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 Looking
ahead to Semiahmoo....
Kurt Gahnberg, President
Come to Semiahmoo. Really! Bring a
partner or emerging leader with you. Seriously!
This is literally the perfect conference to
invite that emerging leader that you have been meaning to “get plugged-in” to
ACEC. The topic is ripe for the ideas and perspectives of new ACEC participants
and firm leaders of all kinds. I am confident that the quality of our group and
our level of engagement will demonstrate the value of ACEC to those less
familiar. I promise you that this year’s conference will not only be
informative, but also engaging, thought provoking, and challenging. We not only
have a great program set for Friday, we also have important business items to
discuss and vote on at the Saturday Business Meeting.
Friday: The Future.
Our businesses exist in the midst of changing economic and political landscapes
right now. Our ability to anticipate and plan for change has never been more
important. Widely respected futurist, Glen Hiemstra, will lead us through
interactive exercises designed to help us understand the forces that
are in play and shaping the future. More importantly, he will give us tools to
craft our own personal and/or company future in the context of these changes.
Read more...
Annual
Scholarship Breakfast Architecture/Construction/Engineering
2008 Legislative Session Report
Cliff Webster, AELC Lobbyist
During the 60-day legislative session, 1,745 bills were newly
introduced, in addition to the 2,598 bills introduced last year that had not
passed and were still eligible for consideration. Nearly 350 of these measures
made it to the governor’s desk. Below is a summary of the issues of most
importance to AELC and ACEC.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING / A&E
SELECTION
Public Contracting by Port Districts (2SHB 3274 – PASSED).
Following the state auditor’s performance audit of the Port of Seattle, several
bills were introduced to address public contracting procedures. In addition to
adding new requirements for contracting for personal services by port districts,
HB 3274 for the first time provides an enforcement mechanism against public
agencies that fail to comply with qualifications-based selection procedures for
A&E services. Agency personnel will be subject to civil penalties for a willful
and intentional violation of the statutory requirements for the competitive
selection of professional design services.
Addressing Public Works
Procurement (ESSB 6235 – DIED).
ESSB 6235 was another attempt to address concerns raised by the Port of Seattle
performance audit. It proposed to change how construction-related services and
professional consulting services are defined for purposes of public works
contracting. The bill would have added project management, construction
supervision and construction management to the professional services required to
be procured using the qualifications-based selection methods set out in Chapter
39.80 RCW (A&E selection). The bill passed the Senate, but died in the House.
Read about Liability,
Licensing and Transportation...
Consulting Congress Day Coming Up
On April
27-30, members of ACEC Washington will meet in Washington, D.C., for ACEC’s
Annual Convention and Legislative Summit.
During this event, ACEC Washington members, along with Executive Director Bill
Garrity and Legislative Chair Kevin Weed, will participate in office meetings
with the 11 members of the Washington Senate and Congressional Delegation. The
policy agenda this year will focus the future viability of the
Highway Trust Fund, pending water infrastructure legislation, the industry’s
concerns over a new 3% withholding mandate that will apply to all government
contractors, and other issues of importance to the engineering industry.
Interested in taking
part in this important event? Visit the link below
for more details. If you are planning to attend already, and you would
like to find out more about ACEC Washington activities at the convention,
including our Congressional visits, call Bill Garrity at (425) 451-3515.
ACEC Annual Meeting
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leaders. Approximately 170 students from 34 area high schools will finish
this year’s program. 