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President's Message — AGC Contractors:
The Owner's Advantage
AGC prepares its members to meet
today's challenging work environment
By AGC President Harry Mashburn
Today's contractors face a competitive,
ever-changing work environment that's filled with limited
budgets, numerous project delivery options, materials shortages,
demanding project owners and unpredictable weather.
To succeed today, contractors must learn
that in addition to quality work, a good safety program, a
well-funded operation, marketing and presentation skills are
critical to getting the job done. The more successful contractors
know that to do the job right, they must listen to the owner's
needs and provide options and solutions that fit. Contractors
must keep up-to-date with the latest industry trends and innovations,
know where and why the market is moving and, most importantly,
how those changes will impact them.
AGC offers the resources and tools that
help members find real solutions for owners and ultimately
allows them to produce the best projects. AGC members are
highly skilled because they take advantage of the association's
top flight management training, impressive safety programs,
detailed manuals and guidelines, peer-to-peer learning experiences,
and hundreds of hours of continuing education through meetings,
seminars and other resources.
Better Informed
AGC members are also better informed about what is happening
in the construction industry. AGC newsletters, training programs
and meetings keep members educated on the complex world of
regulations and constantly evolving innovations. Through AGC's
construction economics and numerous communication tools, members
receive better information about industry trends, best practices,
risk trends and safety innovations. AGC publishes the latest
information from the construction industry because we believe
that better-informed contractors are better performers and
better industry advocates.
In the ever-changing world of technology, it is crucial for
contractors and owners to have a similar understanding of
the terminology and application of project delivery methods.
By jointly creating the 2nd edition of the CM/GC Guidelines
for Public Owners with the National Association of State Facilities
Administrators, AGC is making sure that our members have every
resource to make well-informed decisions about which systems
are best suited to an owner's project.
AGC uses best practices to create detailed industry guides
and programs. The Project Delivery Systems Textbook, Scheduling
Manual, State Law Matrix, Contract Documents and Environmental
Management Systems are just a few of the resources AGC has
created to ensure members are informed about the latest regulations,
guidelines and industry best practices.
AGC's expanding library of contract documents consists of
more than 100 individual documents, and the newly developed
DocuBuilder 5.0™ contract document software offers efficient,
reliable and cost-saving contract documents. AGC creates these
documents for its members but also actively participates in
the revision process for similar industry products such as
The American Institute of Architect's A201 family of documents
and the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee's construction-related
documents family.
Better Connected
AGC has built time-tested connections with leaders in the
business and construction industries, and has solid working
relationships with Capitol Hill, federal agencies and the
key owner organizations that benefit its members.
AGC's relationships with owner organizations provide members
with direct access to construction owners, including organizations
such as Construction Users Roundtable, Construction Owners
Association of America, Building Owners and Managers Association
and the National Associations of State Facilities Administrators.
These relationships give members a first-hand knowledge of
what's important to construction owners.
Another benefit of these partnerships is AGC's Federal Contractors
meeting, which provides an annual forum for discussing construction
issues with top-ranking procurement officers in federal agencies
such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Naval Facilities
Engineering Command and the General Services Administration.
Whether you have concerns about alternative delivery, performance
evaluations or change-order approvals, this meeting provides
unparalleled access to key decision makers.
All of these point to one conclusion: AGC contractors really
offer the owner's advantage.
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