National Safety Excellence Award (NSEA) applications are due Oct. 31 and can be downloaded on ABC’s website. All 2014 Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Diamond and Platinum recipients are eligible to apply and there is no fee to participate. New STEP Gold recipients may also apply for the NSEA by submitting the NSEA Gold application and $450 application fee. ABC members who do not have STEP status can learn more about STEP on ABC’s website. 

Next week, ABC contractors will be meeting with construction users from the industrial sector to discuss best practices on critical issues that affect the planning and delivery of construction projects. The second annual Industrial Users Summit will be held Oct. 16-17 in San Antonio, Texas, and will focus on creating a forum that allows both industry users and ABC member contractors to learn from each other. 

During the inaugural P3s for Public Buildings Summit Nov. 17-18 in Miami, Fla., the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) and the Performance Based Building Coalition (PBBC) will team up to educate stakeholders about developing and financing  public-private partnerships (P3s) for public buildings,  understanding federal policy challenges and solutions, forecasting the future of the P3 marketplace and highlighting specific examples of successful P3 projects.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2015, 2009-2014 Autodesk licenses will no longer have the option to be upgraded and new licenses will have to be purchased in the future at full price. Through Autodesk’s new promotion, companies who currently have 2009-2014 licenses can save 10% off of the upgrade price until Oct. 24.  

An updated summary of employer requirements included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is available for ABC members in a reference document provided by Washington Council Ernst & Young. The document is available on the Health Care Law Employer Toolkit (login required) on ABC’s website.

On Oct. 7, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued a final rule to implement Executive Order 13658, which would establish an hourly minimum wage of $10.10 for workers performing on covered federal construction and service contracts. 

OSHA issued a final rule on September 26 extending the compliance deadline for employers to ensure that crane operators are certified by an OSHA-recognized accredited certification body. The deadline has been extended by three years to November 10, 2017. This extension will continue the current employer duties to ensure crane operators are competent to operate a crane safely.

Wurster Construction Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a member of the Indiana/Kentucky Chapter; Cycle Construction Company, LLC, Kenner, La., a member of the New Orleans/Bayou Chapter; Circle Electric, Inc., Menommonee Falls, Wis., a member of the Wisconsin Chapter; Pinkerton & Laws, Marietta, Ga., a member of the Georgia Chapter; and Milender White Construction Co., Arvada, Colo., a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter have been awarded Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) status by ABC.

On September 25 the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans' Employment and Training Service issued a final rule that changed the reporting requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors who hire and employ veterans under provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

BIM is the future of the construction industry. In fact, BIM adoption in North America reached 71% in 2012 up from only 17% in 2007, according a McGraw Hill Construction SmartMarket Report. The reason might lie in the fact that 67% of users in this report that demonstrated a very high level of BIM engagement saw a positive return on investment (ROI) (specifically a 52% increase in their profits) compared to only 20% of low-level users.