We are in the full swing of summer and the value of AGCVA remains strong. While you run the day-to-day operations of your company, AGCVA has your back.

AGCVA is engaged on behalf of members across a number of legislative and regulatory activities, even though the General Assembly is not in session. First, we are a member of a workgroup led by Secretary of Commerce, Brian Ball, on continued discussions around a bill focused on increasing small, women-, and minority-owned business engagement in public procurement. It is anticipated that a bill will be submitted during the summer special session, and AGCVA is pushing hard on it including damaging provisions like debarment for not meeting goals. Second, we are also a member of a workgroup at the Board of Contractors exploring ideas of additional licensure requirements for certain trades. AGCVA does not support additional hurdles for contractors and subcontractors currently operating safely in Virginia. Third, we are engaged and closely monitoring a DGS workgroup charged with analyzing any legislative changes to the procurement statute as well as a charge to increase minority participation in procurement. Finally, AGCVA continues to work with other trade groups through the Virginia Business Coalition to communicate and advocate around Virginia’s Permanent COVID-19 standard. We maintain a strong position that a permanent standard is not necessary to protect workers, especially with the growing rate of vaccinations in Virginia.

We thank our AGCVA staff in Richmond and the many members who serve on committees advising staff for their hard work to help protect and promote the construction industry. I look forward to seeing you all at the Summer Conference in August! Our first state in person get together in almost 18 months.

They say money doesn't grow on trees, but over the last year it did. Lumber prices skyrocketed to historic highs during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled by a demand for new homes and a surge in renovations and DIY hobbyist projects by those of us on lockdown. Now those record wood prices are finally starting to crack, and more builders across the U.S. are able to reach for their toolboxes.

Engineering and construction costs rose for the eighth consecutive month in June, according to IHS Markit and the Procurement Executives Group (PEG), as materials and equipment costs continued to push costs upward. Semiconductor supply has proven especially troublesome as manufacturers struggle to ramp up production to meet expanding demand in a post-pandemic economy.

On this episode, Josh Levy of Document Crunch, Paul James of BOND Brothers and Brian Perlberg of ConsensusDocs dive deep into how AI and machine learning are being used to assess contract risk and inform approaches to construction risk management. They discuss finding the right balance using technology versus operational discretion when bidding contracts, negotiating contracts, administrating projects and managing insurance compliance. Hear their first-hand experiences on how AI-powered contract review software for the construction industry can reduce costs, improve efficiencies and lead to a better industry understanding of what is fair and considered a best practice.

As construction materials remain at record high prices and face continued availability challenges, President Biden and Congress are taking action to make things worse.  Meanwhile, construction firms around the country are absorbing these costs - which would better be invested in recruiting and retaining construction workers - without significant relief in sight.

That's why AGC needs you to tell President Biden and Congress to take actions to improve the construction supply chain, not make it worse.

The study found that payment speed also correlates strongly to project type. Residential construction companies are three times more likely to collect payment within 30 days than those on commercial projects and five times more likely than those on public projects. And while only one in five homebuilders (17%) say they always get paid on time, they vastly outperform those on government projects (7%) and commercial jobs (4%).

This year is poised to be a year of growth. With that, the construction industry will likely face challenges around hiring cycles, evolving protocols and a widening skills gap. Any way you look at it, construction firms are dealing with a skills gap for subcontractor talent that will only widen in the coming years. So, how can employers in the construction industry get ahead of the curve and set themselves up for success?

As construction struggles to fill its workforce amid a labor shortage, leaders in the industry have turned their attention to attracting largely untapped segments of the population. Numbers show that it’s working: Women and BIPOC individuals have begun entering into construction jobs at higher numbers than ever before. The data also shows, unfortunately, that the percentage of these underrepresented populations within the industry remains static over time.

In today’s rapidly changing landscape, construction organizations are under growing pressure to deliver projects on time and budget. As a result, health, safety and well-being (HSW) programs are sometimes denied the priority they require. The outcome: company HSW cultures that barely meet satisfactory standards resulting in site mishaps, delays, cost overruns or worse.

The National Weather Service (NWS) recently shared several tools to help outdoor workers track extreme heat and other dangerous weather conditions. Weather experts recommend checking weather conditions up to 14 days in advance of working outside. For construction workers, that means always staying on top of forecast changes and upcoming heat dangers.