Last week, the NECA-supported National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (NDAA), which includes a key provision requiring federal agencies to provide a notification to prospective bidders regarding their policies on change orders, was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Under the new law, federal agencies will be required to make public their payment practices and history of payment on past change order work. Click here to watch a video highlighting NECA’s legislative action on this bill.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a set of 53 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance to employers and employees regarding the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction.

NECA was involved in the formulation of these FAQs through its participation in the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), an organization made up of 25 trade associations that represents associations from all sectors of the construction industry committed to helping create safety construction job-sites for workers.

The development of the FAQs stemmed from litigation filed against OSHA by numerous construction industry trade associations challenging the legality of OSHA’s rule. OSHA has agreed to issue a Request for Information on Table 1 to revise the table to improve its utility. NECA will continue to look for ways to work with OSHA to improve workability of this significant rule.

NECA’s latest Value Added Service (VAS) opportunity with KEEN Utility, a safety footwear brand, is available to NECA Members, Chapters and Staff. The company produces job site and PPE-rated footwear, including over 20 styles made in America using materials sourced from around the world. NECA Member-Contractors will receive special offers on KEEN Utility safety footwear, plus free ground shipping! Visit www.necanet.org/KEEN to take advantage of this offer.

You can also visit www.necanet.org/vas to learn more about the discounts and services that NECA offers.

Modesto Gospel Mission provides nutritious meals, warm beds and a place of safety for thousands of poor and homeless men, women and children. The Mission receives no government funding and depends completely on the gifts of generous donors. This year, Brian Gini (Collins Electrical Company, Inc.) and Ryan Sarna delivered a $7,500 donation to the Modesto Gospel Mission.

Aldea Children and Family Services improves people’s mental health so they can strengthen their relationships and become engaged in the community. Through critical mental health treatment, foster care, and adoption and supportive services, Aldea helps more than 3,900 people annually in Napa and Solano Counties who face obstacles to accessing and receiving effective treatment. This year, Greg Armstrong and Scot VanBuskirk presented Aldea with a $7,500 donation.

For the 17th consecutive year, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area Foundation received a portion of our golf proceeds, this year totaling $10,000. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. In 2018, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area celebrates 34 years fulfilling magical wishes. During the first year of operation, in 1984, the chapter granted 27 wishes. Now one of the largest chapters nationwide, the Greater Bay Area grants over 375 wishes per year and has granted nearly 8,000 wishes to date. The Chapter covers 17 Northern California counties and its goal is to grant a wish to every eligible child in its territory. Micaela Walden with Make-A-Wish met Chapter staff at our NorCal NECA office to be presented with the $10,000 donation!

To provide more resources to members, NECA has partnered with online training provider Open Sesame to offer some of the more than 20,000 courses in their online training catalog. To kick off this offering, NECA has curated a list of 40 general business and office courses for our membership. This includes courses on: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Creating Strong Team Culture, Employee Motivation, Individual Listening Skills, Management Skills, Managing Different Generations, Microsoft Introductory and Advanced Training, Planning and Prioritizing, Sexual Harassment, Time Management, and Writing Letters and Emails.

A full list of courses can be viewed on the NECA Learning Center. Course prices vary based on length, with more than half under $20 and all under $40!

NECA looks forward to releasing additional curated courses in the weeks ahead. If there is a topic you’re looking for, let us know at education@necanet.org.

 

ELECTRI International has published a new report that investigates the impact of owner-supplied or GC-supplied material and equipment. This investigation was conducted by MCA, Inc., and focused on evaluating the value transfer throughout the construction supply chain to the end user.

In this research report, contractors will learn more about ways the issues of cost, time and quality can be used to explain to developers and GCs why direct purchase may not be the best (profitable) route to take. The ELECTRI report details how cost reduction is a collaborative approach to information sharing and cost reduction when the waste of resources is reduced and productivity and throughput are increased. Click here to see the brochure and click here to see the full report.