Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has put forth an "energy blueprint" that includes many initiatives long advocated by ACEC to expand opportunities in the energy sector.

The Energy 2020 blueprint includes opening more federal land and waters for oil and gas production, emphasizing clean coal research and technology, exporting of domestic gas, and creating a "trust fund" for clean energy. Click here for more information.

Senator Murkowski discusses her energy policy initiatives in the soon-to-be-mailed March/April issue of Engineering Inc.

To learn more about the Council’s energy agenda, contact Keith Pemrick, director of environment and energy programs, at kpemrick@acec.org.

Members of ACEC’s Federal Agencies and Procurement Advocacy (FAPA) Committee briefed staff from the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee last week on industry priorities in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), with particular emphasis on concerns over government competition.

FAPA Committee members were responding to recent efforts by FEMA to reclassify traditional A/E services contracts to avoid using QBS. The Committee also discussed various Small Business Administration initiatives with senior staff from the House and Senate Small Business Committees, stressing the need for oversight on recent procurement changes.

For additional information or to join the Committee, contact Mark Steiner at msteiner@acec.org.

Get your tickets now for the 47th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Gala—the "Academy Awards of the engineering industry"—on Tuesday, April 23, during the upcoming ACEC Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.

The annual black-tie Gala will celebrate 146 top Member Firm engineering achievements, including the year's most outstanding effort. Emmy award-winning television host and comedian Ross Shafer will serve as the master of ceremonies.

Following the dinner and awards program will be a "Champagne After Party"—free for all Gala registrants.

For more information on the Convention and Gala, click here.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has proposed extending the state sales tax to engineering, architectural and many other professional services. The proposal would raise an estimated $661 million annually from A/E and other "design services."

ACEC/Ohio has historically opposed any effort to extend the sales tax to engineering and other professional services, but will reserve comment on the proposal until after its board of directors meeting on February 14.

For more information, click here.

HDR, Inc. will credential more than 100 employees in the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure's (ISI) Envision™ Sustainable Infrastructure Credential Program in the next 12 months, and hundreds more in the next few years.

ISI's Credential Program provides employees of private and public sector organizations with the training and skills to use the Envision™ infrastructure rating system to develop more sustainable infrastructure projects.

"HDR is focused on sustainability as a core philosophy, and we recognize and embrace the potential Envision™ has to transform the built environment," said HDR Senior Vice President Micahaella Wittmann.

ISI was founded by ACEC, APWA, and ASCE. For more information, click here.

Get the latest and best bottom-line insights for flourishing in today's challenging economic environment in the the 2013 Business of Design Consulting course. The engineering industry's premier educational program for managers and up-and-coming executives will be held in Denver, March 20-23.

A faculty of industry experts will provide in-depth, custom-tailored instruction on leadership, strategic planning and growth, finance, ownership transition, marketing, contracts and risk management.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 7, 1:30-3:00 pm

The Obama Administration will decide in the next few months whether to authorize the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would connect the tar sands in Alberta to refineries and distribution hubs in the United States.

In Keystone Pipeline System, Jeff Rauh, TransCanada, will provide an update on the state and federal authorization processes and discuss key pipeline issues.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 12, 1:30-3:00 pm

A firm's profit margins are directly related to how well it execute projects. Good project management allows a firm to make the design process more efficient, comprehensive and rewarding.

In Engineering Firms & the Business of Project Management, Bob Gillcrist, senior solutions architect and former senior vice president of HOK, will outline the basics of good project management, demonstrate what it looks like when it's working, and describe how to modify an existing project management culture.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 19, 1:30-3:00 pm

In the second half of Contract Guidance for Design Professionals, J. Kent Holland, Construction Risk Council, will continue his intensive examination of the real world of contracts and their consequences, outlining the key concepts for protecting your firm against dangerous and uninsurable contract language.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 26, 1:30-3:00 pm

When the client doesn't pay, engineers are caught between a rock and hard place. You can let the fee go and undermine the financial stability of your practice, or you can pursue payment through the law and run the high risk of a retaliatory counter-claim for negligence—which can be even more devastating.

The reality is that engineers can and should strategically control this process. In The Collections-Claims Connection: Getting Paid Without Getting Sued, David Ericksen, Severson & Werson, will outline a project-long approach to securing and collecting fees with limited litigation risks, and recommend procedures, templates, and contract provisions.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 27, 1:30-3:00 pm

The EJCDC (Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee) has completed a major revision of its Construction series of documents, adding three documents—Advertisement for Bids, Contractor's Qualifications Statement, and Construction Subcontract—and making substantive changes to Instructions to Bidders, Bid Form, General Conditions, and Supplementary Conditions.

In Welcome to the EJCDC 2013 Construction Documents, EJCDC Subcommittee Chairman Jim Brown, ARCADIS-US, will outline the key changes and how they will affect firms.

For more information and to register, click here.

February 28, 1:30-3:00 pm

Workplace learning is fast growing beyond instructor-led training and e-learning courses. In Workplace Learning Beyond the Classroom, Leigh Mires, The Mires Collaborative, will demonstrate how technology and new strategies are transforming training in firms.

Mires will describe how to deliver training at the point of need, discuss three trends driving workplace learning today, and outline the tools that are fueling this new way of thinking.

For more information and to register, click here.

March 5, 1:30-3:00 pm

Robert Massengill, managing director, Pilot Hill Advisors LLC, will lead a discussion on ESOPs and how they can benefit A/E firms.

ESOPs and Why Engineering Firms Love Them will cover how ESOPs work and why they're popular with owners and employees alike. Massengill will talk about the ownership expectation of the next generation of leaders and how an ESOP complements their goals. He will also discuss ESOP governance, control, tax efficiencies, and how ESOPs are used alone and in combination with other techniques to facilitate internal transition plans.

For more information and to register, click here.

March 12, 1:30-3:00 pm

Without an effective marketing and business development program in place, it is increasingly difficult for firms to grow and thrive in the face of ever-increasing and sophisticated competition.

In Nothing Happens Till Somebody Sells Something, David Stone, Stone and Company, analyzes at the latest and most effective marketing, branding and business development techniques used by best-practice firms. This cutting-edge program will show how the best and most progressive firms are marketing and selling themselves in a tough, competitive market.

For more information and to register, click here.

March 13, 1:30-3:00 pm

Explore the business and project practices that help engineers manage risk in project delivery.

In Risk Management Essentials for Engineers, Robert vanArsdall, principal, XL Group, will review professional liability claims made against engineers and examine how firms can better protect themselves against negligence claims.

For more information and to register, click here.

March 21, 1:30-3:00 pm

Lean and Integrated Project Delivery are hot topics and the new buzz words for A/E/C firms. In Integrated LEAN Delivery, Dave Hagan, director of process development, The Boldt Company, will share how his company is using its unique approach to Integrated Lean Project Delivery® in the design, fabrication and production processes to create value and eliminate waste.

For more information and to register, click here.

March 26, 1:30-3:00 pm

Indemnity clauses in professional services agreements can turn into a bet for when problems arise, particularly when the firm takes on the uninsurable obligation to defend the client against claims, or assumes liability for risks it cannot control.

In Betting the Firm: Managing the Risks of Indemnity Clauses in Professional Services Agreements, Karen Erger, Lockton Companies, will identify and evaluate the risk represented by indemnity clause language, including the risk that it will not be covered by professional liability insurance.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 2, 1:30-3:00 pm

MAP-21 substantially expanded The Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, which provides federal credit assitance to leverage state, local and private sector funding for transportation projects.

In Transportation Project Financing Through TIFIA: Major Expansion of Federal Assistance, Fred Kessler, Nossaman, highlights the law's key provisions and demonstrates how firms can position themselves and their clients to take advantage of the new opportunities.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 3, 1:30-3:00 pm

In The Impact of EMR and Recordable Incident Rates on Your Business, Phyllis Elikai, McKim and Creed, and Brad Clark, BB&T Insurance Services, describe steps firms can take to better understand the common indicators used to evaluate a company's safety status: RIR (Recordable Incident Rate) and EMR (Experience Modification Rate).

The presenters will discuss how a firm's EMR and RIR can affect its ability to compete and share best practices for reporting and tracking.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 10, 1:30-3:00 pm

The integration of an acquired firm must be planned just like a project. The plan needs to identify who, what, where, why and how the integration will be implemented.

In Successful Integration of an Acquisition, James Pappas and Bjorn Morisbak, Stantec, will discuss the importance of the plan, how to address the issue of corporate support staff, and what are the realistic timeframes for full integration.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 11, 1:30-3:00 pm

A typical malpractice lawsuit can cost your firm hundreds of thousands of dollars and waste thousands of man-hours. In Seven Critical Mistakes Engineers Make During Contract Negotiation & Project Executing that Sabotage Their Projects & Invite Litigation, Melissa Dewy Brumback, D Green Associates, will outline the steps firms can take to prevent litigation and to prepare a vigorous defense of any lawsuit.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 18, 1:30-3:00

Many design professionals prepare Division 00 documents—which contain important provisions on risk allocation that can and do affect the engineer—but have little understanding that these are the cornerstone of any and all sets of construction documents.

In How to Write Division 00: Tips for Preparing Effective Bidding and Contracting, Kevin O'Beirne, ARCADIS, will describe important considerations and concepts for preparing Division 00 documents, based largely on the Standard Construction Documents of the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC).

For more information and to register, click here.

April 25, 1:30-3:00 pm

One of the biggest challenges engineering firms face is creating a marketing and business development culture that positions the firm for future growth and prosperity.

In Creating an Effective Marketing and BD Organization, Rich Friedman, Friedman & Partners, describes how to create a firm culture that maximizes the potential of staff and minimize low-ROI activities and investments.

For more information and to register, click here.

April 30, 1:30-3:00 pm

Accounting 101 for Project Managers will help participants learn to manage projects more successfully and more closely connect project management with the firm's business management.

Stephen Evans, Stephen C. Evans Consulting LLC, will examine accounting terminology; rates, profit and multipliers; the budget in accounting; proecess reports/revenue recognition; project status reports; and firm financial metrics and indicators.

For more information and the register, click here.

May 29, 1:30-3:00

All projects, large or small, should have a project work plan. In Project Work Planning, the Process of Planning and Executing a Project, Stephen Evans, Stephen C. Evans Consulting, LLC, will outline the appropriate level and number of tasks in a plan in order to simplify and produce a plan that serves the project team.

For more information and to register, click here.

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