2007 Federal and Heavy Wrap Up

AGC's Federal and Heavy Construction Division enjoyed a busy year and racked up many successes on behalf of our members. There is still much work to do and we look forward to a busy 2008. Here is a summary of our activities for 2007:

Water Resources Development Act of 2007

AGC led the effort to successfully override President Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. This legislation authorizes $23 billion in civil works projects administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Making Federal Contracting Reform Work

AGC reviewed and commented on a variety of measures passed by Congress intended to improve the quality of government contracts, increase contract oversight, and promote integrity in contracting. AGC advocated several improvements to these bills to ensure that any proposed contracting reform laws are reasonable and do not change procurement laws to harm federal construction contractors.

Small Business Reauthorization Moves Forward 

AGC worked with Small Business leaders in Congress to ensure that all AGC small business priority issues, including HUBZone and subcontracting data reporting reform, are on track to be included in the upcoming SBA Reauthorization.

New Ethics Rule Includes AGC Recommendations

AGC represented the construction industry in response to a proposed rule requiring most federal contractors and subcontractors to adopt and promote a code of business ethics. The government accepted several AGC recommendations, including one exempting all small businesses from the rulemaking.

AGC Speaks for Contractors During the Regulatory Process

In addition to the Ethics rule, AGC responded to several proposed rulemakings to require contractors to: 1) certify that they do not owe taxes when bidding on federal contracts; 2) review the appropriate uses for reverse auctions in government procurement, and; 3) the utilization of one-step design-build by the U.S. Coast Guard.

AGC Advocates for Embassy Construction Reform

AGC concerns over the declining number of contractors participating in the State Department’s embassy construction program resulted in a U.S. General Accountability Office study to commence in 2008.

AGC Defends Federal Contractors Against Onerous Debarment Language

AGC successfully defeated several efforts by Congress to include language that would debar contractors for up to ten years should they be found to have undocumented workers or even minor paperwork violations.