On Jan. 3, AGC sent a letter opposing a government-mandated project labor (PLA) inquiry posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington. NAVFAC Washington sought industry comments on a possible PLA for a project at the National Security Agency site in Annapolis, Md. The job is for the construction of a naval medical clinic.
An independent review board commissioned by the Department of State (DOS) recently reported that, in light of the Benghazi attacks, DOS facility upgrades must be addressed with additional funding (access report by clicking here). Among its recommendations, the board recommends that “the State Department work with Congress to restore the Capital Security Cost Sharing Program . . . to approximately $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2015, including an up to ten-year program addressing that need, prioritized for construction of new facilities in high risk, high threat areas.”
On Jan. 4, AGC will host a meeting during which AGC members will provide their comments on the second draft of the EM-385 revision (Corps Safety Manual). The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and likely end in the late afternoon. After AGC members discuss their comments to the draft, members will voice their concerns to representatives from both USACE and NAVFAC.
On Dec. 19, AGC sent two letters opposing government-mandated project labor (PLA) inquiries posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The USACE Wilmington District sought industry comments on two possible PLAs for projects at Fort Bragg, N.C. The jobs are for the construction of two battalion headquarters and company operations facilities.
Following several procedural maneuvers on the Senate floor, consideration of the supplemental appropriation bill for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts continues. Under Senate rules, the next step would be a cloture vote to continue debate on the bill. The cloture vote would require 60 votes to pass. However, there is no guarantee that a cloture vote will occur.
On Dec. 4, the Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) by a vote of 98 to 0. As the Senate considerate the legislation, AGC sent a letter to senators urging their inclusion of small business contracting reforms. Among those reforms, AGC especially urged inclusion of: (1) counting small business participation at lower tiers towards the federal small business procurement goals; and (2) addressing the definition a “bundled contract” to include contracts for construction services, thereby forcing federal agencies to justify why they bundle.
According to a new AGC report, if Congress and President Obama fail to avert the indiscriminate, across-the board cuts--called sequestration--federal construction investment accounts could see upwards of $6 billion in cuts. The possible sequestration cuts could put some 170,000 jobs, $20.4 billion in GDP and $6.6 billion in personal income at risk.
On Nov. 19, AGC sent a letter opposing a government-mandated project labor (PLA) inquiry posted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC). NAVFAC Southwest sought industry comments on a possible PLA for a project at the Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif. The job (solicitation number N6247312X1420) is for the replacement of the aging and seismically deficient fuel pier valued at approximately $72 million.
On Nov. 27, AGC sent a letter to Senators urging their inclusion of small business reforms in the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA). Among those reforms, AGC especially urged inclusion of: (1) counting small business participation at lower tiers towards the federal small business procurement goals; and (2) addressing the definition a “bundled contract” to include contracts for construction services, thereby forcing federal agencies to justify why they bundle.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued a second draft of the EM-385 Safety Manual revision, which is available for comment, and has extended the deadline for comments to Jan. 31, 2013.