2010 AGC Federal Contractors Conference Breaks New Ground

Annual Meeting with Major Construction Agencies Makes Major Advances The 2010 AGC Federal Contractors Conference was another major success, highlighting the excellent relationships that AGC maintains with the federal agencies on behalf of its members. The meeting was held April 26-29, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Government representatives from over 20 federal construction agencies participated, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration and Air Force. The Conference broke new ground by expanding to three tracks of meeting sessions for contractors based on the type of work procured by the federal government: federal facilities, water infrastructure, and highway and transportation infrastructure. Agencies participating in those sessions included the Federal Highway Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. Federal and Heavy Construction Division Chairman Dan Fordice welcomed such honored guests as Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp, Commander and Chief of Engineers for the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); Rear Admiral Greg Shear, NAVFAC Commander and Chief of Civil Engineers; Major General Tim Byers, the Air Force Civil Engineer; and Small Business Assistant Administrator Joseph Jordan. Additional guests included Major General Bo Temple, Deputy Commanding General;  Robert Slockbower, Director of Military Programs, USACE; Joseph Gott, Chief Engineer, NAVFAC; and Assistant Commissioner of Capital Improvements William Guerin of the General Services Administration. Other agencies represented included the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Forest Service, Small Business Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, Coast Guard, Agency for International Development, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency, Rural Utilities Services, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Federal Lands Highway, and the Federal Aviation Administration. The AGC Federal Owners Advisory Council held its annual meeting at the Conference as well. The Council's membership includes key decision makers from 19 federal agencies, as well as AGC Federal and Heavy Division leadership and committee chairs. This year's session featured robust discussions on implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Obama Administration's final rulemaking on Project Labor Agreements, long-term goals for the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and achieving small business participation goals. Additional topics of discussion included developing a consistent process for administrating past performance ratings, and new federal workforce development initiatives. Conference attendees also received a special address from Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp. His presentation was followed by the signing of a new AGC-USACE Partnering Agreement, the first signed since 2001. AGC president Ted Aadland welcomed LTG Van Antwerp and signed the agreement as well. In addition, AGC NAVFAC Committee Chairman Tex Barnhart presented RADM Shear with the Division's Federal Construction Excellence Award, commemorating his distinguished career with NAVFAC and the agency's successful partnering with the AGC. Finally, Federal & Heavy Construction Division Members launched an all out offensive on the legislative front during the meeting. As part of a series of organized Capitol Hill visits, AGC members participated in providing information on a range of issues, including comprehensive immigration reform, reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act, legislation to repeal the imposition of the three percent withholding tax on government contractors, legislation authorizing the creation of a Clean Water Trust Fund, and passage of a new transportation authorization bill. Presentations from the conference will be available online soon. For additional information, contact Marco Giamberardino at (703) 837-5325 or giamberm@agc.org.