By Phillip G. Bernstein, FAIA LEED© AP, Vice President at Autodesk Times remain challenging for the U.S. building industry.  The economy weighs heavily on each of us, the supply chain is rapidly getting globalized (even if it feels like most of the work is in China) and every day brings some sort of new technological innovation.  And while Twitter and texting won’t change building much, more profound ideas like the web, building information modeling (BIM), and digitally-controlled fabrication and installation are already challenging existing approaches and models. 

The newly released second edition of Federal Government Construction Contracts is AGC's primary guide for contractors competing for and performing such contracts. Given the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the adoption of new and challenging project delivery systems, and the numerous regulatory changes affecting contractors, their obligations and risks, a Second Edition was warranted.

The American Institute of Architects has reported that despite September gains, the Architecture Billings Index dropped below 50 in October, indicating a contraction in the demand for non-residential construction projects.

Some Contractors want to share the risk of Owner payment with their Subcontractors.  As such, they often look to include a “pay-if-paid” clause in their contract with the Subcontractor.  Some AGC members believe that a pay-if-paid clause equitably shares the risk of Owner non-payment, while other specialty members view such provisions as unreasonably withholding payment to Subcontractors.

AGC of America’s chief economist Ken Simonson reports on rising material costs and how they are going to affect contractors. Commodity prices have been on the rise for some time now, due in large part to increased demand and fear of a potential materials shortage in the near future.

The AGC Lean Construction Forum hosted a webinar titled: “Lean Construction in Practice Through ‘Real World’ Applications” on November 30.  Eighty three people registered, and dozens more participated.

On December 6, 2010, 15 real estate and construction organizations, including AGC of America, sent comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to obtain more data before proceeding with potential new regulations covering lead dust in public and commercial buildings.  The letter was submitted in conjunction with a hearing by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) into the scientific bases for new lead paint regulations.

The AGC Lean Construction Forum hosted a webinar titled “Lean Construction in Practice Through ‘Real World’ Applications” on November 30.  Eighty three people registered, with dozens more participating.

The current economic recession will mean big shifts for the construction industry, including new rate structures, more meaningful partnerships, and bigger projects.

On November 5, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published in the Federal Register a direct final rulemaking to formally stay the numeric limit and associated monitoring requirements for turbidity in the “effluent limitation guidelines” rule (ELG) for stormwater runoff from “construction and development” (C&D) because of an error in the way the Agency calculated the limit.