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.
On Nov. 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee moved forward on authorizing a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), holding a legislative hearing on draft legislation. Yesterday, EPW Committee Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and committee member David Vitter (R-La.), along with all the Republicans on the committee, wrote a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asking that the WRDA bill reform the Army Corps of Engineers by streamline project delivery, enhance oversight and prioritize water projects.
On Nov. 2, AGC submitted comments on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council’s recently proposed rule concerning past performance evaluation (PPE) standardization. The draft comments are based on a wealth of AGC member feedback on the proposed rule. In its comments, AGC noted that:
On Nov. 6, 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 Medical Center in San Diego, Calif. The job is for the design and repair of the medical center’s HVAC and ductwork systems valued at approximately $65 million.
On Sept. 14, the Obama administration released a report to Congress providing a first guess at how they will implement $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts—called sequestration—slated to begin on Jan. 2, 2013. This sequestration process comes as a result of the debt ceiling deal –enacted under the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA)—for which background information can be found here and here.
On Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released new information regarding the implementation of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The guidance and interim guidance documents, along with questions & answers, were issued ahead of the Oct. 1 effective date for most highway provisions in MAP-21 both funding and changes to policy.
On Sept. 20, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the need for a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reauthorization bill. AGC submitted a letter for the record, thanking the committee for beginning work on WRDA reauthorization and highlighting the importance of needed investment in our nation’s flood risk management, inland waterway, marine port and environmental restoration projects.
The next webinar in AGC’s 8-part webinar series, titled “Walking the Compliance Tightrope: How to Meet the Strict Legal Standards for Government Work,” will focus on preventing illegal gratuities, kickbacks and bribes. This webinar will take place on Sept. 13 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT.