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Governor Asked to Spare Office of State Engineer, Geodetic Survey and Grant Program The SC General Assembly did not overturn Governor Sanford’s veto to fund the State Budget and Control Board. Therefore, offices and responsibilities under the Budget and Control Board umbrella were in jeopardy. Mr. Joe Jones, ACEC-SC and SCSPE Executive Director, told the Governor in his letter “The office of the State Engineer is a vital link in the design/construction cycle for state improvements. The centralized service and specifications this office provides is important because designers and contractors are familiar with what is expected from this office since state improvements take place in many jurisdictions; this centralization makes sense. “Shutting down the Office of the State Engineer will have an immediate economic impact on the design/construction industry as professional, skilled and unskilled workers will be left without work they were counting on until another method of providing those services are established,” said Mr. Jones. Further, the design and construction industries believe the oversight and services provided by OSE are necessary, and the state, the stakeholders and the industry will be set back if these services are removed. He said the grant program that provides funds for water and waste water treatment plants to small communities generates work for designers and contractors as well as gives communities services they need. Shutting down this program again has an impact on those who work on these projects as well as the loss to needy communities. The geodetic survey office has provided a service to the surveying community making their work more efficient and effective. Although no jobs may be lost if this program is not funded, the efficiency and accuracy of future surveys will be affected said Mr. Jones. He concluded his letter to the Governor saying, “With all due respect to your efforts to save South Carolinians tax dollars, these programs under the Budget and Control Board have a place and in the opinion of the design community should be continued.” The Governor has not replied to the letter and the fate of these three important sections of the Budget and Control Board is not known at this time. SC Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is Taking Applications for Seat on SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Each engineering and surveying member of the Registration Board must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of South Carolina, must be licensed in this state, must have been engaged in the practice of engineering or surveying in this state for at least twelve (12) years, and must have been in responsible charge of important engineering or surveying work for at least five (5) years. Responsible charge of teaching engineering may be construed as responsible charge of engineering work. The primary responsibility of board members is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public of South Carolina. The South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is charged, by law, to make recommendations to the Governor from which he must appoint engineers and surveyors to the Registration Board. The South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is accepting letters of application from Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors who meet the state’s minimum requirements that wish to be considered for the two (2) Registration Board positions. It should be noted that the two (2) incumbents (Ms. Theresa Hodge, PE and Mr. Gene Dinkins, PE/PLS) have requested that they be reappointed to their respective seats for another term. The deadline for applications is August 31, 2010. The following information should be included in interested engineers’ and surveyors’ letters of applications: education and collegiate achievements, engineering/surveying achievements, professional and technical society activities, civic and humanitarian activities, continuing competence, professional experience, general personal data, and references. Send applications with the above information to the South Carolina Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies, c/o Jones, McAden & Associates, P.O. Box 11937, Columbia, SC 29211-1937. Announcing the 2011 SC Engineering Conference & Tradeshow The 2011 Conference committee is meeting soon to start planning education seminars, fun fellowship activities, and another great conference. So mark your calendar, put it in your smart phone, or post it on your refrigerator, just make sure you don’t miss the 2011 SC Engineering Conference and Tradeshow June 9-12, 2011 at the Hilton Head Marriott. Note on FAR Regulations on Overhead Expenses He said, “At first glance, it would appear a sponsorship is promotion thus not allowable in the overhead rate. Not true. Not all sponsorships are created equal. A trade show exhibit is not allowable, nor is the sponsorship of a break. However, According to FAR 31.205-1(f)(3) “costs of sponsoring meetings, conventions, symposia, seminars, and other special events when the principal purpose of the event is…the dissemination of technical information” is an allowable cost.” He concluded, “So, saying yes to a client can produce an increase in the overhead rate if the expenditure is planned and documented. Promotion is bad, education is good, but promoting an educational session or program is great.” Mr. Owens led an AASHTO/FAR full-day workshop in Columbia which was sponsored by ACEC-SC and SCDOT. He also made presentations at the 2009 and 2010 SC Engineering Conference. Office of the State Engineer Seeks Input on SC’s Proposed Modifications to AIA Documents He said, “Our attorney’s are still reviewing proposed modifications to the B101-2007 (Agreement between Owner and Architect). As soon as our proposed modifications to the B101 are complete, we will post the changes to this document and notify all parties.” These documents are posted at: http://www.mmo.sc.gov/MMO/ose/MMO-ose-draft-manual.phtm Mr. White said, “This is not a posting for purposes of starting the promulgation process but a preliminary posting until such time as we are ready to start the promulgation process. Any comments may be directed to me. For ease of filing, tracking, and retrieval, please send comments via email.” John White SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Loses Three Staff Personnel Ms. Tiffany Connelly will continue to process engineer and surveyor applications in her new position in the OLC division, Ms Miriam Berry, a longtime registration board employee, will work on the licensure renewals in OLC. Ms. Wanda Cook is expected to handle portfolio applications. The remaining registration board staff – Ms. Simpson, Ms. Melissa Jones and Ms. Alice Richardson and Ms. Sherri Moorer are responsible for board