Current federal contracting laws are discouraging talented architects from competing for federal contracts, depriving government and, by inference, taxpayers of the best design expertise available, according to AIA testimony presented today on Capitol Hill.
Testifying before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Charles Dalluge, Executive Vice President of Omaha, Nebraska-based architecture firm Leo A Daly, called for reform of the design-build contracting process so that more design and architectural firms can bid on federal contracts without fear of losing money in the process.
The federal market has been a key for architecture firms’ survival in the recession, and increased competition costs have forced many firms from participating in federal contracts, Dalluge testified.
“According to a survey published by the AIA Large Firm Roundtable in 2012, between 2007 and 2011 architecture firms in teams that competed for public- and private-sector design-build projects spent a median of $260,000, by making detailed plans, models and other materials,” Dalluge said. In recent years, federal agencies have forced larger numbers of teams to compete against one another, reducing the chances that any one team can win.
“Due to the current economic climate, design firms face the dilemma of ‘betting it all’ on a contract they may not get, or self-selecting out of the federal design-build market,” Dalluge said, adding that it also costs taxpayers more money “when contracting officers spend increasing amounts of time reviewing a larger number of complicated design proposals.”
To reform the burdensome federal contracting process, Dalluge called on Congress to pass The Design-Build Efficiency and Jobs Act of 2013 (H.R. 2750), which was introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) in July.
“H.R. 2750 requires contracting officers to provide a written justification to the head of an agency for requiring more than five finalists in the second stage of a design-build solicitation and agency approval of such justification,” Dalluge said. “H.R. 2750 will provide more certainty and opportunities for design firms of all sizes who wish to enter the federal marketplace. It will ensure that agencies have the ability to select the most qualified design-build teams who will deliver the best buildings for agencies and the public. It also will limit federal agencies’ burdens in reviewing a large number of proposals.”
About the American Institute of Architects
For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.
About LEO A DALY
Established in 1915, LEO A DALY is an international architecture, engineering, and interior design firm. The Company’s portfolio includes award-winning projects in 87 countries and all 50 states. With over 800 employees in 30 offices worldwide, the firm ranks in the top 10 largest design firms in the United States and top 25 globally. For more information, visit www.leoadaly.com
Related Stories
| Feb 26, 2012
Milwaukee U-Haul facility receives LEED-CI Silver
The new elements of the facility now include: efficient lighting with day-lighting controls and occupancy sensors, a high-efficiency HVAC system used in conjunction with a newly constructed thermal envelope to help reduce energy consumption, and the installation of low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption.
| Feb 26, 2012
Hollister Construction awarded 42,000-sf office fit-out in Holtsville, N.Y.
Space leased by U.S. General Service Administration.
| Feb 26, 2012
Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin’s Chen LEED certified
Chen works closely with property owners to ensure that their properties meet and exceed all industry standards, and also provide long-term energy savings.
| Feb 24, 2012
ABI remains positive for three straight months
The AIA reported the January ABI score was 50.9, following a mark of 51.0 in December.
| Feb 24, 2012
Larry Lord joins HDR Architecture as south region science and technology director
A founding partner at Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Lord is nationally renowned for his leadership in architecture for complex projects.
| Feb 24, 2012
Pottorff elevated to principal at Ricci Greene Associates
Pottorff is recognized in the justice field as an expert solely dedicated to the design and planning of courts and urban jails in both the U.S. and Canada.
| Feb 24, 2012
Skanska hires Tingle as senior VP and national director for its Sports Center of Excellence
Tingle has worked in the architecture and construction industries for more than 30 years, and for the last 23 years, he has focused primarily on large-scale sports construction projects
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.