On April 6, 2009, AGC of America launched its newest educational resource, BIM 101: An Introduction to Building Information Modeling, the first part of AGC's BIM Education Program. BIM 101 is a full-day course designed specifically for construction professionals eager to learn the essential concepts of BIM and will provide participants with a comprehensive overview to prepare them for future BIM Education Program courses.

This high-quality, content-rich program gives construction professionals, building developers, owners, designers, construction product manufacturers and others in the AEC building community a compelling new resource to position themselves to proactively move forward with BIM adoption.

The BIM Education Program brochure outlines the course details. BIM 101 is offered at many of AGC's 95 chapters, in addition to a range of construction firms and educational institutions. Course offerings are scheduled frequently. May 2009 dates include:

• AGC of America BIMForum, Dallas, TX - May 27
• AGC of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT - May 6
• San Antonio Chapter, San Antonio, TX - May 7
• AGC of Connecticut, Wethersfield, CT - May 15 and 16

Contact Amy Fields, Senior Director, Curriculum and Program Development, for additional information on BIM 101 at (703) 837-5360 or curriculum@agc.org.

GSA has unveiled a $5.5 billion project list that highlights the unprecedented role the agency will play in assisting in the nation's economic recovery and putting American citizens back to work. Projects are funded across the country, providing benefit for local and state economies, and every state should see at least one GSA project related to the Recovery Act.

A breakdown of GSA's recovery funding reveals:

• $4.5 billion: Federal building conversion to high-performance green spaces
• $750 million: Federal building and courthouse renovations
• $300 million: Fuel-efficient vehicles
• $300 million: Land ports of entry renovation and construction

GSA will also help other agencies best utilize their Recovery Act dollars, and manage Recovery.gov, which provides transparency and accountability to the American public.

AGC will continue working with GSA and our other agency partners as implementation of the Recovery act continues.  For additional about GSA's Recovery plans, visit: www.gsa.gov/recovery.  For more information, contact Marco Giamberardino at (703) 837-5325 or giamberm@agc.org.

Join top building construction professionals, owners, specialty contractors, and service & supply companies at the AGC Building Contractors Conference to be held June 10-13, 2009 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA.  These industry leaders will discuss the current market, the challenges-and opportunities-it presents, and creative solutions and tactics that top-performing firms are implementing.  This is truly a conference you do not want to miss.

In guiding your firm through these tough economic times, the AGC Building Contractors Conference plans to highlight:

• How owners plan to address their construction needs in this market,
• Innovative service offerings that customers need in a tight economy,
• How to take advantage of hidden opportunities,
• The best ways to "right size" your staff,
• Best practices and important topics such as BIM, Green Construction, and Integrated Project Delivery, and
• Networking opportunities including a luncheon, evening receptions, and a golf tournament.

For more information and to register, visit www.agc.org/homestead.  Interested in sponsoring the AGC Building Contractors Conference and showcasing your firm before owners and leaders of this market?  Click here for available sponsorship opportunities!

AGC of America is a proud cosponsor of the 4th Annual Airport Project Delivery Systems Summit on June 3-4, 2009 in Savannah, Georgia.  If you are involved in airport construction, you won't want to miss this important event, presented by AGC of America, Airports Council International-NA, and the Airport Consultants Council.  For more information about the Summit and to register, please click here.  Hotel reservations must be made by May 11.

On March 10, the "so-called" Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) was introduced in both the House and the Senate.  EFCA would take away a worker's right to a federally supervised private ballot election when deciding whether or not to select union representation. 

AGC supports the status quo, which allows both card-check recognition and secret-ballot elections to establish union representation and remains the most fair and reliable way to determine the desire of employees to be represented by a union. 

Take action!  Click here to contact your Representative and Senators regarding this important issue!

EFCA imposes unrealistically short deadlines for labor-management negotiations over a first contract before mandating third-party interference.  It allows a third party to dictate wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment.  For more about EFCA, visit AGC's EFCA webpage.

