IIBEC Urges Michigan Senate Committee to Expedite QBS Bill December 13, 2024 On December 12, 2024, leaders from IIBEC sent a letter urging the Michigan State Senate Regulatory Reform Committee to expeditiously pass MI HB 5654, which would expand the use of the qualifications-based selection (QBS) process for the procurement of architect and engineering design (A/E/D) professional services. Read More
After Recent Building Failures, IIBEC Recommends Wilmington, North Carolina, Establish a Facade Inspection Program October 10, 2024 On October 7, 2024, IIBEC sent a letter to the mayor of Wilmington, North Carolina, and the city council recommending that they consider establishing a building facade inspection program in light of two recent building failures. The letter was signed by IIBEC Executive Vice President and CEO Pallasch; IIBEC Region II Director Nicholas Tribble, RRO; and IIBEC Carolinas Chapter President Scott Singleton, PE, RRC. Read More
IIBEC Educates Florida City About Problems Associated with Job-Order Contracting September 26, 2024 Earlier this month the city of Tampa, Florida, released an internal audit of its recently enacted cooperative purchasing job-order contracting (JOC) program. IIBEC, in a letter signed by its Executive Vice President and CEO Brian Pallasch, and IIBEC Florida Chapter President Ricardo Moncada, took the opportunity to educate the Internal Audit Department about problems associated with JOC for design and construction services. Along with the letter, the RCI-IIBEC Foundation report, An Analysis of Unit-Price Procurement, and IIBEC’s Safeguarding Taxpayer Funds During Procurement of Design and Construction Services policy recommendations also were sent to the department. Read More
GSA Releases Updated Design Standards in Move Toward Zero Emissions August 08, 2024 On August 5, 2024, the US General Services Administration (GSA) released an update to the federal design standards to advance building efficiency, reduce emissions, and increase resilience. Updated every three years, the Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (P100) establish mandatory design and construction standards and performance criteria for 300,000 federal buildings nationwide. Read More
IIBEC Calls on Baltimore City Council to Protect the Primacy of the Designer of Record July 10, 2024 On June 28, 2024, IIBEC sent a letter to the Baltimore City Council concerning Council Bill 21-0160, which mandates that all new construction (commercial and residential) and additions must install a cool roof. An earlier version of the bill only applied to buildings partly financed with city funds, but just before the city council voted on passage it was amended to include all residential and commercial roofs. Read More
Michigan Panel Passes IIBEC-Backed QBS Bill June 23, 2024 On June 18, 2024, a Michigan legislative panel approved legislation that would expand the use of qualifications-based selection (QBS) for the selection of architect and engineering design (A/E/D) professionals, sending it to the full House for a vote. Read More
IIBEC Opposition Helps Defeat Anti-QBS Bill in Illinois June 09, 2024 IIBEC, in conjunction with other design and construction groups, succeeded in killing legislation in Illinois that would sidestep the qualifications-based selection (QBS) of architects, engineers, and design professionals. Introduced in the Illinois state senate in late April, S. 3932 would have amended the state procurement code to allow state agencies and school districts to use job order contracting (cooperative purchasing) to procure construction services—which, as defined in the bill, include architecture/engineering/design services. Read More
IIBEC Signs Coalition Letters Supporting Building Codes May 30, 2024 During the past month, IIBEC signed two coalition letters in support of building codes that were sent to US congressional committees. Read More
Bob Card Testifies Before Washington State Legislature on Code Council Process Bill February 01, 2024 Bob Card, F-IIBEC, RBEC, RRC, RWC, REWC, REWO, and former IIBEC president, testified January 30, 2024, before a Washington state House committee in support of legislation that would streamline the State Building Code Council’s process for considering new model codes. In mid-January IIBEC identified a pair of fast-moving bills pending before the Washington state legislature—SB 6291 and HR 2465—that would improve how the code council works and therefore increase the probability that the state would update its codes on a regular basis, a policy position IIBEC supports. IIBEC teamed with its Puget Sound Chapter to send a letter endorsing SB 6291 to Washington’s State Government & Elections Committee, which was scheduled to hold a January 26 hearing on the bill. Read More
Department of Labor Expands Injury, Illness Reporting Requirement for Certain Large Employers December 10, 2023 The Department of Labor recently announced a new rule that requires large employers in high-hazard industries like construction to electronically submit injury and illness data. The final rule takes effect January 1, 2024. Specifically, the rule requires businesses with 100 or more employees in designated industries to submit case-specific information from the OSHA Form 300 Log and the OSHA Form 301 Incident Report. The data must be electronically submitted through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application. (Determine if your company is required to report these data and read more about recordkeeping and the injury tracking application.) Read More
