Author: agcnews
AGC Hosts Webinar; Continues Dialogue with Agencies; Engaged Legal Counsel On October 14, AGC held a webinar—free for AGC members—with the prominent federal procurement law firm Crowell & Moring to run through the ins and outs of the federal contractor vaccine mandate from a construction contractor perspective. A recording of the webinar and its slides will be made available shortly. The General Services Administration also held its own webinar on October 13, the slides from which can be found HERE and a recording will be made available by the agency soon. For more information on how other federal agencies are addressing this…
Firm Wins AGC Innovation Award for Developing a Virtual Reality Safety Training Program WASHINGTON – Chicago-based Pepper Construction was named the most innovative construction firm in the country for developing a virtual reality safety training program by leveraging tools and staffing resources that were already in place to create a “real life” safety learning environment. As a result, Pepper Construction was named as the grand prize winner of the AGC Innovation Awards, sponsored by Autodesk. “In order to make construction projects great, firms must innovate,” said Bob Lanham, the association’s president and president of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston,…
In a rare victory for employers that participate in multiemployer pension plans, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that the interest rate memorialized in the Segal Blend actuarial assumption was inappropriate to use in a withdrawal liability calculation because it is not based on “anticipated experience under the plan.” While likely to be further challenged, the September 28, 2021, opinion in Sofco Erectors, Inc. v. Trustees of the Ohio Operating Engineers Pension Fund, may provide significant leverage to employers in challenging—and settling—withdrawal liability assessments, especially for employers and multiemployer pension plans subject to the jurisdiction of the…
Association Officials Noted that Supply Chain Problems and Materials Price Increases are Impacting Demand for Nonresidential Projects, Prompting Some Owners to Delay or Cancel Projects The construction industry gained 22,000 jobs between August and September as nonresidential construction firms added employees for the first time in six months, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said nonresidential construction has been affected by the widespread supply chain problems, which are causing owners already uncertain about future demand for commercial space to delay or even cancel some projects. “While it is…
Updates, AGC Survey, and AGC WebEd The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has provided further guidance on vaccination requirements for all federal contractors and subcontractors. Additionally, the FAR Council has issued guidance for federal agencies to implement these requirements in the coming days, which includes a contract clause requiring full compliance with all guidance and FAQs published by the task force. Federal agencies have moved rapidly to issue class deviations to immediately implement, including the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration. AGC has retained outside legal counsel to help review legal options. To further this discussion, AGC needs members who perform direct federal work to:…
House Fails to Pass Bipartisan Bill Reauthorizing Programs On October 2, after two delayed votes in the House on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress agreed to a short-term, 30-day extension of surface transportation programs that expired on October 1. House Democrats ultimately did not have the votes to pass the IIJA as House Progressives demanded Democrats’ partisan “human” infrastructure package, the Build Back Better plan, be negotiated further before allowing passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. AGC strategically worked with chapters and members over the last several weeks to urge wavering…
Associated General Contractors of America Also Recognizes Austin Commercial, Gilbane Building Company, KAI Enterprises, Trinity Subsurface, LLC, Hilti North America, and the Nevada Contractors Association for their Diversity & Inclusion Programs Atmore’s Rolin Construction was named as the 2021 Diverse Business of the Year award winner by the Associated General Contractors of America, association officials announced today. The association also awarded Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards, sponsored by Willis Towers Watson, to Austin Commercial, Gilbane Building Company, KAI Enterprises, Trinity Subsurface, LLC, Hilti North America, and the Nevada Contractors Association. “These awards recognize successful construction industry diversity and inclusion programs.…
After a week of high tensions and continued disagreement on a path forward for passing the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancelled a vote on the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that, among other things, would reauthorize federal-aid surface transportation programs for 5 years. The Congressional Progressive Caucus and House Republicans both declined to support the bill due to political disagreements over its connection to the separate, partisan reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Plan. As such, surface transportation programs, including the highway, transit, and rail construction programs, lapsed for a little over a day on October 1st before House and Senate…
Most Infrastructure Categories Post Year-to-Date Declines Compared to First Eight Months of 2020; Association Officials Call for Congress, President to Finish Work on Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Total construction spending was flat between July and August, as a decrease in nonresidential projects offset continuing gains in residential construction, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Officials urged the House of Representatives to promptly approve the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed in the Senate earlier this year, noting that spending on infrastructure in the first eight months of 2021 declined from year-earlier…
The US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division published a new resource for stakeholders in the construction contracting community: the Davis-Bacon Wage Determination Conformance Request Guide. The guide details the information and construction types contained in wage determinations and provides additional clarity regarding the limited circumstances in which contractors and contracting agencies may need to request a new class of laborer or mechanic be added to a published wage determination for a specific contract. For AGC DBRA resources, visit AGC’s Labor & HR Topical Resources library and select “Wages and Benefits” as the main category and “Davis-Bacon Act” as the subcategory. You…