The Obama Administration is urging Congress to delay implementation of the 3 percent withholding mandate for three years to give federal agencies time to overhaul their financial systems and payment processes in order to collect the withholding.

“No dice,” says ACEC President Dave Raymond. “We are still focused on a complete kill, and only when it’s dead, six-feet under and pushing up daisies will we rest.”

ACEC is working with Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) and other senators to achieve repeal, which will be a key lobbying issue during ACEC’s Annual Convention in two weeks. Click here to register for the Convention.

Congress will be debating the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization and other industry issues during the ACEC Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., March 30-April 2, giving the Council’s “citizen lobbyists” an auspicious opportunity to advocate for ACEC positions.

ACEC will hold a Congressional Issues Briefing on Wednesday, March 30, from 8:00 to 10:45 am, to arm members with talking points for their meetings with legislators.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as former Congressman Tom Davis, will speak during the briefing, providing insights into the current dynamics on Capitol Hill.

For information on the Convention, click here.

Nineteen of the nation’s leading engineering firms will be seeking out small A/E firms as subcontractors for federal contracts during the ACEC Convention’s Teaming Fair on April 1.

To view the types of firms that the large firms are looking for, click here.

Large-firm representatives will conduct prescheduled one-on-one interviews. Small firms interested in participating should register for the Teaming Fair now as appointments will be made in the order they are requested.

For information on the Teaming Fair, click here. For information on the upcoming Convention, click here.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) proposed Wednesday to increase the small business size standard for engineering firms from $4.5 to $19 million in average annual gross revenue. Firms with annual revenues below the standard are eligible for federal agency small business contracting opportunities.

To see a copy of the proposed rule, click here.

SBA has asked ACEC for comments on the proposed standard by May 16. ACEC has formed a working group of Member Firms of all sizes to study the rule. Members who would like to participate in the working group should contact Mark Steiner at msteiner@acec.org.

State DOTs and A/E firms are relying heavily on nationwide salary surveys to benchmark executive compensation in the wake of the revised AASHTO Audit Guide.

ACEC is asking all Member Firms to participate in PSMJ’s 2011 A/E Management Compensation Benchmark Survey. Your firm’s participation will improve industry compensation data, provide State DOTs with accurate information and give you the tools to benchmark executive compensation and be FAR compliant.

To participate in the survey, click here. Download the questionnaire, save it to your hard drive, and follow the pop-up instructions and on the Final Instructions tab to submit your data by March 25th.

You will need a firm code number to complete the survey. If you are not already on PSMJ’s Surveys e-mail list, send a request to PSMJ2011Benchmarks@PSMJ.com and you will get a number by return e-mail. Mention that you are an ACEC member.

Engineering firms are facing increased liability risk due to a big uptick in litigation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage/hour requirements.

“We have seen a steady increase in private plaintiffs bringing collective actions,” said Jason Schwartz, an attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. “And the Department of Labor’s budget for enforcement has increased dramatically in the past few years.”

On March 24, Schwartz will present the ACEC online seminar, Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Under the Fair Labor Standards Act: What Engineering Companies Need to Know. He will describe pitfalls under FLSA and state regulations that are specific to engineering firms with highly specialized and technical staff, and outline steps that firms can take to avoid liability.

For more information and to register, click here.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) (center), a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, recently met with ACEC/Mississippi members Dax Alexander of Brown and Mitchell (left) and Mickey Lagasse of Compton Engineering.

ACEC encourages Member Firms to participate in the new ACEC/ZweigWhite Financial Performance Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms. Deadline for participation is March 25. To get a link to the survey questionnaire, contact Jeff Beard at jbeard@acec.org.

The survey will provide current composite information about a number of key business indicators, including firm growth rates and profit margins, bonus and personnel remuneration amounts, business strategies for the next three, five and ten years, and a breakdown of client base by region. Individual Member Firm responses are confidential.

ACEC Member Firms that participate in the survey can purchase the final report at a discount of 25 percent off the regular price (for a net cost of only $109).

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 reductions, including legal challenges and the application of Federal Acquisition Regulations.