Author: agcnews

Aligns with Executive Order Proposing Pay History Ban for Federal Contractors Marking Equal Pay Day, on March 15th the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a new directive to promote greater contractor attention concerning the proactive and effective use of pay equity audits to identify barriers to equal pay in their pay-setting and employment practices. The directive aligns with the Executive Order on Advancing Economy, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in Federal Contracting by Promoting Pay Equity and Transparency also signed on March 15th by President Biden. The Executive Order directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to consider proposing rules limiting or prohibiting federal contractors from…

The U.S. and U.K. reached a Section 232 trade agreement which will lower tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the UK. The agreement is based on a tariff-rate quota where the rate for steel (25%) and aluminum (10%) will be lowered to 0% until a quota has been reached, at which point the previous rate will set back in. This agreement will be effective June 1st, 2022. The trade deal comes at a time when the world is experiencing unprecedented supply chain issues and material shortages and this agreement will add 250,000-500,000 metric tons of additional steel available yearly to the…

Business Development within the construction industry presents multiple challenges as competition levels rise, continued supply obstacles occur, and labor shortages pressure companies to do more with less. On this episode, members of AGC’s Business Development Forum – Chris Martin, President at Atlas Marketing and Tonya Byrd (Jackson), Business Development Manager at Gilbane Building Company – discuss these challenges and share best practices and methods to help your construction company grow. Get ready for some first-hand stories of techniques and proven approaches that you can apply to achieve revenue and profit growth in today’s market.

Business Development within the construction industry presents multiple challenges as competition levels rise, continued supply obstacles occur, and labor shortages pressure companies to do more with less. On this episode, members of AGC’s Business Development Forum – Chris Martin, President at Atlas Marketing and Tonya Byrd (Jackson), Business Development Manager at Gilbane Building Company – discuss these challenges and share best practices and methods to help your construction company grow. Get ready for some first-hand stories of techniques and proven approaches that you can apply to achieve revenue and profit growth in today’s market. Guests:Chris Martin, Founder and President at…

AGC of America is releasing a series of new coronavirus public service ads that feature Spanish-speaking construction workers urging their colleagues to get vaccinated for COVID. Each of the workers featured in the ads was unvaccinated and had a near-death experience with the coronavirus. They want their colleagues to avoid making the same mistake and in the videos urge other workers to get their shot. You can find the ads here and here. The ads all direct viewers to AGC of America’s Coronavirus Vaccine toolkit which now includes a feature to translate all the site’s content into Spanish.

In a favorable decision issued March 11, the TN Court of Appeals agreed with AGC of America and AGC of Tennessee that a subcontractor cannot sue a general contractor on one and the same set of facts for not only breach of contract (seeking to recover its purely economic losses) but also in tort for misrepresentation (seeking compensatory and punitive damages). The court of appeals ruled that the subcontractor’s ability to recover monetary damages was limited by its contract with the general contractor. As such, the court vacated the lower court’s award of punitive damages because they were not permitted…

Cheyenne, Wyo. and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas Score the Largest 12-Month Increases; Sierra Vista-Douglas, Ariz. and New York City Experience the Worst Year-over-Year Declines Construction employment increased in nearly three out of four U.S. metro areas in January compared to a year ago, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials welcomed the widespread job gains but cautioned that contractors in many areas are having trouble finding enough qualified workers to return to pre-pandemic levels amid tight labor market conditions. “Construction employment is now increasing in most areas after a rough first year of…

Diesel Fuel Prices Spiked 57.5 Percent and Steel Mill Product Prices Surged by 74.4 Percent Compared to a Year Ago, Squeezing Already Narrow Margins for Contractors and Threatening Future Demand for Projects Prices of construction materials used in new nonresidential construction jumped more than 21 percent from February 2021 to February 2022, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. The association noted that more recent price announcements made after the February data was collected suggest contractors are experiencing even worse cost pressures this Spring. “Even though the February numbers represent some of the…

New York & North Dakota Have Worst Losses Since February 2020, While Utah and Montana Added the Most, Illinois Registers Worst One-Month Job Loss, North Carolina & Mississippi Top Monthly Gains Construction employment remains below pre-pandemic levels in 21 states and D.C. while 29 states now employ more construction workers than in February 2020, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the new figures underscore how spiking materials prices and tight labor markets are undermining the sector’s recovery. “Employment has risen in most of the nation over the…

ConsensusDocs recently presented a webinar entitled “Contract Killer Clauses and How to Negotiate Out of the Them.” Rather than the party that is in the best position to manage and mitigate risk, construction contracts often shove risk down the throat of the weakest party in the contractual negotiation chain. This is not effective risk management. Studies indicate that contract amount may increase up to 20% to account for just the top five most abused construction contract provisions. On the webinar, Brian Perlberg, ConsensusDocs Coalitions Executive Director & Senior Counsel, Kristin Protas, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at Gilbane Building Company,…