Federal Contractor Report

Federal Government

Last Chance: Take Advantage of the Federal Contractors Conference Room Rate

Cutoff Date This Tuesday

We are just a few days away from the 2017 Federal Contractors Conference, held May 1-3 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Mayflower Hotel rooms are full, but AGC has reserved a limited number of additional rooms at the nearby Loews Madison Hotel. Make your Loews Madison Hotel reservation by Tuesday, April 11, to get the AGC-discounted room rate.

Register today for AGC’s Federal Contractors Conference. This is the premier conference for federal construction contractors to discuss the latest projects, policies and contracting issues facing the industry with federal agencies. This conference offers the latest project forecasts, expert insight on upcoming regulatory hurdles, and ample networking opportunities with agency decision makers that are critical to being competitive in the federal construction market. Join construction industry leaders and their federal agency counterparts at the Federal Contractors Conference.
Click on the agency to see the draft agendas:

• Army Corps of Engineers
• Naval Facility Engineering Command
• General Services Administration
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Small Business Administration
• Air Force Civil Engineer Center
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Bureau of Reclamation

To register for AGC’s Federal Contractors Conference, click here.

Federal Agencies

Share Your Experiences on Change Orders for Federal Construction

Take a Five Minute Survey

Are you wondering what sort of issues your colleagues in the construction industry go through for change orders when dealing with federal construction projects? Consider participating in the Change Orders Survey. AGC is working with the National Association of Credit Management and the Construction Industry Procurement Coalition to investigate the causes, effects and control measures of change orders on federal construction projects. With your valuable input, the information gleaned from this anonymous survey will be shared with participants in future AGC articles and will be used by the participating associations to pursue legislative and executive branch solutions to change order challenges.

Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z8YDHZ2 to view the full article online.

OSHA Delays Silica Enforcement

Enforcement Begins Sept. 23, 2017
On April 6, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will delay enforcement of the respirable crystalline standard for construction for three months—until Sept. 23, 2017. In its announcement, OSHA explained that the construction silica standard has a number of unique features warranting development of additional guidance and educational materials before enforcement begins. AGC continues to believe that implementation of this standard is technically infeasible and continues to challenge it in court.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ngc-fcreport/articles/index.asp?aid=435364&issueID=58435 to view the full article online.

Misguided OHSA Rule Permanently Repealed

Last Monday, the president repealed the OSHA "Volks" Rule by signing the congressional resolution of disapproval. AGC led a lobbying effort in passing the bill and issued a statement after the vote that the bill will preserve worker safety while protecting the Constitution and respecting court rulings.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ngc-fcreport/articles/index.asp?aid=435530&issueID=58435 to view the full article online.

Safety

AGC Unveils New Study Designed to Improve Safety for Construction Workers

AGC of America unveiled a new study designed to improve the safety of construction workers as it announced that two-thirds of metro areas added construction jobs during the past 12 months. Association officials said the new safety study is designed to help construction firms prevent workplace fatalities and injuries.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2017/04/04/construction-association-unveils-steps-improve-worker-safety-239-out-358-metro-areas to view the full article online.

Infrastructure

Administration Continues to Focus on Infrastructure Plan

On two separate occasions last week, President Trump indicated that he intends to accelerate the timeframe in which he will propose his $1 trillion infrastructure plan. Additionally, Transportation Secretary Chao briefed a small group of Republican House Members on an infrastructure package that may be moving as soon as the middle of May. Neither the President nor Secretary Chao provided any level of detail other than that the plan will rely on both private and public funds and will cut red tape that contributes to a delay in infrastructure projects.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ngc-fcreport/articles/index.asp?aid=435531&issueID=58435 to view the full article online.

AGC, Along with National Partners, Launches National Work Zone Awareness Week

On Tuesday, April 4, AGC of America staff along with the AGC Highway and Transportation Division chairman, Don Diederich, joined national partners from the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Maryland Department of Transportation to launch the 2017 National Work Zone Awareness Week. The event, which ran from April 3-7, 2017, raises awareness that – for the safety of everyone – work zones require drivers to remain focused and stay alert. According to the latest data available, approximately 700 fatalities occurred in highway work zones in 2015 with 130 being workers.

For more information, contact Kevin Cannon at cannonk@agc.org or (703) 837-5410.

AGC News

Construction Spending Increases in February as Private Residential and Public-Sector Investments Offset Modest Private Nonresidential Decline

Construction spending increased from January to February and from a year ago, as private residential and public construction grew for the month and private-sector demand increased for the year, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the February data indicates the need for Congress and the Trump administration to work together to reform dated tax codes and to boost investments in aging infrastructure to boost broader economic growth that will stimulate more demand for construction.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2017/04/04/construction-spending-increases-february-private-residential-and-public-sector to view the full article online.