with the very latest Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® Guide, takes readers through every phase of a project, showing them how to consider the possible risks involved at every point in the process.
To order, click here.
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Last Chance for Valentine's Day Gifts
Engineering Chocolate
To order, click here.
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Engineers are Hot! Mug
To order, click here.
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Project Delivery Series Sale Extended Through Feb. 10
No coupon needed — prices on website reflect discount
Construction Management at Risk
Elliott Gappinger
Member Price: $49.00 $36.75
To order, click here.
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Design/Contract-Build
Member Price: $89.00 $66.75
To order, click here.
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Design-Build Project Delivery
Member Price: $49.00 $36.75
To order, click here.
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Design-Build-Operate
Member Price: $89.00 $66.75
To order, click here.
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Project Delivery Systems Owner's Manual
Tom Warne & Jeffrey L. Beard
Member Price: $99.00 $74.25
To order, click here.
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Let the ACEC Job Board Work for You
Does your firm need to recruit qualified engineers? Have you tried big websites with minimal success? Now is the time to add the ACEC Job Board to your recruiting mix.
The Job Board offers you incredible value.
Take advantage of discounted member rates and our participation in the Engineering & Science Career Network. As a part of the network, your job posting appears on 39 industry job sites, at no additional charge. Your firm will have exposure to thousands more job seekers and access to our resume database with over 30,000 searchable candidate resumes.
To sweeten the deal, receive a 15 percent discount on any posting or package; just use the promotional code VALENTINE at checkout.
The ACEC Job Board is your source for new employees. For more information, contact Nina Goldman at 202-682-4325 or write ngoldman@acec.org.
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Over 650 Searchable Jobs Posted
Over 31,000 Searchable Resumes Posted
Over 2,275 Registered Employers |
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Last Five "Help Wanted" Open Positions:
Office Branch Manager-Civil Engineer—Lake Ozark, MO
Project Manager/Wastewater Engineer—Indianapolis, IN
Water Resources & Water/Wastewater Engineers—Bismarck, ND
Operations Manager—Minneapolis, MN
Senior Mechanical Engineer—Marietta, GA
A Sampling of Posted Resumes:
Mechanical/Electrical—7,877
Transportation—1,580
Environmental Engineers—1,568
Civil Engineers—5,241
Structural Engineers—1,829
Water/Wastewater—727
View These and Other Resumes and Jobs
on ACEC's Job Board
www.acec.org/jobbank |
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The Perfect Storm, Winning DOE Grants, in Online Seminars
ACEC online seminars provide critical business information for Member Firms navigating current market challenges and seeking new business opportunities.
Here’s a look at upcoming topics:
February
16—An Inside View of Programs and Funding of Rural Development, USDA, by Jacki Ponti-Lazaruk and Ben Shuman, USDA Rural Utilities Service
Learn how RD money is distributed, opportunities available for engineering services.
17—The Perfect Storm-A Bad Lawsuit, A Bad Contract, Indemnification and the Duty to Defend, by Christine Drage, Weil & Drage, APC
A look at the new practical realities and ideal defense and indemnity clause.
March
16—DOE Energy Efficiency Block Grant Funding: Market Opportunities in a $3 Billion Program, by Mark Johnson, DOE
Get critical inside information on eligible projects, applying for funding, reporting requirements.
April
20—How to Use EJCDC Design/Build Documents Effectively and Successfully, by Hugh Anderson, EJCDC General Counsel
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| ACEC-backed Legislation to Repeal 3 Percent Mandate Introduced in Senate
ACEC’s drive to repeal the 3 percent withholding mandate has picked up steam as multiple repeal bills have been introduced in the Senate and House.
Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), David Vitter (R-LA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced bills in the Senate. House efforts are being led by Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
The mandate requires government clients to begin withholding 3 percent of payments due for engineering and other services starting in 2012.
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| Senate Adopts ACEC-backed Bill to Repeal 1099 Mandate
The Senate passed an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization bill that repeals an onerous new paperwork mandate stemming from the new health care law.
ACEC has been very active in opposition to the 1099 mandate, which requires that businesses file Form 1099s for purchases of goods and services valued at more than $600 annually from any vendor starting in 2012.
