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CBO Editorial Staff

  • Resources

    Construction Materials Prices Rise Moderately in Jan.

    (Feb. 16, 2012) – The cost of construction materials is showing signs of accelerating after moderating in January, according to an analysis of producer price index figures and recent market information released  by the Associated General Contractors of America. Ongoing price increases underscore the urgency of funding public construction projects promptly, association officials said. “Cost increases have slowed in recent months but haven’t disappeared,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “In fact, today’s producer price index report may be the low point, as manufacturers and commodities markets are signaling that bigger increases may be just around the bend.”Simonson noted that the price index for construction inputs — a weighted average of all materials used in construction plus items consumed by contractors, such as diesel...

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  • Resources

    ACI Developing BIM Information Delivery Manual

    FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (Feb. 15, 2012) – A working group of the American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) Committee 131 on Building Information Modeling (BIM) is actively developing an Information Delivery Manual (IDM) for cast-in-place concrete.  The IDM will capture in written form the  interaction that occurs in the design and construction of concrete structures by identifying the parties involved in information exchange, what information is exchanged and when, based on a typical construction project timeline. This IDM project is the outcome of ACI’s Strategic Development Council’s (SDC) initiative to focus the concrete industry on developing interoperability standards, and represents the first step in the development of data exchanges into the buildingSMART’s Industry Foundation Classes (IFC).  IFC is an open and neutral data exchange format that covers...

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  • Resources

    SANY America Partners with DC Bates of Hopedale, Mass.

    PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. (February 14, 2012) – SANY America is pleased to announce its partnership with DC Bates Equipment Co, Inc of Hopedale, Mass.  This new dealer agreement expands SANY’s coverage to New England’s bridge, power and general contracting sectors. “We are honored that DC Bates chose SANY to grow their line of hoisting machinery. Coupled with their success in the material lifting market, our crawler and rough terrain cranes will help them become a one-stop shop for hoisting solutions,” said Kirk Erlinger, director of dealer development at SANY America. Until becoming a SANY dealer, DC Bates’ business focused on knuckle boom and aerial lift equipment, mostly serving the railroad, utilities and precast concrete markets. The new lines of SANY rough terrain and crawler cranes...

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  • Resources

    Transportation Secretary LaHood on President’s Plan for Transit Funding

    Washington (Feb. 14, 2012) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced funding recommendations for 10 new capital transit construction projects around the country as part of President Obama’s FY12 budget request. The Obama Administration’s budget proposal, announced yesterday, included a record $3.2 billion in funding for 28 transit construction projects across the United States that will increase mobility, reduce energy consumption, curb air pollution, and help our nation compete to win. “As President Obama made clear in his State of the Union Address, we must win the future by investing in a modern transportation network that will enable us to out-compete the rest of the world,” Secretary LaHood said. “The projects we are proposing to Congress are an important down payment on the President’s...

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  • Resources

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plans for 2012 Civil Works Appropriations

    WASHINGTON (Feb. 8, 2012) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released its work plans for the Army Civil Works program through the end of fiscal year 2012 (FY12). The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2012, Division B of Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, signed into law by President Obama on December 23, provided total FY12 appropriations for the Army Civil Works program of $5.002 billion.  The accompanying Statement of Managers report designated $4.495 billion of that total for individual programs, projects, and activities.  USACE was to allocate the remaining $507 million, designated as additional funding for ongoing work, to individual programs, projects, and activities, generally in accordance with criteria provided in the Statement of Managers. The Statement of Managers...

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  • Resources

    AIA Issues Statement on Transportation Bills

    Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2011) – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) issued the following statement in response to the transportation re-authorization bills making their way through both the House and the Senate. The statement should be attributed to AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA: “While we are gratified that both the House and the Senate are moving ahead on transportation bills, there are some provisions that would take our communities in the wrong direction,” said Potter. From the AIA’s perspective, here is a detailed look what’s good and what’s problematic in bills in transportation bills making their way through both the House and the Senate: “At a time when communities are struggling to get back on their feet, the ability to plan around transit, revitalize...

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  • Green Building

    Net Zero Energy Building Revenue to Grow

    As green building practices become more commonplace in the global construction industry, the goal of designing zero energy buildings, or buildings that consume as much energy as they produce through on-site and renewable energy systems, has emerged as the next major frontier.

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