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The Specialty Contractors Council (SCC) has accomplished a great deal since it was established in 1997.  Review the recently updated history of the SCC by clicking here.

In a move aimed to improve federal government contracting for engineering services and construction contracts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utility Service (RUS) has recently has pre-approved two ConsensusDOCS contract documents in a recently issued guidance bulletin.  RUS provides loans, guaranteed loans and grants for water, sewer, storm water and solid waste disposal facilities in cities and towns up to 10,000 people and rural areas.  RUS is part of the USDA Rural Development, which in 2008 invested over $20.7 billion in rural America through its programs.The bulletin specifically allows the use of ConsensusDOCS 200.2 Electronic Communications Protocol to establish a protocol to transmit information through electronic media.  Using technology to communicate is considered by most as a best practice to improve both time and total cost on construction projects. Otherwise, the traditional design and construction process generally mandates use of hard copies - a slow process.  Another improvement is in allowing use of the ConsensusDOCS 220 Contractor's Qualification Statement for Engineered Construction.  Using standard qualifications statements assists construction owners in evaluations of bidder qualifications.The RUS bulletin marks the first time the federal government has issued a guidance document allowing use of certain ConsensusDOCS contract documents.  Access the full press release here.  Please visit www.agc.org/contracts or contact Meghan McLellan at mclellanm@agc.org or (703) 837-5417 for more information.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"3769","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-full wp-image-48","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"147","height":"196","alt":"slack-jimphoto"}}]]Specialty Contractors Council (SCC) Chair Jim Slack Jr., of Slack & Co. Contracting Inc., in Houston, Texasm was featured in a Constructor magazine article in the November/December 2009 issue.  Slack highlighted his own experiences, the challenges and opportunities specialty contractors are facing, and the work of the SCC.Click here to read the article.

AGC, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA), and the Associated Specialty Contractors (ASC) created this resource that explores the keys to a successful construction project and the specifics on how contractors can reach their mutual objective to “successfully deliver to the owner the specified project safely, on time, at the contract price, and achieve a reasonable profit in return for performance of its work.”  A new flyer about the Guidelines can be found here and the complete Guidelines can be found at www.constructionguidelines.org.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"3891","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-full wp-image-192 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"106","height":"133","alt":"fuentes"}}]]Jorge Fuentes of Gabriel Fuentes Jr. Construction Co., in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been named Vice Chair of the AGC of America Specialty Contractors Council (SCC).  Fuentes currently serves on the SCC and its Executive Committee, and is a past member of the AGC of America Executive Board.

Early Bird Discount Ends January 31, 2010 - A $200 Savings!Early-bird registration for the AGC's 91st Annual Convention & Pavilion has been extended to January 31, 2010.  Save $200 on both Platinum and Standard registrations.  Take advantage of reduced registration and hotel fees to attend one of the few industry events that will provide you with immediate actionable information and education to improve your business and meet the challenges facing our industry.  Learn more about the upcoming convention or register to attend at http://convention.agc.org.Specific specialty contractor events include a Specialty Contractors Reception on March 18 and the Specialty Contractors Council Meeting on March 19.

As previously reported, EPA committed to issuing new requirements for coal combustion waste by the end of 2009. In a press release issued December 17, EPA missed that deadline and is delaying the release of any new requirements to allow additional time to research the issue.  At this point, EPA is still considering the designation of coal combustion waste as a hazardous material. This would lead to stringent requirements for the storage, disposal and transport of these material; and it would very likely have serious implications on the use of these materials (e.g., fly ash) in construction applications. Of primary concern to AGC is protecting the beneficial use of fly ash in construction. A link to a letter that AGC wrote to the EPA Administrator expressing our concerns can be found here. The AGC Environmental Network steering committee members met with EPA on this issue during their October meeting. AGC staff also met with the Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste in November.For background information on this subject, please visit AGC's Environmental Observer here.For more information on the delay, please review the EPA's press release here.

January 28, 2010 3:00p.m. ET Gain insight into the future of construction as expert economists provide an in-depth look at residential and nonresidential construction activity including the institutional, industrial and heavy engineering sectors. Tune in for the first webcast in the 2010 Market Insights series, Economic Recovery: Under Construction as Jim Haughey, Ken Simonson and Kermit Baker discuss:What to Watch in 2010 - key market indicators to help guide you through the year.Construction Hotspots - segments and geographic areas with the most promising signs of recovery.Construction Employment - when will confidence return and hiring begin?Analysis - why is the recovery in construction lagging behind?Click here to register!

The past year has been full of challenges and opportunities for the construction industry.  Each day, AGC of America has been working hard to represent Specialty Contractors.  Whether through the AGC Specialty Contractors Council (SCC), advocacy, safety and health, environment, labor and workforce, education and training or contract documents...AGC is focused on protecting your interests, helping your business and improving our industry.Please click here to review a summary of some of the major AGC of America activities of the past year on behalf of Specialty Contractors.  For more information, please contact Mike Stark, Senior Director, Building Division at starkm@agc.org.

The Specialty Contractor's Subforum of the AGC BIMForum has created the MEP Spatial Coordination Team Requirements for Building Information Modeling. This document provides guidance to companies and individuals involved in 3D MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection) spatial coordination. Its aim is to help the MEP spatial coordination process using 3D and BIM technology and to assist in developing team structures, definition of roles and responsibilities, recommendations for technical and IT considerations, social structure and accountability.  The document can be accessed here: MEP Spatial Coordination Requirements for BIM.