With Sarah Palin as cheerleader and activists in Revolutionary War-era garb, the Tea Party has stirred the imagination of the electorate. It has shaken up the humdrum two-party political landscape and excited many who are dissatisfied with the status quo. Photo: Haley/Sip Via AP Images A small-government activist at the foot of the Washington Monument. SCHWARTZ No matter what your political affiliation, it’s hard to deny that the Tea Party has offered great political theater for the 2010 midterm election cycle. But let’s forget about the drama for a moment and think about the Tea Party’s smaller-government mantra. It should
What is a construction professional? This is a difficult question for industry and educators to answer, but it shouldn’t be. That’s why construction professionals are long overdue to develop a set of plans and specifications—for themselves. Without a clear definition of our role today, we can’t develop the professionals of tomorrow. BERRYMAN Everyone knows that you cannot properly construct a building without such documentation; likewise, an individual cannot be an effective manager of construction projects today without a base of specific skills, experience and knowledge. The role of a construction professional is changing and being defined by many different factions
This time of year many of us in engineering and construction are receiving phone calls from politicians looking for campaign contributions. The rules cap the amount of money a firm can give a candidate, and provide guidelines on gifts and services offered to government employees. SCHWARTZ They remind me how much I love pay-to-play rules. There was a time when these calls would be cause for all sorts of handwringing. If we didn’t give, we all felt we would be on the losers list. I can’t tell you what a great relief it is to be able to tell a
The campaign by the Portland Cement Association and the Institute for Building and Home Safety to promote proposed building code changes included in the High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability 2.0 is not new: The majority of these proposals have been put forward by PCA and the Masonry Alliance, an umbrella group repre-senting all masonry-related trade associations, in each code development cycle since the International Building Code (IBC) was first published in 2000. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) has and will continue to vigorously oppose this effort. BURTON Each and every year, PCA proposals have been soundly rejected
Some clients have been asking contractors to take on unnecessary risks without providing a significant reward for the risks taken. However, during these economically challenged times, I believe it is in the best interest of the construction industry to stand up for itself and refuse to sign contracts that assign risk without any benefits. SIEGEL Life is full of uncertainties, and we readily take on risk every day the for benefits we receive. For example, driving a car is very risky, and every year more than 40,000 people are killed in car accidents—that’s one person every 13 minutes. Nevertheless, we
Norman F. Anderson is CEO of CG/LA, a private consultant devoted mainly to infrastructure investment and development. CG/LA is hosting the 2nd North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. (www.cg-la.com) Photo: CG/LA Anderson believes North American infrastructure investment is crucial for jobs What is the theme of this year’s CG/LA conference? We’re focused on the top 100 projects in North America. The idea is to focus on projects that will generate economic competitiveness. We need to focus on tripling the level of infrastructure in North America. It was 3% of the GDP in 1980. Now
People expect more transparent, timely and useful information, especially from government. Make no mistake that if government doesn’t provide it, the public will find it somewhere else. That’s why it’s so important the construction industry understands it has the ability to engage the public using the latest non-traditional media tools. Already, many of the largest federal and state agencies are creating their own newsrooms; they are not only pushing out information but engaging in what is being called the Open Government Movement or Government 2.0. COLE In addition to offering traditional outreach via meetings, handouts and newsletters, public-relations professionals for
Almost every article or discussion dealing with the legal aspects of integrated-project-delivery contracts raises the notion that IPD contracts have not been tested in court and that this untested status elevates the legal risk to the IPD participants. While it is true that, as of this date, there is little, if any, case authority dealing with the legal merits of IPD contracts, that does not tell the whole story. HILGER The first challenge to this idea is determining whether IPD contracts really are new. Those of us who were around in the early 1980s will remember the “partnering” agreements that,
When delays are alleged in a construction dispute, those charged with resolving the dispute must look for the most credible way to identify and quantify the delays. As an industry, little has been done to formally define appropriate schedule analysis methodology. However, that is changing. MANGINELLI In 2007, the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineers International (AACEI) attempted to change the landscape with the publication of its Recommended Practice No. 29R-03, Forensic Schedule Analysis (FSA). While the FSA’s intent may have been noble, it has caused quite a stir among schedule analysts and the attorneys and clients who hire
It is no secret that the design and construction industry is one of the most inefficient on the planet. A number of books have identified and documented the declining productivity of every hour and dollar invested in the building process. Architects, engineers, contractors and developers have been struggling for years in an environment so fragmented, no single player can have significant influence or initiate meaningful change. Architects are marginalized and commoditized, and contractors struggle with the same labor and process risk they have carried for centuries. Critical design information is withheld until the submittal process. No viable and practical risk
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