BIM Contract Added to ConsensusDOCS/Amendment 47 Earns Endorsements/Civil Engineering Salaries Inch Higher

New ConsensusDOCS Contract First to Address BIM

ConsensusDOCS recently released a groundbreaking building information modeling addendum, so far, the first and only industry standard document to globally address the legal uncertainties associated with utilizing BIM.

Creators of the BIM Addendum say it provides all parties involved on a project with shared, up-to-date project data, subsequently allowing for a richer design process, increased budget control through predictions about the project’s construction process and fewer surprises with respect to potential design and scheduling conflicts among trades—long before ground is even broken.

ConsensusDOCS, an industry-wide collaboration of 22 leading construction associations, is dedicated to publishing best-practice contracts that allocate risk fairly among all parties. ConsensusDOCS published the construction industry’s first consensus standard contracts and forms on Sept. 28, 2007. The BIM Addendum is the first addition to the ConsensusDOCS’ comprehensive catalog of contracts and forms.

Mountain States Employers Council, Two Chambers Endorse Amendment 47

Despite its woes in court, Colorado’s right-to-work initiative, which will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 47, has garnered endorsements from the Mountain States Employers Council and two chambers of commerce.

If approved, the Colorado Right to Work Initiative would change the state constitution by outlawing arrangements requiring employees to join a union or requiring employees to pay fees for union representation even if they are not union members.

The Rifle Area Chamber of Commerce and the Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce have also endorsed the initiative.

The initiative currently has the support of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors and has received major financial backing from Jonathan Coors, director of CoorsTek and a member of the Colorado brewing family.

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce have come out against the initiative; as well as the Colorado Contractors Association, which believes right-to-work is one of many potentially destructive initiatives to appear on the November ballot.

Civil Engineering Salaries Inching Higher in 2008

According to a new survey that outlines compensation ranges and trends in the engineering industry, the median income for civil engineers is $78,000 a year, an increase from $77,000 in 2007.

The median income for all fields of engineering combined is $85,000, a 7.6% increase from 2007. The survey, conducted from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008, yielded nearly 15,000 responses from engineers across the country in a variety of fields and at all levels of practice.

Those survey respondents who are licensed professional engineers earned higher than average salaries, with a median of $92,100, and those with a professional engineers’ license and a second professional registration earned the highest salaries, with a median income of $106,675. Those engineers without professional licensing or certification earn significantly less, with a median annual income of $86,000.

For more information on the 2008 Salary Survey, go to www.asce.org/salaries.

Contractors Briefed on ‘Anti-Business’ Measures

At the Associated General Contractors of Colorado’s Southern Colorado Outreach Meeting in Colorado Springs in June, members were briefed on the perceived “anti-business” counter measures slated to be on the November ballot—measures being supported by organized labor.

Todd Vitale of Vitale & Associates made the presentation on behalf of the Coloradans for Responsible Reform, a bipartisan coalition with previous success in fighting anti-business measures or passing economic development ballot issues. CFRR is organizing a professional campaign to defeat the measures. AGC/C is a member of CFRR.

CFRR is targeting the four anti-business measures: Measure 74 – Criminal Liability of Businesses for their Activities; Measure 76 – Eliminate Employment at Will; Measure 92 – Health Care Coverage for Employees and Dependents; Measure 93 – Safe Workplace.

The AGC Colorado board of directors has voted to aggressively fight those initiatives proposed for the November ballot.

AGC is trying to raise $250,000 towards the $6-million budget for the campaign. CCA has also agreed to raise an additional $250,000. AGC of America has already donated $25,000 to the effort to defeat the anti-business measures, says Michael Gifford, executive director of AGC/C.

For more information, go to www.agccolorado.org.

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