In his article "Can You Afford the Lowest Bid?," Specialty Contractor Council Chairman Jim Slack examines how accepting the lowest bid for a job can be quite costly. He explains how both general contractors and subcontractors should take responsibility to ensure that the scope of work is compared when bids are examined, and that mutual trust of both parties is essential.To read the full article, please click here.
Join us January 20-22, 2010 in San Juan, Puerto Rico The AGC Building Contractors Conference will offer a chance to learn more about Lean Construction with the debut of the Lean Construction Forum, which was established to create a community where anyone within the AEC industry can come together to engage in a dialog on Lean Construction. The Forum will be unveiling a website soon and is currently developing educational resources and learning opportunities on the use of Lean principles in the construction industry. More than seven hours of Lean Construction content will be presented on January 21 in San Juan.The AGC Building Contractors Conference consistently offers forward-thinking, practical guidance that is crucial and necessary, now more than ever. In addition to the Lean Construction Forum, presentations include: Business of Safety, Green Construction Risks, Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update, and Contractor Surety Issues.Be sure to take a look at the free AGC Travel Assistance Guide for discounts on airfare and car rental, as well as non-stop and direct flight information from many major U.S. airports to San Juan.  For more information about the January 2010 Building Contractors Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, visit www.agc.org/bcc. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Join the SCC to hear of upcoming council business and participate in the roundtable discussion of the hottest construction-related business issues that affect specialty contractors today and in the future.Register by December 31, 2009 to receive the early-bird discount on Platinum or Standard Registration - a $200 savings! Go to http://convention.agc.org/ to learn more.For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
The ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ Political Action Committee (ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC) is an essential part of AGC's legislative influence on Capitol Hill. The purpose of the PAC is to help elect federal candidates to office - all of whom are pro-construction. A pro-construction Congress has the ability to make several important issues a reality in expanded infrastructure investment, reduced federal regulatory burdens, and increased federal investment in drinking and wastewater, just to name a few.Unfortunately, our opponents are powerful and spend big money to elect candidates who do not share our values and concerns. With a well-funded PAC, AGC is able to support and retain incumbents who support our issues as well as elect new candidates who will become our champions.ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC is completely member-driven. When the PAC contributes to legislators, the party affiliation of the candidate is irrelevant. Instead, the PAC focuses on the candidate's AGC vote-record and their issues strategy. We frequently conduct in-person candidate interviews and request candidates to fill out a questionnaire to help determine where they stand on the issues that matter to us. When we are ready to consider getting involved in a race, we ask for the recommendations of PAC contributors. Member and Chapter input is key - these are your potential representatives, so we need to know how well they work with you directly. In 2009, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC has contributed to 85 different federal candidates in 40 different states. The majority of the checks were delivered directly to the candidate by members of the local ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ Chapter, allowing constituents to sit down and speak with the representative. We encourage our Chapters set up these meetings and frequently send checks back to the district for delivery.Remember - federal laws and regulations have a direct impact on you and your business. It is not legal for corporations to make political contributions directly to federal candidates or political parties. ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC allows you to have your voice heard by a multitude of candidates who agree with your principles and want to help the construction industry. If you have questions about ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC, please contact Julie Hodgson, ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ PAC Director at 202-547-5013 or hodgsonj@agc.org or visit our website at www.agc.org/pac.
Written by John Lynch from the State of Washington and published as a joint effort of AGC and the National Association of State Facilities Administrators (NASFA), this eight-page article is targeted toward public owners who construct capital projects and those contractors who are engaged in this type of work. It is particularly useful in this challenging economy. Click here to access the article. For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
AGC of America, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and the Associated Specialty Contractors (ASC) held their annual joint meeting November 13-14, 2009, at the AGC Headquarters in Arlington, Va. The theme was "Construction Owners' Financing and Ability to Pay." AGC, ASA and ASC have a formal liaison and meet annually to discuss topics of mutual interest, work together on joint initiatives, and continually develop the Guidelines for a Successful Construction Project.For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
Originally written in 1999, a task force of AGC members updated and recently completed the AGC Guide to Construction Financing-Second Edition. This 26-page publication clearly explains the construction financing process and points out some of the opportunities and pitfalls for the contractor. It is intended to serve a reference to get contractors thinking about the risks associated with project financing. Click here to access this resource. For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
AGC of America Specialty Contractor Council (SCC) Member Jason Hickey of Premier Fire Protection Inc., has been appointed to the SCC Executive Committee.  Jason is President of Premier Fire Protection Inc., which is in its second generation of leadership and is located in Paducah, Ky. Jason has been on the Board of Directors of AGC of Western Kentucky since 2002 and also served as President in 2008.For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
The AGC of America Specialty Contractors Council (SCC) has released a two-page "Best Practices Guidance for Retainage" document. Developed by the SCC Executive Committee with input from the more than 1,000 AGC specialty contractor members who responded to an AGC retainage survey in late 2008, this resource is intended to provide guidance to specialty contractors who face cash-flow issues related to retainage.The guidance document is available here. Additional resources include a summary of the AGC retention survey results and the AGC-ASA-ASC Guideline on Retainage from the Guidelines for a Successful Construction Project. The Guidelines for a Successful Construction Project is a joint effort of AGC of America, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and the Associated Specialty Contractors (ASC). For more information, contact Mike Stark at (703) 837-5365 or starkm@agc.org.
ConsensusDOCS recently released the first and only Federal Subcontract Agreement designed specifically for federal government construction projects. The release is especially timely in light of increased federal government construction activity, as well as implementation of new rules including E-Verify. The ConsensusDOCS 752 - Subcontract for Federal Government Construction Projects - is designed to help contractors and subcontractors comply with complex federal laws and regulations.  The ConsensusDOCS Federal Subcontract is the only standard agreement that addresses new terms and conditions essential to comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation ("FAR"). Even seasoned federal government contractors, but especially those new to the federal market, should consider using ConsensusDOCS when subcontracting federal work. The 752 addresses E-Verify, Ethics Compliance, the Federal Prompt Pay Act, and much more. ConsensusDOCS even provides users a sample exhibit regarding required FAR flow-down provisions.Order Today! To download an excerpted sample document, please visit the AGC Bookstore.