meetings, laws and regulations, hearings and “non-routine” applications. SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Administrator Given Additional Regulatory Board Mr. Sherri Moorer, a longtime employee of the Advisory Council, joins Ms. Simpson’s staff and will handle the licensing responsibilities for landscape architects and eventually assist with work for the engineering and surveying board as well as the architect’s board. Extension of Government Permits Approved SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors Approved Funds for Educational Programs Exceed $50,000 State law allocates $10 of each engineer’s and surveyor’s registration fee to be allocated to an educational fund to assist in providing continuing education for registered engineers and surveyors. Since 2008, the registration board has approved requests totaling $52,468. ACEC-SC, ASCE-SC, SCSPE and SCSPLS have received funds for programs where professional development hours are awarded. ASCE-SC also received funds to develop a web-based course for the PE Exam. These funds have helped bring strong technical and management programs to engineers and surveyors. Wilbur Smith Associates and CDM Discussing Merging Each firm is a global leader in the consulting industry. CDM’s primary business is in water, wastewater, and environmental, while WSA is known for their expertise in all facets of transportation. This merger would bring together one of the nation’s top water and environmental firms with one of the nation’s top transportation firms. A merger between WSA and CDM would represent a strategic opportunity for both firms, which have compatible cultures and values, complementary capabilities, strong commitments to exceptional client service and technical excellence, and well-matched geographies. Both firms are employee owned; therefore this merger will require a vote by shareholders. Because the firms are currently in the process of due diligence, further details are not available at this time. It is anticipated that discussions will continue through the fall. CDM is a consulting, engineering, construction, and operations firm delivering exceptional service to public and private clients worldwide. WSA is a professional services consulting firm that specializes in transportation, infrastructure and community development planning, engineering, and economics. Life Cycle Engineering Awarded $1.7M T&E/S&T Contract via the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Simulation Training Instrumentation (PEO STRI) to Build a Net-Centric Software Development Kit This contract was awarded via the Acquisition Center to build a Government Off-The-Shelf software development kit (SDK) that facilitates the visualization and testing of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) based environments. An SDK is a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create or augment applications for a software package. The cost plus fixed fee contract award has a three year period of performance with a value of $1.7 million. “Life Cycle Engineering has developed a Virtual Management Information Base (VMIB) concept that addresses the technological gaps associated with the information domain of warfare,” shares David Johnson, Senior Vice President of LCE’s Applied Technology Group. “Managing and monitoring the Net-Centric distributed infrastructure, plus testing of integrated architectures and information operations, is vital to U.S. military efforts and LCE is proud to be able to support these leading-edge technology challenges.” Life Cycle Engineering is a leading provider of reliability consulting, engineering services, and applied technology solutions that help both government and private enterprises achieve sustainable success. Widely recognized as the premier provider of innovative and successfully executed reliability and maintenance solutions worldwide, areas of focus for LCE include: design and engineering, logistics support, information technology applications, program management, change management, education, and holistic implementations of Reliability Excellence (Rx). Founded in 1976, LCE is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina with offices across North America. Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. Acquires Jordon, Jones and Goulding, Inc. Jacobs is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional, and construction services. Engineering Organization Sponsors Golf Tournament at Northwoods Golf Club in Columbia The cost will be $50 per player which includes golf, cookout, snacks & beverages. You can purchase a mulligan and red tee for $5. We are honored to have SCDOT Deputy Secretary for Engineering John Walsh as our guest speaker this year. If you don’t want to play golf, please join us for the meeting prior to the tournament. The food will be served promptly at 11AM and Mr. Walsh during lunch; so tournament begins promptly at NOON. CALLING ALL CONSULTANTS: Please email or call Mr. Mike Ridgeway at mridgeway@srsengr.com or 803-252-1799 with your sponsorship confirmation to ensure signage and coverage in upcoming emails about the tournament. It’s only $150 and it’s for a great cause. There were over 35 sponsors last year and are looking to beat that number this year. Also volunteers are needed to help at the course with the check-in table, beverages, etc. Contact Mr. Ridgeway. Remember, golfers of all ability are welcome in this tournament.
The American Council of Engineering of South Carolina is a member of organization of the ACEC-SC Reports is published for members firms and friends by
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"What we do is all around you."
We would like to thank our sponsors and exhibitors: Silver Sponsor Bronze Sponsors
Mid-Morning Break Sponsor Golf Lunch Sponsor Exhibitors
August 5 August 13 October 7 October 10 October 19–22 October 27 October 29 & 30 November 4 November - TBA November 19 December 2 December 10 December 15 December 17 January 6 January 7 January 25 February 3 February 8 February 11 February 20-26 February 23 March 17-21 April - TBA April - TBA April 8 & 9 May 5 May - TBA May 18 June 1 June 9-12 June 9 June 11
We would like to thank those that have committed to participate in this year's annual meeting as an exhibitor or sponsor. Bronze Trade Show Exhibitors
ACEC-SC would like to thank our members for your continued support. For membership information contact Ginger Booker at ginger@jma-associations.com. The mission of ACEC-SC is to promote and protect the business interests and professional standards of engineers in the state of South Carolina; and to improve member firms' ability to profitably provide quality services to their clients. ACEC-SC is an Organization of more than 80 Engineering firms employing more than 4,000 individuals. Membership Information
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