This must be the week for transportation. Yesterday, I received an update from the Tennessee Road Builder’s Association about the acquisition of right of ways on Federal funded projects. According to a memo from TDOT’s Chief Engineer Paul Degges, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will be enforcing its policy that all property must be
TDOT Resists Borrowing for Bridges … and Other Project Finance Options
As I drove into work this morning, Nashville Public Radio had a piece this morning about TDOT’s resistance to borrow for bridge construction. In case you did not know, TDOT employs a pay-as-you go method, which means the state will not borrow for new projects even when it has the opportunity.
Last year, the
How Can You Use Executive Authority to Achieve Greener Buildings? USGBC and Other Tell Us!
Whenever a 100-page legislative or legal report is released by an agency, association or group of individuals, the best place to go in the document is the Summary or Findings sections. So, yesterdary, when the USGBC, AIA, SMACNA and other groups issued its 93-pager entitled Using Executive Authority to Achieve Greener Buildings: A Guide for Policymakers
New Rule Allows Federal Agencies to Require Use of Public Labor Agreements
The Obama administration is scheduled to issue a final rule today that allows federal agencies to require public contractors to use public labor agreements (PLA) on large public construction projects. PLAs are collective bargaining agreements that establish the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. They have been used on private jobs, as well as state
The Spearin Doctrine In Less Than 140 Characters
Today’s post is about the Spearin Doctrine, tweeted in less than 140 characters:
US v. Spearin: Owner designs. Contractor builds. Owner accepts. Work sucks. Owner sues. Contractor absolved. Owner loses.
Continue Reading The Spearin Doctrine In Less Than 140 Characters
Aging Infrastructure: What? Why? Where? How? When?
On Thursday, I will be joining a panel of construction attorneys and consultants to address the issue of aging infrastructure in America and, in particular, how to finance all the work that needs to be done.
Our panelists include:
Christopher Montez, Thomas, Feldman & Wilshusen, LLP, Dallas, TX
Kenneth R. Baker, Hill International,
Federal Construction Contracting | Words of Wisdom from a Former Judge
Okay, so you think I went to San Francisco just to get some good eats. Not true. I also went for the program. The panel of speakers at the the mid-winter conference of the ABA’s Forum on the Construction Industry was packed with some great government contracting professionals.
To me, some of the best
Federal Award in San Francisco: Lessons Learned About Future Construction
I am in San Francisco this week for the MidWinter Conference of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry. The topic this year is "Government Construction Contracting" and I will be tweeting under the hashtag #ABAConstruct.
In news relevant to Federal contractors, construction industry players and Californians, the San Francisco Business Times reported
“Shovel Ready” Enough for Funding? Analysis of Stimulus Funds for Road Construction and Repairs
This morning I read Brad Heath’s article in USA Today, suggesting that the stimulus funding for road repairs has detoured and by-passed large metro areas with significant road problems.
According to the USA Today study, half of the nation’s worst roads will receive only about 20% of the stimulus money allocated for street repairs. The reason—the roads were not shovel
Recovery.com versus Recovery.gov: Tracking Public Construction Projects
I was listening to Nashville Public Radio yesterday morning about a new competition brewing on the Internet. This battle was not as fierce as the one to become the greenest state in the South. It was more like a friendly exchange of "we’re not in competition with each other because we offer similar, but different