OFCC TO UPDATE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will be updating three sets of its contract documents:  Construction Management at Risk, Design Build and General Contract. OFCC will provide AGC the opportunity to submit comments and meet with staff during the drafting process. AGC will send the redlines to the entire membership for feedback, and a workgroup of members will sort through the comments and prioritize them to direct AGC’s efforts. OFCC has indicated we could see the first redlines for the CMR document set by the middle of this month. If you want to ensure that you (or someone in particular within your organization) see the drafts, please click here to e-mail a name and email address. In addition to sending a general email to all members, we will also use a more targeted distribution list for those who plan to be more engaged.

BUILD OHIO 2024 – PROJECT ENTRIES DUE AUGUST 23!

Enter this year’s Build Ohio awards competition! Eligible projects must be located in Ohio and completed between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024. Award categories are new construction, renovation, specialty, transportation, and industrial/heavy.  Learn more about Build Ohio here.

On the national front, AGC of America has announced the launch of its 2025 AGC Awards competitions! They recognize the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions (including environmental sensitivity); those contractors excelling in their partnering and collaborative endeavors; diversity; innovation; and the charitable contractors and chapters giving back to their communities. The application deadline is October 31. Learn more here.

OHIO ECONOMIC DATA

AGC of America Chief Economist Ken Simonson updated his U.S. Construction Outlook presentation with the latest “Beige Book” data that was issued July 17 and is based on information collected from late May to July 8. The “Beige Book” is a compilation of informal soundings of business conditions in each of the 12 Federal Reserve districts, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (Fourth District) that covers OH, eastern KY, southern WV, and western PA.

For Real Estate and Construction, it reports: Nonresidential construction activity declined moderately over the last two months. Higher financing costs discouraged new construction projects, and one contact noted that large infrastructure projects were “in a holding pattern” because of elevated interest rates. However, several builders reported stable, strong demand. While one general contractor mentioned “significant potential projects” in the pipeline, contacts generally anticipated a continued moderate decline in demand over the months ahead.

View Simonson’s updated Construction Outlook Presentation. View the Beige Book’s Cleveland District analysis here.

CHECK YOUR VOTING ELIGIBILITY NOW TO PREVENT PROBLEMS IN NOVEMBER

Check your eligibility to vote in this year’s November election. You can find voting information, look up your voter registration (or register) and update it on the Secretary of State’s website: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters.  Also, note that changes in state law require you to have a valid photo ID like a driver’s license or passport, and you are ineligible to vote with an expired ID – so be sure to check your expiration date on your ID.

AGC OF AMERICA NEWS

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on July 19, 2024, granted the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB” or “Board”) motion to voluntarily dismiss its appeal of a district court’s order to vacate the Board’s 2023 “joint employer rule.” The vacatur was a major victory for AGC and its co-plaintiffs that initiated the lawsuit challenging the Board’s regulatory effort to broaden the standard for determining when an employer may be deemed a joint employer of another company’s employees. Read more.

Diversity & Inclusion Assessment Tool

AGC recently released its 2024 Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Assessment, a resource designed exclusively for construction firms. This tool empowers companies to establish a baseline, measure progress, and celebrate successes in their D&I programs, policies, and practices. The D&I Assessment provides a comprehensive and confidential platform for benchmarking against industry peers. It is the only tool tailored specifically for construction companies, allowing for a more accurate assessment of your company’s D&I efforts. Learn more and participate at www.agc.org/culture-assessment.

AGC Submits Brief to U.S. Supreme Court Supporting Clarity in Clean Water Permits

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case later this year on whether Clean Water Act (CWA) NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits can include generic prohibitions that threaten the certainty that construction companies need to comply with environmental requirements. AGC recently submitted a friend of the court brief advocating for clarity to protect contractors from enforcement and costly fines due to vague NPDES permit language. AGC seeks to ensure that the Supreme Court’s decision preserves the successful permitting approaches used in construction general stormwater permits (CGP) issued by the U.S. EPA and states.  Read more. 

Quarterly Virtual Safety & Health Town Hall, Sept 4

Join AGC on September 4 from 1-2 p.m. for a quarterly virtual town hall. The purpose of these meetings is to communicate key safety and health issues and challenges, as well as discuss enforcement, regulatory, and outreach activities at the national and local levels. Open to all AGC-A members (note AGC of Ohio dues include your national membership), it provides an opportunity for industry professionals from various sectors to share best practices, discuss emerging safety trends, and collaborate on ways to improve safety. The September 4 town hall will include an in-depth discussion on OSHA's proposed standard addressing heat illness in outdoor and indoor settings, led by Kevin Cannon, AGC's Senior Director of Safety, Health & Risk Management. Register here.