AGC honored four construction companies and one training professional for providing the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs.

The Education Excellence Awards were given during the 4th Annual Training and Development Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.  Read more here.

For more information, contact Liz Elvin at (703) 837-5389 or elvinl@agc.org.

AGC unveiled a new green construction education program designed to make it easier to build and renovate green, LEED-certified buildings. Building to LEED® for New Construction, Second Edition is designed to help contractors, designers and developers successfully navigate the green building certification process and keep their green accreditations current.

"Green building is rapidly changing from a niche market to the industry norm," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's chief executive officer. "Within a short time, the ability to master the complexities of green construction and certification will be essential to succeeding as a building contractor."

Learn more here, or read AGC's press release here.

AGC's Supervisory Training Program (STP) is a construction-specific training curriculum developed, updated and field-tested by and for contractors. Unit 6: Understanding and Managing Project Costs, fifth edition, was released today and has been extensively updated to provide the most up-to-date information for construction supervisors. STP has been the professional development resource of choice for more than 122,000 construction supervisors and managers and provides an unmatched learning experience for participants.

Following completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply basic management ideas, principles, and skills that will enable them to immediately manage the crew on the construction project more effectively
• Apply important cost management principles to any project
• Recognize how cost reporting can improve the overall success of a project
• Recognize the process of estimating and pricing, from concept through detailed estimate to change orders
• Determine all project costs and manage them proactively
• Recognize and mitigate various risks and potential delays that could impact the success of the project

Preview the new unit with a free webinar on November 3, 2009, from 2:00-3:30 PM. Registrants will also have the opportunity to purchase copies of the new fifth edition of Unit 6 at a discounted rate of only $90 per book (plus $5 shipping and handling).

Copies of the fifth edition of Unit 6 will be available for purchase in the AGC Bookstore beginning October 27, 2009 (at this time the fourth edition will no longer be available for purchase).

Learn more about the Supervisory Training Program at www.agc.org/STP, or contact Stephanie Mullins at curriculum@agc.org or (703) 837-5387.

Free Webinar - September 30^th from 1-2pm ET

Developed by AGC and Zurich Services Corp, the Highway Worker Safety Program focuses on the leading causes of fatality and injury for employees managing and performing work on highways in America. In this webinar, learn how to effectively navigate and use this program to train supervisors and empower company employees to work safely. Understand the key exposures that cause 90% of all highway worker deaths and maimings, and the best controls to eliminate and minimize these exposures.

Learn more at www.agc.org/HWSP.

AGC Student Chapters at Boise State, Kansas State and Cal State Chico Universities were recently named AGC's top three Outstanding Student Chapters.  They were recognized for work ranging from the relocation of one of the oldest Abraham Lincoln statues west of the Mississippi to building a memorial for tornado victims in Kansas.

Read about Boise State, Kansas State and Cal State Chico's projects.

For more information, contact Carrie Harper at (703) 837-5316 or harperc@agc.org.

On September 28, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET, AGC of America will host a free ConsensusDOCS webinar titled, "Why Owners Choose ConsensusDOCS Over AIA."

The expert panel will discuss the benefits of ConsensusDOCS standard construction contract documents including:

• Fair and balanced allocation of risk
• Positive working relationships
• Straightforward language
• Advance the Project's best interest

Our experts will also provide a comparison/contrast to select AIA documents, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Register today for this free webinar sponsored by AGC. For more information, contact Megan McGarvey at mcgarveym@agc.org or (703) 837-5369.

On October 21, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET, AGC of America will host a webinar titled, "Know the State Law That Impact Your Construction Contracts."

Every state government establishes unique statutes that affect construction and the enforceability of contract provisions - and these vary greatly from state to state.  The panel of experts will discuss:

• Potential issues you need to investigate when considering any project
• Identifying and managing risk by examining the nature of the project, the participants and the contract documents
• Using the AGC State Law Matrix as a tool to assist you with the risk identification process

Register today!  AGC members pay just $99 ($229 retail price).  For more information, contact Megan McGarvey at mcgarveym@agc.org or (703) 837-5369.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) published a Request for Proposals (RFP) to conduct research and create a course plan for a comprehensive lean construction curriculum for the commercial construction community.

Lean construction, an adaptation of lean manufacturing principles and practices from the beginning to end of the design and construction process, is a culture and a process focused on creating the greatest amount of value for a construction project through a reduction in waste of materials, time and effort. AGC seeks to address challenges the construction industry faces in the adoption of lean construction processes, and provide a commonly accessible and sustained educational effort. For this project, research of literature, interviews of industry stakeholders, a plan for a compressive curriculum, assessment of learning outcomes, development of a credentialing plan and strategy for instructor training is requested of those submitting proposals.

Proposals are due September 15, 2009 by 5:00 PM EST. The AGC Lean Construction Advisory Group, consisting of members and chapter staff, will evaluate all submissions and select a proposal to be awarded on October 5, 2009.

Inquiries concerning the RFP should be directed via email including name, phone number and organization name to Amy Fields, Senior Director, Curriculum & Program Development at fieldsa@agc.org.

BIM 101 discusses how BIM provides contractors with the benefit of improved visualization of a construction project through the use of a 3D virtual model, establishes a base of knowledge of BIM terminology and looks at the benefits of BIM and case studies showing implementation before encouraging participants to study how they could implement BIM.

Join us October 16 in Lexington, Kentucky. Learn more at www.agc.org/BIM101Kentucky.

The AGC Construction Project Manager Course (PMC) Break Out Sessions are the perfect opportunity for the well-rounded project manager with a bright future who has worked his or her way up in project management, but could use a bit of polishing around the edges. Everyone who goes through the program has something to gain, and PMC provides project managers the chance to hone the skills necessary to work more efficiently, increase productivity and propel construction businesses to the next level.

Sessions start in September and run to early October. Attend all six sessions or just the ones you need. Learn more here.