The federal government plans to use a small army of newly trained agents to audit 6,000 companies in a nationwide crackdown on misclassification of independent contractors by employers. Construction firms could be hit hard by the enforcement actions and regulatory changes contemplated by federal and state governments desperate for funds to close budget deficits. The Obama administration has tasked the Dept. of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service with increasing enforcement this year and is calling for additional resources in the 2011 federal budget. Last year, the Dept. of Labor added 250 new investigators hired within its Wage & Hour
For many firms that focus on buildings, much of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s promise still hasn’t turned into contracts. Several federal agencies each have obligated less than half of their stimulus funding for building-related construction. Some projects for which contracts have been awarded haven’t seen a shovel move yet. Facing heavy workloads and looming legislative deadlines, agencies will be scrambling to get work out the door in coming months, including some huge projects. Some GSA projects tapping the stimulus are large, including the $435-million Coast Guard headquarters, rendered above, in Washington, D.C. Funding total includes $162 million from
Boston-based Suffolk Construction is looking to firm its footing in the Mid-Atlantic States with the acquisition of The Dietze Construction Group of Ashburn, Va. Suffolk, which opened its Mid-Atlantic Division in 2007, aims to leverage Dietze’s experience managing construction of secure government facilities, which is a sector that has remained strong through the recession especially around the nation’s capital. Recent Dietze projects include the one million square-foot interior construction of the Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters. Other Dietze projects currently under construction include a new 100,000 square-foot clubhouse for the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.; design-build construction of a
Continuing tight credit, an overabundance of retail and office space, and excess manufacturing capacity will keep non-residential construction in the doldrums during 2010, despite more stimulus-funded projects starting. Bob Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. Chart shows value and percentage change of non-residential construction starts over the past 10 years. After three years of declines, the residential-construction market may be eyeing a rebound in 2010. But for designers and contractors in other building segments, it could be too soon to celebrate. McGraw-Hill Construction, of which Midwest Construction is a unit, is forecasting that total construction starts will
Along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., memorials honor the service of Americans in wartime, but the site’s newest addition will be one that fosters conflict resolution and peace. The 150,000-sq-ft permanent headquarters for the U.S. Institute of Peace, being built at the mall’s northwest corner near the Lincoln Memorial and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge over the Potomac river, will greet visitors with a dramatic new structure that its designers say both respects the context of its historic surroundings and offers a strikingly modern contrast. Slide Show Photo: The U.S. Institute of Peace. The 150,000-sq-ft U. S. Institute of Peace,
According to analysts at McGraw-Hill Construction, the parent company of this publication, residential construction will be higher in 2010 in all three states, with Arizona at nearly $4 billion and Nevada rising to $1.4 billion. Both multi-family housing and single family home construction will see increases over the previous year, but will be nowhere near the levels seen in 2006 and 2007. Related Links: Forecast 2010: Residential Rebounds While Other Sectors Struggle New Mexico will also see an increase in non-residential buildings to $1.6 billion, but engineering/highway projects will dip significantly to $935 million in 2010. Nevada, on the other
After three years of declines, the construction market may be eyeing a rebound in 2010 thanks to a much-improved residential market, but for designers and contractors in other building sectors, it could be too soon to celebrate. Bob Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction, speaking at the Outlook 2010 Executive Conference, told participants that the 2010 market will experience a slow upward climb. Slide Show McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. After a 39% drop in construction between 2006 and
After three years of declines, the construction market may be eyeing a rebound in 2010 thanks to a much improved residential sector, but for designers and contractors in other building sectors, it could be too soon to celebrate. McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. Photo: Bruce Buckley Robert Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction, recently delivered the 2010 Outlook. Slide Show Source: McGraw-Hill Construction. This chart shows the percentage increases, and decreases, in the value of new construction starts on
McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. Bob Murray is vice president of economic affairs with McGraw-Hill Construction. Related Links: McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting mixed numbers for the Southwest. After a 39% drop in construction between 2006 and 2009, an improving residential market and signs of strength in select public-sector markets such as transportation and infrastructure could spark an overall turnaround in 2010, says Bob Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. "This is not a booming market; it is just inching
As private developers struggle through the global economic crisis, builders and designers continue to tap publicly funded projects to keep pipelines full. Although infrastructure has garnered a large portion of the available government-backed work worldwide, institutional opportunities in education, health-care and government facilities have kept the base-building divisions of many firms active. Photo: Hochtief The $2-billion Barwa Commercial Avenue project is partially financed by the State of Qatar. Related Links: View more industry sectors from ENR's 2009 Global Sourcebook View complete Global Sourcebook with market data and analysis Johan Karlström, president and CEO of Stockholm-based Skanska, says he expects public