Author: agcnews
The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction increased by 0.4 percent from January to February, outpacing the 0.1 percent increase in contractors’ bid prices, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged the Biden Administration to rethink planned Buy America limits on the materials firms can use on a broad range of projects that will make many key materials even more expensive. “Today’s price report shows that construction costs are not necessarily settling back to ‘normal’,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “A resurgence of prices for…
Construction employment climbed in 45 states in January from a year earlier, while 42 states added construction jobs from December to January, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials said the job gains were welcome news but noted the industry would likely have added more jobs if the pool of available workers were larger. “The construction industry has been adding jobs nearly everywhere in the past year even as homebuilding slowed,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Most nonresidential contractors continue to report little letup demand and would like…
AGC Charities Inc. and the Construction Leadership Council of the Nevada Contractors Association teamed up to lead dozens of volunteers to make improvements and repaint a large gym for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada. The volunteer workday at the Donald W. Reynolds Clubhouse in Henderson involved painting – free of charge – a 45-foot-tall gym that encloses three basketball courts and serves the local community. “A couple hours of work will make years of difference for the local community,” said Thomas Brown, the chairman of AGC Charities, Inc. “These volunteers gave back to the community and showed…
Construction firms added 24,000 employees in February, as hefty pay raises for hourly workers enabled the industry to increase employment more steeply than other sectors, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government data. Association officials said that while employment levels are now at record levels in the industry, future job gains will be hard given the lack of people who have been exposed to construction career opportunities. “Average hourly earnings for craft and office workers in construction have consistently risen more sharply than across the private sector as a whole for several months,” said Ken…
AGC of America and other business groups jointly submitted an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court on March 3 in support of a land developer’s request for review of a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that allows citizen enforcement even when the state environmental agency has begun enforcement for a Clean Water Act (CWA) violation. The issue in the case, Dakota Finance LLC (dba Arabella Farm) v. Naturaland Trust (No. 21-1517), is whether a state agency’s notice of violation (NOV) commences an action that is sufficient to protect a regulated entity from citizen-suit liability. Citizen suits are generally barred if the state “has…
Engineering News-Record (ENR) Magazine recently wrote a thought-provoking article entitled “Will Claims by Contractors on Big Design-Build Projects Ever End?” Progressive design-build is mentioned as a means to address some of the critiques that design-build faces today. Progressive design-build has attracted increasing usage on larger projects, especially horizontal construction.[i] So is progressive design-build (PDB) as good as a PB&J sandwich with the crusts cut off? And if so, what does that mean for standard form contract language around this approach? What is Progressive Design-Build? Progressive design-build procurement uses two phases. The first phase is a qualifications-based or limited-scope best-value selection to procure the…
Texters beware: Your data is not your own! Joining on this episode to share their experiences on the front line are Lauren Abeyta, COO at Construction Discovery Experts, and Kristin Protas, VP & Deputy General Counsel at Gilbane Building Company. They talk about the realities and proliferation of electronic communication and how to successfully manage your digital footprint and train your teams to keep you out of trouble.
The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee advances AGC-supported legislation to repeal a new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule that would expand federal permitting jurisdiction over wetlands and more construction projects. On February 28, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved AGC-backed legislation (H.J. Res. 27) that would repeal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers’ new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. The legislative action complements AGC’s ongoing litigation to reverse the rule. The administration released its new WOTUS rule despite the fact the U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing the scope of the Clear Water Act as part…
Total construction spending decreased by 0.1 percent in January, as declines in single-family homebuilding and public construction offset marginal gains from private nonresidential construction, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America today of new federal data. Association officials said a lack of clear guidance from officials in Washington is delaying expenditures on much-needed infrastructure and energy projects. “Laws enacted more than six months ago created unprecedented funding and tax credits for a wide range of transportation, environmental, energy and manufacturing projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But few contractors have actually won contracts yet.”…
On February 13, AGC submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agreeing with agency’s tentative plans to reject an environmental group’s request to list discarded polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) as hazardous waste under federal law. According to EPA, the Center for Biological Diversity’s legal petition, filed back in 2014, does not support regulation under the waste law and EPA lacks the needed resources to do so. These valid arguments are outlined in EPA’s “tentative” denial of the petition, on which the agency solicited public comment. AGC urged EPA to firmly and finally deny this petition for rulemaking. In addition…