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) offered the repeal amendment in the Senate. ACEC is working with House members to advance similar repeal legislation. |
| ACEC, APWA, ASCE Set Goals for New Sustainability Institute
Principals in the founding of the new Institute are (from left): ACEC President Dave Raymond; ISI Board Chairman Timothy Psomas of Psomas; Larry Stevens of Howard R. Green Company; Howard LaFever of GHD, Inc.; Peter Binney of Merrick and Company; Christine Andersen of the Santa Barbara Public Works Department; ASCE Executive Director Patrick Natale; D. Wayne Klotz of Klotz Associates; ACEC Chairman Gerald Stump of Wilbur Smith Associates; Vicki Vikery Quiram of the Westwood (Mass.) Public Works Department; ACEC Chairman-Elect Terry F. Neimeyer of KCI Technologies; and APWA Executive Director Peter King. |
Leaders from ACEC, the American Public Works Association (APWA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) held an inaugural board meeting of the new Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI).
Former ACEC Chairman Tim Psomas was elected chairman of the ISI Board of Directors, which consists of three members each from ACEC, ASCE and APWA. ACEC’s nominated directors, in addition to Psomas, are ACEC Chairman Jerry Stump, COO of Wilbur Smith and Associates, and Terry Neimeyer, Chairman/CEO of KCI Technologies.
ACEC President Dave Raymond said ISI “will do for the infrastructure community what the Green Building Council does for buildings projects.”
ISI will soon begin soliciting memberships and affiliations for participation in the Institute. For more information, contact Diane Shea, dshea@acec.org.
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| Tap into Latest Federal Contracting and Teaming Prospects at the Convention
Senior officials from more than a dozen federal agengies will preview their upcoming projects at the ACEC Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., March 30-April 2.
Among the dozen-plus participating agencies are the General Services Administration, NAVFAC, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Convention also includes a new “Teaming Fair,” which will bring together large and small A/E firms for work on federal contracts. For more information on the “Teaming Fair,” click here.
For more information on the ACEC Annual Convention, click here.
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| Save Hundreds of Dollars; Register for Annual Convention by Feb. 18
Register by February 18 for the upcoming ACEC 2011 Annual Convention in Washington, March 30-April 2, and save $80 on the registration fee. Save $100 on a second registration from the same firm. For more information and to register, click here.
February 18 is also the cut-off date for the discounted room rate at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Click here to make an online hotel reservation or call 1-888-421-1442. |
| Download Best Strategies to Handle Agency Fee Reduction Demands
ACEC’s online seminar Responding to Requests for Discounts or Unilateral Fee Reductions drew more than 160 Member Firm participants. To purchase and download the recorded session, click here.
In the program, P. Douglas Folk of Folk & Associates outlined the ways firms can deal with client requests for discounts or reducations, including legal challenges and the application of Federal Acquisition Regulations. |
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Build Skills to Manage Change with 2011 Business of Design Consulting
May 11-14, Las Vegas, NV
The Business of Design Consulting (BDC) program addresses the challenging realities of the current business environment, providing the strategic insights and management skills that design professionals need to succeed.
This intensive four-day course features the collective state-of-the-art expertise of the A/E industry’s leading practitioners. The curriculum delivers essential 2011 updates on real-world business topics not offered by engineering schools, including business management, finance, marketing, risk management, contracts, leadership, human resources, and information technology.
BDC is recommended for owners, senior executives, principals, business administrators, project managers, human resources managers and facility and infrastructure project managers.
Click here to register.
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How to Tap into USDA's Rural Development Funding Programs
February 16, 1:30-3 p.m.
Senior USDA officials will outline the best methods for Member Firms to gain access to the Department’s Rural Development funding programs, which provides financial assistance to projects that increase economic opportunities in rural areas.
In the online seminar, An Inside View of the Programs and Funding of Rural Development, USDA, Jacki Ponti-Lazaruk, assistant administrator, Water and Environmental Programs, and Ben Shuman, senior environmental engineer, USDA, will offer details on a wide range of Rural Development programs and projects.
Click here for details and to register.
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Seminar Provides Keys to Successful Service Contract Risk Management
February 17, 1:30-3 p.m.
In light of recent case law, including the well-known UDC and Crawford decisions in California, Christine Drage, Weil & Drage, APC, focuses on what the ideal defense and indemnity clauses would look like to protect a firm from The Perfect Storm—A Bad Lawsuit, A Bad Contract, Indemnification and the Duty to Defend.
This timely risk management online seminar is designed for contract administrators, legal counsel, principals and others involved in contract creation and negotiation. Among topics to be discussed are contractual clauses that can help manage risk if properly drafted, including scope of service descriptions, limitations of liability, consequential damages waivers, and sole corporate remedy provisions.
Click here for details and to register.
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The American Council of Engineering Companies
1015 15th St., NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20005-2605
Phone: 202-347-7474 - Fax: 202-898-0068
www.acec.org - E-mail:acec@acec.org
Alan D. Crockett, Director, PR
Gerry Donohue, Editor/Designer |
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