Engineering Inc 0910
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T h e A w A r d m A g A z i n e
FAA Administrator Randy BabbittVision for Aviation and theImportant Role of Engineers
Headtothe
Skies
engineeringincwww.acectember/october 2010
How to LimitRisk ThroughSmarterContracts
NavigatingSustainabilityRating Systems
GroundbreakingStormwaterProjects
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4/38travelers.com2008 The Travelers Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Travelers Indemnity Company and its property casualty affiliates. One Tower Square, Hartford, CT 06183
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 Vol. 21, No. 5engineeringinc.
Departments
COVER PHOTO by gaRy landsman
Features
4
128
21
From ACEC to You 2Strategies for sustained profitability await Fall
Conference attendees.
NEws ANd NotEs 4ACEC leadership gets first-hand look at oil spill
cleanup; stimulus grant targets holistic solutionsfor infrastructure problems.
mArkEt wAtCh 5High-speed rail proponents hope history
repeats itself.
LEgisLAtivE ACtioN 6Congress buys more time on FAA bill; House, Senate
advance increased F.Y. 2011 transportation spending.
BusiNEss iNsights 28Make sure your staff knows the businessof
engineering; do you really know your companysfinancials; megaprojectshigh risk, high impact
on society.
mEmBErs iN thE NEws 30PBSJ Corporation enters into merger agreement
with WS Atkins plc; Sparling acquires ILA Zammit
Engineering; Sam L. Claassen named president of
Short Elliott Hendrickson.
thE diFFErENCE is iN thE dEtAiLs12Firms learn to manage risk, limit liability through specific
contract language.
how to mEAsurE grEEN 16Evolving sustainability rating systems help drive eco-friendlyengineering design.
rECYCLEd rAiN 21Stormwater reuse and retention projects help communities makebetter use of natural resources.
2010 FALL CoNFErENCE PrimEr 26Join colleagues to discuss Key Industry Trends, Market Forecastsand Business Challenges at El Conquistador Resort inPuerto Rico.
Cover Feature
FAA AdmiNistrAtor rANdY BABBitt 8Crafting a vision for safer, more efficient air travel. And theimportant role of engineers in addressing aviations majorinfrastructure challenges.
Engineering Inc. promotes the advocacy and business interests of ACEC by offering news, legislative analysis and business practiceinformation to member firms, clients, opinion leaders and policy makers.
The articles and editorials appearing in this magazine do not represent an official ACEC position or policy unless specifically identified as doing so.
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FromACECto You
Engineering Inc., Volume 21, Number 5 (ISSN 1539-2694), is publishedbi-monthly by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC),1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005-2605. Periodicalspostage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Annualsubscriptions are $24 for members (included in dues as a non-deductible
amount); $45 for U.S. non-members; $65 for institutional subscriptions.Back issues are $15.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Engineering Inc., c/o ACEC,1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005-2605.
2010 American Council of Engineering Companies. All rights reserved.This publication may be copied, downloaded from the ACEC website, storedin electronic or hard-copy format, and disseminated to third parties foreducational and information purposes. ACEC expressly disclaims any liabilityfor damages of any kind in connection with such copying, downloading,
storage, and/or dissemination. By copying, downloading, storing and/ordisseminating this publication, the recipient of this publication expresslyagrees to defend, indemnify, and hold ACEC, its officers, directors, employees,volunteers and agents harmless from and against any and all losses, damages,
claims, causes of action and liabilities, including reasonable attorneys fees andcosts, arising out of or resulting from the recipients use of this publication.Notwithstanding the above, no part of this publication may be altered, resold,licensed, or used for any other commercial purposes without the prior writtenpermission of ACEC. Recipients may opt out of receiving the electronicversion of this publication from ACEC by sending an e-mail with the subjectline Unsubscribe to ACEC at [email protected].
Engineering Inc. subscribers: If you have a mailing address correction or needto add or remove an employee from the Engineering Inc. mailing list, pleasecontact the ACEC Membership Department at [email protected] orcall 202-347-7474 and ask for Member Records.
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES
CHAIRMANGerald Stump
PRESIDENT&CEODavid A. Raymond
VICEPRESIDENT, Mary Ann Emely OPERATIONS
VICEPRESIDENT, Steven Hall GOVERNMENTAFFAIRS
VICEPRESIDENT, Jeffrey L. Beard INSTITUTEFORBUSINESS
MANAGEMENT
DIRECTOR,COMMUNICATIONSAlan D. Crockett andMEDIA
STAFFEDITOR Andrea [email protected]
SENIORCOMMUNICATIONS Gerry Donohue WRITER
ACEC PUBLIC RELATIONS AND
EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN Cynthia K. Allen
TMG
MANAGINGEDITOR Corey Murray
ARTDIRECTORS Jeff Kibler, Melissa Miller Hamid
PROJECTMANAGER Mary Mieszczanski
ADVERTISING SALES
Nina GoldmanDirector, Sales and M.O. ServicesACEC1015 15th Street, NW, 8th FloorWashington, D.C. [email protected]
engineeringinc.
WWW.ACEC.ORG
As the nations economic recovery continues at a snails pace,
ACECs upcoming Fall Conference will help Members navigateuncertain market conditions.
Set to take place Oct. 1720 at El Conquistador Hotel in Puerto Rico,the Fall Conference features more than two dozen cutting-edge businessmanagement sessions.
Noted industry leaders will assess specific sectors, especially transportation,energy and water.
MSNBCs Morning Joe Scarborough will keynote the Conferencewith his trademark no-holds-barred political commentary. In an otherworldly feature, astronomer Daniel Altschuler, former director of the
Arecibo Radio Observatory, will delve into latest discoveries about theuniverse and possibilities of extraterrestrial life. For more information on theConference, see page 26.
This issue ofEngineering Inc. also presents an exclusive interview withRandy Babbitt, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration,
whose vision for the nations aviation system underscores the importance ofengineers in the design process. See page 8.
You will also find of interest a report on sustainability rating systems,as well as a look at how risk management-based contracting can affect aprojects bottom line.
We look forward to seeing you at the Conference.
Gerald Stump David A. RaymondACEC Chairman ACEC President & CEO
Fall Conference toHighlight Strategies
For Profitability
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ENGINEERING INC. SEptEmbER / OCtObER 20104
News&Notes
ACEC President DaveRaymond and ViceChairman Robin Green-
leaf, joined by ACEC/Louisianaleaders, toured the Louisianacoastline in late July to witnessthe efforts of Member Firmsmitigating the impact of theDeepwater Horizon oil spill.
These engineers are on thefront line of the cleanup effort,said Greenleaf, president of
Architectural Engineers, Inc.,
in Boston. They are usingunbelievably creative solutionsto impossible engineering prob-lemsand getting results.
Kenneth Smith, president ofT. Baker Smith in Houma, La.,hosted the ACEC delegation,
which also included ACEC/Louisiana President Dean Nico-
ladis, National Director MichaelMcGaugh, and Executive Direc-tor Dan Mobley.
Among the projects the grouptoured was an 8-mile-long fixedpipe boom along Grand Isle.There was no oil getting pastthe boom, said Nicoladis, presi-dent of N-Y Associates, Inc., inMetairie, La. The water lookedbeautiful.
Coastal restoration work hasalways been important here, he
said. With the oil spill, it willmove up several notches higheron the list of priorities.
The delegation also met withDr. Kam K. Movassaghi, presi-dent of C. H. Fenstermaker &
Associates, Inc., in Lafayette,regarding the impact of thedrilling moratorium on ACEC
members working in the energy
sector.In related news, ACEC Presi-
dent Dave Raymond sent a letterto Interior Secretary Ken Salazarurging a speedy end to the mor-atorium on drilling in the deep-
water Outer Continental Shelf.The Council advocates liftingthe ban after an expedited exami-
nation of the 33 currently idle
deep-water rigs to assure integ-rity. The economic harm of themoratorium to the Gulf region,our nation and our industrymanifests itself in the loss of vitaldomestic energy productionand tens of thousands of jobs ata time when our economy canleast afford it, said Raymond.
Clemson Universitys civil engineer-ing department is offering a newmasters program in sustainable
and resilient infrastructure that will traingraduates to confront the nations infra-structure problems.
Funded by a $700,000 National ScienceFoundation (NSF) grant made available bythe American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, the program will cover tuition for 14masters degree students over three years.The first seven students will begin this fall.
We are preparing a generation ofengineers who will examine the nationsinfrastructure throughout its life, from theplanning stages through design, construc-tion, operation, maintenance and rehabili-tation, said Ron Andrus, associate profes-sor of engineering at Clemson and principalinvestigator on the project. Andrus also
wrote in his abstract about the need for aparadigm shift to look holistically at the
nations infrastructure throughout its life.Unlike traditional civil engineering
programs, Clemson officials said, the newprogram will involve interdisciplinarycoursework and internships with externalpartners to help students focus on broaderissues involving the nations infrastructureproblems, from aging roads and bridges to
water supplies and power grids.
The department of civil engineeringrecently has adopted resilient andsustainable infrastructure as a researchand educational focus, and I believethis was instrumental in securing thegrant from NSF, said Nadim M. Aziz,department chairman.
The students will work in interdis-ciplinary teams, gain experience withbusinesses in the field and learn to com-municate their ideas to technical andnontechnical audiences. External partners
will include national laboratories, inter-national engineering firms, state and localgovernment agencies, and nonprofit andprofessional organizations.
By working in project teams andthrough extensive interaction with ourexternal partners, these students will gainexpertise that will allow them to contributeimmediately to the workforce in a criticalarea of the nations economy, Aziz said.
Stimulus Grant Targets Holistic SolutionsFor Infrastructure Problems
ACEC Leaders GetFirst-Hand Look at OilSpill Cleanup; Urge EndTo Drilling Moratorium
ACEC/National and ACEC/Louisiana leaders toured several oil barrier
protection and skimming operations along the Louisiana coast. Pictured
left to right: ACEC/LA National Director Mike McGaugh; ACEC/LA Executive
Director Dan Mobley; ACEC/LA President Dean Nicoladis; Kenneth Smith,
president of T. Baker Smith; Ben Malbrough of The Shaw Group; ACEC
President Dave Raymond; and ACEC Vice Chairman Robin Greenleaf.
A shot of the Springfield Interchange, also known
as the Mixing Bowl, in Northern Virginia.
Cameron
DaviDson/GettyimaGes
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MarketWatch
SEptEmbER / OCtObER 2010 ENGINEERING INC. 5
B y J o e s a l i m a n D o
Can High-Speed Rail Follow History?
Can something goodcome from the eco-nomic misery thenation has endured
over these last couple years?Believe it or not, theres actuallya precedent for it.
During the Great Depressionin the 1930s, the federal govern-ment attempted to jump-startthe economy through increasedspending, a tactic that eventu-ally led to the construction ofseveral national landmarks,including the George Washing-ton Bridge (1931), the HooverDam (1936) and the Golden
Gate Bridge (1937).Today, that same school of
thought could be applied tothe federal governments inter-est in a national high-speed rail(HSR) network.
With billions of stimulusdollars earmarked for HSRprojects, supporters speculatethat such an investment wouldcreate new opportunities forengineering firms, boost local
economies by providing thou-sands of construction jobs andpromote greener and moreefficient transportation ofpeople and goods.
Stimulus at WorkSpecifically, the 2009 stimuluspackage committed $8 bil-lion for HSR projects, with$1 billion more each year forfive years. A national interestin HSR was confirmed when
37 states and the District ofColumbia submitted 259proposals totaling $57 billionfor HSR funding before theFederal Railroad Administra-tion (FRA). Of that total, 79applications from 31 states
were selected for funding.According to FRA, the gov-
ernment will underwrite fourtypes of projects:
ExpressHSR,atspeedsof150200 mph on stand-alonetracks;
RegionalHSR,atspeedsof125150 mph;
EmergingHSR,consistingof upgrades to existing rail-roads, at speeds of 110125mph; and
Improvedintercitypassen-ger rail.The largest slices of the HSR
funding pie went to California($2.34 billion) and Florida($1.25 billion) (see map). SevenMidwest states (Illinois, Indi-ana, Michigan, Minnesota,Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin)
together shared $2.62 billion tofund 24 projects.
Critics say the funds are toowidely dispersed; instead, theycontend the money would havebeen better spent on three orfour mega-HSR initiatives.
Mortimer Downey, chair-man of PB Consult and aformer deputy secretary of theU.S. Department of Transpor-
tation, has said:Those whowant to say its about whetherwe should build bullet trains ornot miss the point. Its abouthow we should look at alterna-
tive modes of travel in differentcorridors. This is a down pay-ment on a multiyear, multibil-lion-dollar program.
Taking FullAdvantageCalifornia has the nationsmost ambitious plan. An HSRline running from San Diegoto San Francisco to Sacramentohas a preconstruction budget of$43 billion.
Across the country, much ishappeningand engineeringfirms are out in front.
Parsons Brinckerhoff, forexample, was awarded threenew contracts to manage high-speed and intercity passengerrail initiatives in Illinois, Ohioand Florida. And the firm iscurrently program manager forthe development of a new high-
speed rail line in California.And in Floridawhere the
construction of an HSR lineconnecting the states five-largestcities was once constitutionally
requiredconstruction is slatedto begin on a Tampa-Orlandohigh-speed line no later thanMarch 2011.
Many ACEC Member Firmsare involved in HSR projects.Engineering Inc. will highlightseveral HSR projects in anupcoming 2011 issue. If yourfirm is involved with any formof HSR design and construc-tion, and you think your project
would be of interest to Engineer-
ing Inc. readers, ACEC wouldlike to hear from you. The proj-ect can be in an on-going phaseor recently completed. Pleasesend an e-mail to Staff Editor
Andrea Keeney at [email protected] for further information.
Joe Salimando writes on constructionat www.electricalconstruction.com.Reach him at [email protected].
Source: www.whitehouse.gov
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ENGINEERING INC. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 20106
LegislativeAction
ACEC Calls for AdministrationTo Halt Insourcing
ACEC urged the Obama administration recently to issuean immediate moratorium on insourcing.
In cooperation with more than three dozen organi-zations, ACEC sent a letter to President Obama stating thatinsourcing has failed to produce the projected savings for the fed-eral government and has become a drag on the economy.
Real growth and job creation is in the private sector, saidACEC President Dave Raymond. The federal governmentshould not compete with its citizens.
AASHTO Audit ConferencePromotes Implementation ofNew Audit Guide
ACEC representatives, headed by ACEC Audit Sub-committee Chairman Dan Purvine of Kimley-Hornand Associates, Inc., advocated for full implementa-
tion of the new American Association of State Highway andTransportation Officials (AASHTO) audit guidelines at the
AASHTO Internal and External Audit Subcommittee Con-ference in Alabama.
The new guidelines were developed last fall by ACEC, theFederal Highway Administration and state departments oftransportation (DOT)officials to ensure thatstate DOTs follow Fed-
eral Acquisitions Regula-tions (FAR)-based pro-cedures when procuringengineering services.
Officials from 34 stateDOTs and the FederalHighway Administrationattended the meetingto review efforts to imple-ment the audit guidelinesand to discuss specificopportunities to improve
compliance amongstate agencies.The AASHTO conference provided an outstanding forum to
discuss the implementation of the AASHTO Audit Guide, issuesfaced by our state DOT and federal agency clients, and ourmutual goal of achieving uniformity in application of account-ing and auditing rules, Purvine said.
Members with questions or concerns about specific DOTaudit policies or practices that may violate the FAR should con-tact Vivian Moeglein, ACECs senior policy adviser for transpor-tation programs, at [email protected].
Congress Buys MoreTime on FAA Bill
Congress approved a two-month extension of expir-ing federal aviation programs and airport fundingbefore leaving for the extended August recess, asnegotiators continue working to finalize a long-termreauthorization bill.
Unlike previous short-term extensions, this bill (H.R. 5900)includes permanent, substantive policy changes to aviation safety.
The provisions, written in response to National TransportationSafety Board recommendations stemming from the Continentalregional jet crash in Buffalo, N.Y., in February 2009, are relatedto pilot training and certification.
This is the 12th short-term extension since the previous lawexpired in September 2007.
To call this bill overdue is an understatement, said ACECPresident Dave Raymond. Passage would be a win for infra-structure investment and economic growth, not to mentionaviation safety.
Final passage has been delayed due to the inability of Senatenegotiators to reach an agreement on increasing the number oflong-distance flights out of Washington, D.C.s Reagan National
Airport, a perennial issue in the FAA reauthorization process.Among the other remaining issues to be decided is whether
and how much to raise the cap on passenger facility charges(PFCs) levied by airports to support development and expansionprojects. Approximately $2.5 billion was collected in PFCs in2009. ACEC strongly supports the PFC increase contained in theHouse version of the bill (H.R. 1586), which could raise an addi-tional $1.1 billion per year.
Both the House and Senate bills would increase AirportImprovement Program formula grant funding from $3.5 billionto $4.1 billion in 2011.
Dan Purvine
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2010 ENGINEERING INC. 7
ISSuES ON ThE MOvE WhaTS NExT
Fnding for igwys,
trnsit projects
Finl ction on spending bills
epected tis fll
Mltiyer ition bill hose, Sente negotitors to
complete work in September
Repel 1099 filing mndte vote in September
House, Senate Advance IncreasedF.Y. 2011 Transportation Spending
T
he U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Appropriations Committee have
increased funding for transportation in the annual appropriations bill for transpor-tation and housing development programs for the coming fiscal year.The House bill (H.R. 5850) includes $79.4 billion in total funding for the U.S. Depart-
ment of Transportation (DOT), an increase of 4 percent. H.R. 5850 includes $45.2 billionfor highways, a $4.1 billion increase over current funding; and $11.3 billion for transitprograms, an increase of approximately $600 million. The highway and transit funding lev-els are contingent on an extension or new authorization of those programs before Dec. 31,
when the current extension expires.For other modes, the House bill allocates $3.5 billion for airport improvements, the same
level as the previous five years; $3.2 billion for rail, including Amtrak and high-speed raildevelopment; plus $400 million for another round of TIGER multimodal discretionarygrants, a decrease from $600 million in 2010.
The Senate Appropriations Committee also increased funding for numerous transporta-tion programs in its bill (S. 3644) for the coming 2011 fiscal year. S. 3644 provides $76.5billion for the DOT, including $41.8 billion for highways, $700 million more than thecurrent funding level, but $3.4 billion less than the House version. The Senate bill alsoincludes $10.8 billion for transit programs, an increase of approximately $60 million, but$500 million less than the House.
Senate appropriators expressed concern about spending down the balance of the High-way Trust Fund too quickly, while the outlook for a long-term transportation authorizationbill remains uncertain.
For other modes, the committee allocated $3.5 billion for airport improvements; nearly$2 billion for Amtrak and $1 billion for high-speed rail development; and $800 million for
another round of TIGER multimodal discretionary grants.
