BY AL SCHWARTZ, PLUMBING CONTRACTOR
The marketplace today has changed so drastically, and in so many ways, that it is difficult to form a complete list. The one constant though, is that contractors still exist (at least for the immediate future) and subcontractors still engage in commerce with them.
Contract negotiation basics have not changed very much, but the details sure have. Everyone, the general contractor, you, your employees, the supply house, manufacturers and your sub-subcontractors, is looking for an edge. Something to give them a leg up on their competition and get more bang-for-the-buck out of every move they make. If that were not the case, any or all of the above would be gone … out of business or worse.
As you already know, the economic outlook is hazy and not easy to predict. You could say is has gone from cool to frigid. Whether or not it has come up from frigid back to cool, in other words on the rebound, is a matter of personal speculation. So adaptation to the current conditions is a must for any businessperson who counts self preservation among their daily requirements. What that means for each of us may vary, but the bottom line is the same for all.
Read Full Story
BY CANDACE ROULO
MUNCIE, IND. — Ball State University will soon be home to the largest geothermal system in the U.S. The project is so large it is being done in phases, which includes drilling thousands of bore holes, installing the closed-loop system, upgrading campus buildings to work with the geothermal system, and building district energy stations.
The project began with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 9, 2009, and the first phase of the conversion process, roughly one-half of the campus is now in operation, which includes 19 buildings, representing 50% of the campus. The remaining 27 buildings will be connected to the geothermal system during Phase 2 of the project. All the buildings on the 730 acre campus total 6,700,000-sq.ft., which will be heated and cooled via the system.
Read Full Story
BY ROBERT P. MADER
PHOENIX — The International Code Council has finalized its International Green Construction Code and is readying it for publication by Spring of 2012. The code includes many water and energy saving features that will be familiar with anyone who has followed other green codes, standards and programs. It also has provisions intended to make the code simple to follow without performing calculations.
For example, Section 607.5 on pipe insulation for HVAC systems also carries over to pipe insulation for plumbing. Other codes and standards, such as ASHRAE's Standard 90.1, contain more complicated instructions on pipe insulation, but the IgCC keeps it simple — insulation thickness is equal to the pipe diameter, up to 2-in., explained Gary Klein, Affiliated International Management LLC, who submitted numerous code change proposals at the hearing.
Read Full Story
CHICAGO – Lance Corporal Luis Ocasio has served two tours of duty in Iraq, one in 2004 and another in 2007. During his deployment he suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. To complicate matters further, Ocasio's wife was diagnosed with cancer last year and had to undergo costly surgeries.
"I had complications coming back into civilian life," stated Ocasio. "It has been a hard transition back."
Read Full Story
BY CANDACE ROULO
WASHINGTON — On Nov. 21, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 674, the 3% Withholding Repeal and Job Creation Act, marking the first proposal from Obama's Jobs Act to be enacted. The legislation repeals the requirement that federal, state and large local governments begin withholding 3% of each payment of $10,000 or more to a contractor after Jan. 1, 2013. It also includes the Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 in which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in collaboration with the Secretary of Labor will establish a program of retraining assistance for eligible veterans, and creates tax breaks for companies that hire jobless veterans.
The effective date of the 3% withholding law was initially set for Jan. 1, 2011, by Section 511 of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act, signed in May 2006. When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009, the 3% withholding law was delayed one year to Jan. 1, 2012. On May 9, 2011, the IRS issued the final rule, delaying implementation for one year.
Read Full Story
BY AL SCHWARTZ, PLUMBING CONTRACTOR
The marketplace today has changed so drastically, and in so many ways, that it is difficult to form a complete list. The one constant though, is that contractors still exist (at least for the immediate future) and subcontractors still engage in commerce with them.
Contract negotiation basics have not changed very much, but the details sure have. Everyone, the general contractor, you, your employees, the supply house, manufacturers and your sub-subcontractors, is looking for an edge. Something to give them a leg up on their competition and get more bang-for-the-buck out of every move they make. If that were not the case, any or all of the above would be gone … out of business or worse.
As you already know, the economic outlook is hazy and not easy to predict. You could say is has gone from cool to frigid. Whether or not it has come up from frigid back to cool, in other words on the rebound, is a matter of personal speculation. So adaptation to the current conditions is a must for any businessperson who counts self preservation among their daily requirements. What that means for each of us may vary, but the bottom line is the same for all.
Read Full Story
|
