ABC to Host Green Building Symposium

ABC is holding a Green Building Symposium in conjunction with Ecobuild America on Dec. 7. The one-day conference takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. 

The conference will include several sessions on green building topics including; “Green Building Outlook: Trends and Opportunities for Sustainable Design and Construction During Economic Recovery;” “Best Practice: Using Pervious Concrete for Managing Storm Water;” “Chicken or the Egg: Using the IPD Process to Drive Cultural/Generational Evolution;” and “Green Building: Codes, Regulations, Process and Legal Exposure.” The conference will conclude with a reception for networking opportunities. 

ABC members can register for this event at www.GreenConstructionAtWork.com/Symposium . Members will need to register for the Tuesday day pass in order to attend ABC’s conference. The cost of registration is $245 with a 15 percent discount for ABC members. In order to obtain the 15 percent discount, ABC members must enter discount code ABC15TEX.   For more information on ABC’s Green Building Symposium, please visit www.GreenConstructionAtWork.com/Symposium.  

For any further questions, please contact Jen Huber, huber@abc.org.  

Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) Down 9 Percent in January

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) sharply declined by 9 percent between November 2009 and January 2010. CBI has slipped 16.3 percent during the last year and currently stands at 5.5 months, the lowest point reported in the 15 months ABC has gathered data. CBI is a forward-looking indicator that measures the amount of construction work under contract to be completed in the future.


"The fact that the CBI is now at its lowest point since ABC began measuring the statistic in November 2008 indicates that the nation's nonresidential construction industry remains mired in its own recession," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.

"Nonresidential construction tends to lag the overall economy by 12 to 24 months. With the broader economy having been in a slow recovery for roughly three quarters, and with the stimulus package still having an impact, the hope had been that some signs of backlog stability would be apparent by now. However, all indications continue to point toward an ongoing decline in the commercial and industrial construction industry."

Regional Highlights

Between January 2009 and January 2010, average backlog was down in each of the geographic regions, except for the Middle States.

Particularly sharp declines occurred in the Northeast and the South, which have both experienced declines of roughly half a month of backlog during the past two months.

The sharpest regional decline occurred in the South, falling from 8.12 months in January 2009 to 6.03 months in January 2010.

Analysis

"While most regions experienced a decline in average backlog during the latest two-month period, with the exception of the Middle States, the pace of decline was quite modest. Overall, the data are consistent with the notion that while the pace of decline continues to slow, the downward trend is evident in virtually every region of the nation."

Industry Highlights

The average backlog fell in all three industry segments – commercial, industrial and infrastructure – between January 2009 and January 2010.

Between November 2009 and January 2010, average backlog in the infrastructure category fell by precisely two months.

At 5.3 months, backlog in the commercial and institutional category now stands at its lowest level in the survey's history.

Analysis

"The data indicate that infrastructure-related work, attributable to the stimulus package passed in February 2009, is no longer generating substantial new backlog now that the funds have largely been obligated to current projects under way. The elevated backlog readings of previous months are associated with substantial levels of ongoing construction, but the decline in backlog signals an eventual downturn in infrastructure-related construction spending."


Highlights by Company Size

With the exception of firms in the $30 million to $50 million category, average backlog declined for every size category.

No firm in the $75 million to $100 million category reported an average backlog of more than five months, and many reported backlog between three and four months.

Firms with annual revenues in excess of $100 million reported the lengthiest backlog, although backlog for this group has been declining overall in recent months.

Analysis

"Average backlog is now at its lowest level in both the $50 million to $75 million and the $75 million to $100 million categories. Many of these firms appear to be general contractors that continue to be underbid by larger firms with greater resources and greater capacity to undertake projects with little or no profit margin built into their bids. Larger firms also may be more likely to maintain productive banking relationships, allowing them to more nimbly access available contractual opportunities."

To read more about the latest CBI, click here.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 77 chapters representing 25,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with two million employees. Visit ABC at http://www.abc.org/

ABC Offers Green Contractor Certification Program

For contractors interested in sustainability and green construction, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) offers a Green Contractor Certification program. According to ABC, the programs documents the efforts of merit shop construction firms that are developing a sustainable workplace environment and to recognize those ABC members that are leaders in the green industry.

The process starts by submitting an application detailing green efforts and undergoing a third-party onsite assessment to achieve certification from ABC’s National Green Building Committee. ABC’s Certified Green Contractor program focuses on the green initiatives ABC member firms undertake in the workplace, not on construction practices, and it certifies companies, not individuals.

“ABC members have been on the forefront of the green building movement since its inception, but ABC also believes in stretching green achievements beyond the construction process and into the workplace,” said W. Brewster Earle, chairman of the ABC National Green Building Committee and president of Comfort Systems USA Energy Services, in Hartford, Conn. “The Green Contractor Certification program is another step in ABC’s goal to provide support and recognition for those firms that are setting an example for the industry by promoting green practices within the company and those that would like to create sustainability in the workplace as well as in construction practices.”

Twelve prerequisites ranging from the electronic distribution of documents to establishing an aggressive recycling program must be completed by each company. In addition, companies are required to fulfill at least 12 out of 36 elective items that include conducting a professional energy audit, engaging in water conservation efforts and providing incentives for carpooling or using public transportation. Each company also must achieve four education and training benchmarks, such as instructing employees on sustainability issues and requiring at least 25 percent of eligible managers to receive green building awareness education. For more information, visit ABC’s green website http://www.greenconstructionatwork.com//.