ACEC-BackedPaperworkBill GainsMomentum
L
egislation supportedby ACEC that wouldrepeal a significant
expansion of the paperworkburden facing A/E firms hasgained support in Congress.
Under current law, a busi-ness must issue a Form 1099to any service provider whomit pays more than $600 in ayear, unless that service pro-vider is a corporation. Startingin 2012, the new health carelaw expands this requirement
to include services or propertypurchased from any business,including corporations.
The House voted on repeallegislation at the end of July.Though the bill failed on pro-cedural grounds, lawmakers areexpected to reconsider it in thefall. The Senate has scheduleda vote on repeal of the 1099provision for September.
Program Fiscal Year
2010
House bill senate bill
Totl Net BdgetResorces DOT
$75.7 billion $79.4 billion $76.5 billion
TIGER discretionrymltimodl grnts
$600 million $400 million $800 million
Faa airportImproement Progrm
$3.5 billion $3.5 billion $3.5 billion
higwys $42.8 billion $45.2 billion $42.6 billion
Trnsit $10.7 billion $11.3 billion $10.8 billion
amtrk $1.6 billion $1.8 billion $2 billion
hig-speed ril $2.5 billion $1.4 billion $1 billion
For More NewsFor weekly legislativenews, visit ACECsLast Wordonline atwww.acec.org.
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September / OctOber 2010 eNGINeerING INc. 9
>>
Hadto tHeSkis
FAA Adinisao randy bai on buildingA Saf, mo efin Aviaion Sys
Randy Babbitt was swornin as th Fdral AviationAdministrations (FAAs)16th administrator onJun 1, 2009. Hwas a pilot for eastrnAirlins for 25 yars and
is an intrnationally rcognizd xprtin aviation and labor rlations.In an xclusiv intrviw with ACeC,
Babbitt provids his vision for th nationsaviation systm and th important rol ofnginrs in addrssing aviations majorinfrastructur challngs.
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eNGINeerING INc. September / OctOber 201010
ACEC:Afer more ha a ear sce ouassume he role of FAA amsraor,
how woul ou assess he curre saeof he U.S. avao ssem?
RAndy BABBitt: Flying has never beensafer. As bh a pil and he FAA admin-israr, I am absluely cnfiden in hesafey f ur aviain sysem. our gal righnw is ake ur sysem ha nex levelf safey and efficiency.
Weve mved ur fcus frm accideninvesigain ne ha ceners n daacllecin and analysis. the gal is sp rends and make crrecins befrean acciden happens. A he same ime,
were using he saellie firepwer f heNex Generain Air transprainSysem, r NexGen, make air ravelmre cnvenien, dependable and envi-rnmenally susainable while prvidinghe highes levels f safey.
the impressive aviain safey recrdis due in par he fac ha he avia-in indusry and federal gvernmenare vlunarily invesing in he righsafey enhancemens reduce he
faaliy risk in cmmercial air ravelin he Unied Saes. the wrk f heCmmercial Aviain Safey team,alng wih new aircraf, regulainsand her aciviies, reduced he faal-iy risk fr cmmercial aviain in heUnied Saes by 83 percen frm 1998 2008. Were nw mving beyndhe hisric apprach f examiningpas acciden daa a mre praciveapprach ha will fcus n risk pre-
dicin and miigain sraegies. theincreasing number f flighs requires
greaer emphasis n acquiring, sharingand analyzing aviain safey daa.
the ransfrmain NexGenis well under way. the FAA already issaring rack airplanes mre preciselyand efficienly save fuel and reducenise and plluin. We are well nur way reducing delays and prvid-ing perars wih mre flexibiliy gearund weaher prblems. NexGen als
will help us be even mre pracive abuprevening accidens wih advanced safeymanagemen enable us, wih her gv-ernmen agencies and aviain parners, beer predic risks and hen idenifyand reslve hazards.
