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.
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.