AGC Federal Contractors Descend on DC

Hundreds of federal construction contractors descended on Washington, D.C., last week to meet with major federal construction agencies and members of Congress at the AGC Federal Contractors Conference. Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, Small Business Administration, Bureau of Reclamation and Natural Resources Conservation Service participated, with several agencies making significant announcements about their respective programs.

Among the many highlights, NAVFAC’s commander Rear Admiral Bret Muilenburg discussed his vision for the agency’s future and partnering with the construction industry. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Veterans Affairs jointly discussed progress on the Corps execution of VA construction projects over $100 million. The Small Business Administration discussed the new all small mentor-protégé program, and pitfalls firms should avoid. GSA gave updates on the $1 billion courthouse construction program and on the Public Buildings Reform Board that will make recommendations of at least $8 billion worth of underutilized and vacant federal properties.

At this year’s FedCon, AGC partnered with the National 8(a) Association for a business-to-business matchmaking session where several dozen prime contractors and subcontractors met to find qualified small businesses to fill subcontracting positions or to form mentor-protégé relationships. Additionally, federal contractors discussed strategies and answered questions on two contractor-led panels: (1) Change Orders, REAs, and Claims, and (2) CPARS and past performance evaluations.

Presentations and other information from the conference will be made available to registrants this week.

For more information, please contact Jordan Howard at Jordan.Howard@agc.org or (703) 837-5368.