Nine associations representing construction contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals petitioned the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to alter how the office handles change orders.
The groups want the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) amended to "make explicit" that before ordering a change to a construction contract, the contracting officer must assure that funds are available to pay for additional work being ordered.
“Our members are facing increasing numbers of instances in which a Contracting Officer will direct a change in the scope of work on a construction project, lacking funds available to pay for the increased costs being imposed upon the contractor,” the associations wrote in a March 18 letter to OFCPP Administrator Anne Rung.
The groups signing the letter included the Design-Build Institute of America, the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Subcontractors Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, the National Association of Surety Bond Producers, the National Electrical Contractors Association, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association and The Surety & Fidelity Association of America.
They also recommended an amendment that would allow contracting officers to continue to make changes in the work within the general scope of the contract, at any time and without notice to sureties, “but only if funds are available to pay the costs of such changes.”
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2022
Controversial California solar power incentive proposal would reduce subsidies
Plan intended to encourage customers to install power storage systems.
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2022
New York City bans new gas hookups
Applies to gas stoves, boilers, and heaters in new buildings and buildings that undergo gut renovations.
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2022
New engineering guide on fire safety for very tall buildings released
Topics include emergency egress, fire resistance, building envelope, suppression, detection, alarms, and smoke control.
Codes and Standards | Dec 22, 2021
Updated ASCE 7-22 standard includes first-ever criteria for tornado-resistant design
New document provides up-to-date, coordinated loading provisions for general structural design.
Codes and Standards | Dec 21, 2021
Outdated and redundant building codes plague St. Louis area development
Region’s combined codes nearly double the length of the IRS Code.
Digital Twin | Dec 20, 2021
Groups ally to advance augmented reality and digital twin technology
AREA and Digital Twin Consortium to work on improving how technology components interoperate.
Codes and Standards | Dec 20, 2021
Tension rises in California over state’s push to build more housing
Attorney general hints at lawsuits against cities that don’t comply with zoning reform.
Codes and Standards | Dec 17, 2021
Tension rises in California over state’s push to build more housing
Attorney general hints at lawsuits against cities that don’t comply with zoning reform.
Codes and Standards | Dec 16, 2021
Home builders defeat proposed Oklahoma energy conservation code upgrade
Builders cite high home prices for opposition.
Codes and Standards | Dec 16, 2021
Laws and regulations complicate growth of community solar gardens
New projects stymied by utility resistance and legislative restrictions.