At the 2014 AGC Building Contractors Conference, "A/E/C Collaboration 2014: Partnering, Opportunity, Risk, Success & the Future," held last month in Austin, Texas, the construction industry's leaders came together to share the latest trends and solutions. AGC specialty contractors were also there to plan for the future and promote best practices.

Construction spending decreased for the second consecutive month in September as declines in public and private nonresidential construction, as well as multifamily projects, offset growth in single-family home building, according to an analysis by AGC of America. Association officials said the new spending figures underscore how challenges current market conditions are for many firms.

Early Registration Deadline Approaching No one knows the future, but gaining a comprehensive view of where you are, where you are going and where you need to be can only strengthen the educated decisions construction professionals have to make everyday. Tuesday, Nov. 4 is the early registration deadline for the 2015 AGC Annual Convention, March 18-20 in San Juan, PR. Save $150.00 off standard registration rates, register today!

Construction employment expanded in 220 metro areas, declined in 73 and was stagnant in 46 between August 2013 and August 2014, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by AGC of America.  Association officials added that construction spending climbed to $961 billion from $915.3 billion between August 2013 and August 2014, a 5 percent increase, according to federal data also released today.

Construction employers added 19,000 workers to payrolls in March, bringing industry employment to the highest level since June 2009, while the industry’s unemployment rate dropped to the lowest March level in seven years, according to an analysis of new government data by AGC. 

Let the ‘Voice and Choice’ of the Construction Industry Meet Your Environmental Training Needs With stormwater runoff rules, water and wetlands jurisdiction, and energy and climate change policies making national headlines daily, most construction firms have put environmental issues on their agenda.  If you are unsure of what it is you should be doing to identify, analyze, and manage your environmental risks – as well as the opportunities – then you’ll want to attend the 2014 AGC Contractors Environmental Conference in Arlington, Va., on June 12-13, 2014.

The following is an update of AGC of America’s Training, Education and Development (TED) staff and who is responsible for various activities.

The ConsensusDocs Coalition has published a new Construction Management Agency standard agreement. The ConsensusDocs 831 Agreement Between Owner and Construction Manager (CM Does Not Provide General Conditions) provides an alternative to the recently released ConsensusDocs 830 Agreement, in which the CM provides General Conditions. The new agreement was created to provide greater clarity in defining costs, fees and profit to avoid potential claims. Current standard contracts vary greatly in defining fees, profit and overhead on general conditions items. This agreement was structured to minimize those disputes.

After consecutive months of contracting demand for design services, there was a modest uptick in the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the January ABI score was 50.4, up from a mark of 48.5 in December. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 58.5, down a bit from the reading of 59.2 the previous month. Continue reading here. 

The latest reports on construction employment and spending were encouraging. Industry employment climbed by 15,000, seasonally adjusted, in February to the highest level since June 2009. Spending in January hit the highest seasonally adjusted annual rate since March 2009 and rose 9.3 percent over the past year, the fastest rate of growth since May 2006.