ACEC Report from President, David Raymond

ACEC’s results-oriented business program (more below) was highlighted by:  the President’s signature on WRRDA with new funding and procurement reforms advocated by ACEC; major media awards for Engineering Inc. and Last Word as effective membership communication tools; and ACEC’s award of Minuteman Fund grants to our Wisconsin, Missouri and Massachusetts organizations in support of major infrastructure initiatives.  Our Fall Conference in Hawaii is coming together nicely, with a great line-up of speakers.

PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE — July 2014

General

• President Obama signed WRRDA into law, which includes $12.3 billion in new project authorizations, reforms to the project delivery process, a new requirement to use QBS on federally funded wastewater projects, and language encouraging more contracting out by the Corps of Engineers.
• Engineering Inc. won the APEX Grand Award for publication excellence and Last Word won an APEX award for newsletter excellence – maintaining the continuing tradition of high standards for these two publications.
• Minuteman Fund grants were awarded to ACEC/Wisconsin, ACEC/Missouri and ACEC/Massachusetts to support various state initiatives related to infrastructure funding.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, comprising the heads of major national associations including ACEC, was upbeat on the economy at its recent biannual meeting.
• ACEC’s Land Development Coalition (LDC) grew from 32 to 72 member firms over the past fiscal year, attributable to an active membership recruitment campaign and a rejuvenated market.

Government Advocacy

• The House of Representatives approved the ACEC-endorsed North American Energy Infrastructure Act to establish a clear and efficient approval process for pipelines and transmission lines linked to Canada and Mexico.
• Joined with broad business coalition to support permanent extension of Section 179 expensing, which allows firms to deduct up to $500,000 of equipment in the year it is purchased.
• Lobbied for legislation that would make it easier for S corporations that were previously structured as C corporations to access the firm’s capital without tax penalties.
• Advocated reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, which provides funding, loan guarantees and credit insurance to support the export of US products and services (including engineering).
• Solicited member input in response to an EPA and Corps of Engineers regulatory announcement to expand the Clean Water Act’s definition of wetlands.
• Urged the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to make changes to the FAR and Defense FARs to eliminate both the 6% limitation on fees and redundant data collection from A/E firms mandated through the

• enterprise-wide Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (eCMRA).
• Briefed members in Georgia and Kentucky on the SEC municipal advisor registration rule and other key issues.
• ACEC/PAC co-hosted fundraising and related campaign events for House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), and Representatives Lou Barletta (R-PA), Charles Boustany (R-LA), Mike Capuano (D-MA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Richard Hanna (R-NY),  Duncan Hunter (R-CA),  Sam Johnson (R-TX), David Jolly (R-FL),  John Mica (R-FL), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Dan Webster (R-FL), and U.S. House candidate Ryan Costello (R), who is running for the open seat in Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District.

Business Resources

• Hosted Mysteries of the FAR Revealed: Using the AASHTO Audit Guide course in the ACEC offices in Washington, D.C.
• Focused on strategic planning and adaptive challenges within firms at the Senior Executives Institute Class 19 third session in Boulder, CO.
• EJCDC approved a new P3 (Public/Private Partnership) contract document to be released in Fall, 2014.
• June was another superior month for attendance at ACEC’s business webinars:  Simple Revenue Boosters To Start Now; I Don’t Need a Website, I Need a Web Strategy; Cultural Alignment and Integration—Getting the Most from Your Deal; How to Give and Receive Effective Feedback – Improving Your Mental Flexibility or Change Your Thinking About the Way you Think; Design Thinking as a Business Model; Present With More Power and Less PowerPoint; Positioning To Win: Taking QBS to the Next Level; Writing Proposal Sections; Industry Economic Update – What Can We Expect for the Second Half of 2014; Developing a Differentiation Strategy, The Key to Your Competitive Advantage; Strategies for Managing Interruptions; The 35th Annual Deltek Clarity A&E Industry Study.
• Don’t miss these bottom-line business webinars in July: The Five Inviolate Laws of Execution; Sharpen Your Communication Skills! If You Haven’t Planned It, You Can’t Control It; Defining a Winning Social Medial Channel Strategy; So What if You Stamp or Sign it? The Meaning of Using Your Professional Seal; The SEC Municipal Advisor Registration Rule: Does the Engineering Exemption Protect Your Firm?; The New Wave of Engineering Firm Websites; Creating a Social Media Policy; Getting Out?  Know Your Options; Proposals that Lose: Anatomy of the Worst Proposal Ever; Business Continuity Planning for Severe Weather and the Impact on Engineering Firms.