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a term often referenced these days, but seldom understood.  What does IPD truly entail, and how can all stakeholders on a construction project benefit?

Don't miss this important recording as industry experts John Tocci, Sr. and Jim Frey provide an in-depth look at how IPD is changing the construction industry, lessons learned from early adopters and what you can do to benefit from IPD.  Click here to purchase this webinar recording.  Once you purchase the recording, email Cassia Griffin at griffinc@agc.org for related handouts, including a free complete sample of the ConsensusDOCS 300.

Join us May 28-29 for the Spring 2009 AGC BIMForum in Dallas, TX.  The Spring BIMForum will be an assembly of some of the nation's leading Architects, Engineers, Builders and Owners for a two-day program focused on the timely use of BIM and the bottom line.  Topics to be covered include: 

• The economy of BIM - What is the current state? What savings already exist? How can you increase efficiency?
• Measuring and optimizing first cost, cost to complete and life-cycle costs.
• Owner's perspective on BIM and how to achieve goals through scenario-based planning design and budgeting. 

Who should attend: Architects, engineers, contractors, lawyers, academics, specialty contractors and anyone on the cutting edge of construction!  Click here for more information and to register.

Registration is now open for the AGC Building Contractors Conference, June 10-13, 2009 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA.  Join top building construction professionals, owners, specialty contractors, and service & supply companies as they discuss the current market, the challenges it presents and the innovative solutions being implemented by industry-leading firms. 

Planned program highlights & topics for the AGC Building Contractors Conference include:

• Guiding your firm through tough economic times,
• How owners plan to address their construction needs in this market,
• Creative service offerings that customers need in a tight economy,
• The best ways to "right size" your staff,
• Best practices and important topics such as BIM, Green Construction and Integrated Project Delivery, and
• Networking opportunities including a luncheon, evening receptions, and golf tournament.

For more information and to register, visit www.agc.org/homestead.  Sponsorship opportunities are still available.  For details, contact Cassia Griffin at griffinc@agc.org or see the "Sponsors" tab at www.agc.org/homestead.

Recently the U.S. Department of Education announced that $44 billion for states and schools is now available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  This funding includes $32.6 billion under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which is two-thirds of the total dollars in the fund.  The remaining funds will be released later in the year.  A state-by-state breakdown on this initial release of funds can be found here.  Detailed information on education funding in the stimulus package can be found here.  

Details on stimulus funding for school construction, modernization, renovation and repair can be found in Section V (pages 33-37) of the Department of Education's "Guidance on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program."  The Department's "School Modernization" page can be found here. Visit www.agc.org/stimulus for detailed information regarding the stimulus.

For more information contact Mike Stark at starkm@agc.org or (703) 837-5365.

ConsensusDOCS has developed a brochure to encourage construction project owners to use ConsensusDOCS standard contract documents.  This new resource is titled "Top Ten Reasons Owners Should Use ConsensusDOCS".  Feel free to distribute this electronic brochure to all owners with whom you work and to others as you deem appropriate.

Top Ten Reasons Owners Should Use ConsensusDOCS Contract Documents For Their Next Project!

1.     Owners Sit in the Driver's Seat

2.     Save Transactional Costs and Time

3.     Attract the Best Contractors and Get the Best Pricing

4.     Better Project Results

5.     A Balanced Contract Gives Owners a Greater Role

6.     Prevent, Mitigate and Resolve Disputes and Claims

7.     Establish Positive Working Relationships and Direct Communications

8.     Utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Electronic Communications

9.     IPD Agreement Takes Collaboration to a Higher Level

10.   A Balanced Approach to Liability Exposures

For more details and a copy of the complete electronic brochure, please visit http://www.consensusdocs.org/information_ownersbrochure.html.

For additional questions regarding ConsensusDOCS, please contact Carrie Ciliberto at cilibertoc@agc.org or (703) 837-5367.