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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on Wednesday, delayed consideration of the 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations bill until after Thanksgiving.  This legislation included $31.6 billion for energy and water programs, including funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with funding for financial services and the Department of State and foreign operations.  Earlier in the week, Sen. Reid had hoped to move forward with legislation; but when that effort failed after numerous senators objected, Reid attempted to move the energy and water legislation as a stand-alone bill.  That effort, however, was delayed when senators attempted to add numerous amendments, slowing debate.  

On Nov. 2, 2011, the 51���� BIM Forum held, for the first time, a major panel discussion of leading federal agency representatives to hear about the utilization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the federal government. 51����, through its strong partnerships with the federal agencies, organized the session.

51���� leaders held a meeting on Nov. 2, 2011, with key officials from the “Tri-services Group” which includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Air Force, Army Corps of Engineers and the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (the Tri-Services group) held a joint session to hear about the DOD’s plans to create an evaluation factor for Total Ownership Costs (TOC) of certain types of facility construction.

On Oct. 5, the Small Business Administration (SBA) proposed a new rulemaking that would heighten the scrutiny on a contractor’s compliance with its small business subcontracting plan and impose additional duties on both the prime contractor and the contracting officer.  The majority of these new provisions implement the 51����-opposed contracting reform provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.

On Oct. 10, the administration announced a list of 14 infrastructure projects to be expedited through a permitting and environmental streamlining process. These projects are part of President Obama’s efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal permit decisions and environmental reviews in order to create jobs by moving projects quickly from conception to completion. 

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met today to consider H.R. 1734, the “Civilian Property Realignment Act.” The bill, sponsored by House Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), would employ a Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)-like process for civilian properties, reduce the federal footprint and save taxpayers billions of dollars. 51���� has been working with committee staff to better understand the impact of this legislation and how the construction industry can play a large part in ensuring the success of this effort.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced S. 1606, the Regulatory Accountability Act, which would require federal agencies to be more transparent and accountable in the regulatory process.   The 51����-supported legislation would modernize the 1946 Administrative Procedures Act by codifying requirements for cost-benefit analysis that administrations of both parties have sought through executive order, which hasn’t been adapted for 65 years. 

In an effort to crate economic growth and boost cash-flow for small businesses, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum on September 14, directing federal agencies to accelerate payments made to small businesses. 

On September 29, The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) issued guidance to federal agency chief acquisition officers and senior procurement executives in their effort to curb duplication of multiple award contracts (MACs). 

In another great 51���� success, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a memorandum, on Oct. 5, which implements a new process for obtaining Past Performance Information (PPI) by use of Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQs).  This change came about several meetings with USACE on the need to provide efficiency in the process for both the government as well as the contractor.