TechBrief

Good communication between the field and office is essential to keeping a project on time and on budget. Keep everyone abreast of what each operation or department is doing, and whether any issues or miscommunication have arisen to avoid delays or errors that can cost thousands of dollars or more in construction rework, eating up your bottom-line profits.
BY TOM WEBB, VP OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CUSTOMER RELATIONS
HCSS, AN AGC OF AMERICA CAPSTONE SUPPORTER

AGC of America and two of its chapters, the Dallas-based TEXO chapter of the association, and the statewide AGC of Texas chapter, filed suit  this month in federal court to block the Biden administration’s effort to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on federal contractors and subcontractors. The groups noted that many of their members that regularly construct federal projects and are already being harmed, as key employees leave for other jobs in the industry to avoid the strict federal mandate.

Prices of numerous construction materials soared again in November, outpacing the rate at which contractors raised their bid prices, according to an analysis by AGC of America of government data released recently. Association officials said the current steps being taken to address supply chain problems and rising prices have been insufficient and urged public officials to redouble their efforts.

 

“Prices for nearly every type of construction material are rising at runaway rates,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “These costs are compounding the difficulties contractors are experiencing from long lead times for production, gridlocked supply chains, and record numbers of job openings.”

All 34 lawsuits — including AGC’s, supported by the Construction Advocacy Fund — challenging OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 are now consolidated in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The federal government has filed a motion in that court to dissolve the current stay of any enforcement of that standard, including its vaccination/testing mandate, and on December 10, the parties will complete their briefing of that motion. Since November 6, that stay has precluded OSHA from implementing or enforcing the ETS, including requirements that OSHA had scheduled to take effect on December 6. AGC of America expects the court to grant or deny the government’s motion within a matter of days. While significant, the court’s decision will not end the litigation. Its decision on the stay will not be a final decision on the merits of the ETS. That will come later.

 

The Sixth Circuit is considered one of the more conservative courts. Republicans nominated 11 of its members and Democrats nominated only 5. If the Sixth Circuit nevertheless dissolves the stay, OSHA will have the authority to immediately begin implementing and enforcing the ETS. At that point, one or more of the petitioners is, however, likely to go to the Supreme Court, seeking an emergency order to reinstate the stay.

Members of Forbes Technology Council share the tech trends they believe will dominate business and consumer life in 2022 and why.

January 12-14, 2022
2022 Construction Safety & Health Conference
Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa, Arizona

 

January 19, 2022
WebEd: 2022 Outlook: Building to New Heights?
2 p.m.

 

January 24-26, 2022
2022 Surety Bonding and Construction Risk Management Conference
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, Florida

 

March 28-31, 2022
AGC 2022 Convention
Grapevine, Texas

Trimble, an AGC of America Capstone Supporter, recently announced it has acquired AgileAssets, a provider of enterprise infrastructure asset management software to private organizations and government, including national road authorities and state-level transportation agencies in the United States. AgileAssets’ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) asset management solutions provide organizations with advanced analytics for real-time decision making as well as insights for efficiently managing day-to-day maintenance operations. AgileAssets' solutions address the global challenges associated with maintaining and replacing aging transportation infrastructure.

Autodesk, Inc., an AGC of America Capstone Supporter, recently announced that it is acquiring ProEst, a cloud-based estimating solution that enables construction teams to create estimates, perform digital takeoffs, generate detailed reports and proposals and manage bid-day processes. Autodesk plans to integrate ProEst with Autodesk Construction Cloud, a comprehensive construction management platform connecting teams, data and workflows across the entire building lifecycle. The acquisition will strengthen Autodesk Construction Cloud's preconstruction offerings and empower construction teams to manage all their critical preconstruction and construction workflows on one platform.