ACEC: Commercal ar ravel s expeceo crease sgfcal over he execae, reachg 1 bllo aual rpsb 2021, accorg o FAA projecos.
Wha are he amsraos plas forcreasg arpor a ruwa capaco hale hs crease ema?
BABBitt: the ecnmic dwnurn kquie a ll n air ravel, bu Im pleased see mre and mre peple are ravelingagain. our laes Nainal Aerspace Fre-cas, which we released earlier his year, pr-
jecs ha we will have mre han 1 billinflying passengers by 2023. Beween 2000and 2010, he FAA wrked wih 19 f hebusies airprs cmmissin 22 airfieldprjecs, including 16 new runways, w air-field recnfigurains, ne runway exensin
and hree axiways. We believe hese mea-sures will help accmmdae apprximaely
2 millin addiinal annual perains byimprving airpr and runway capaciy ahese airprs. Mving frward, new airprinfrasrucure will cninue play a veryimpran rle in increasing capaciy arundhe cunry. the greaes benefis, hwever,may cme frm ensuring ha fuure airprplanning and develpmen effrs are ine-graed wih he implemenain f plannedNexGen prcedures and capabiliies.
ACEC: Arpors Coucl ieraoalesmaes ha arpor capal evelop-me ees wll average $18.9 blloauall for he ex fve ears. ives-mes o make hese mprovemes wllboos job creao a ecoomc evel-opme a help mprove he aoalavao ssem. How o ou vew herole of he feeral goverme par-erg wh saes a local arpors oaress hese frasrucure ees?
BABBitt: Fr mre han 60 years,he FAA has wrked clsely wih air-
prs ha receive federal gran funds frcapial develpmen. Many FAA federalgran recipiens are saes, cunies andlcal municipaliies, and hey are aciveparners in he Nainal Aviain Sysemplanning prcess.
the FAAs main fcus is n he safeyf he flying public. We believe ha mis-sin is shared by airpr perars arundhe cunry. one f he FAAs rles is esablish safey sandards fr airprs s
FAA Administrator Randy
Babbitt (far right) discusses
aviation infrastructure with
ACEC Chairman Gerald Stump
(center) and Steve Hall, the
Councils vice president of
government affairs.
Gary
landsman
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passngrs, crws and airpr wrkrs cannaviga runways and axiways as safly aspssibl. In addiin, h dialgu bwnh FAA and is airpr parnrs xnds hr issus, such as NxGn.
W wrkd aggrss ivly g mrhan $1 billin in Amrican Rcvry andRinvsmn Ac (ARRA) funds u hdr s cnsrucin wrkrs and nginrs
culd bgin impran prjcs a airprsarund h cunry. W wr frunaha Cngrss xprssly rquird FAA implmn ARRA grans undr h samruls as Airpr Imprvmn Prgram(AIP) discrinary grans. th AIP pr-gram has prvidd apprximaly $3.5 bil-lin annually in fdral fundsfr airpr prjcs vr hlas fiv yars. th abiliy us ur maur prgrammad us incrdibly agil inawarding Rcvry Ac grans
s prjcs culd g undrway quickly.
Runways, axiways andaprns ar criical infrasruc-ur fr airpr prainsand vial h Nainal
Aviain Sysm. Mr han80 prcn f h al Rcvry Ac fund-ing fr airprs wn hs infrasruc-ur prjcs. th rhabiliain f xisingr cnsrucin f nw infrasrucur willnsur ha hs airprs hav h faciliis accmmda aircraf and h ravlingpublic fr h nx 20 yars.
ACEC:As you meoed, he FAA s he early sages of rasog from aeffce ad oudaed radar-based ar-raffc corol sysem o a saelle-based
GPS sysem (nexGe), whch wll usemore aoal arspace ad make flghssafer ad more effce. Wha are heex seps he developme of nex-Ge, ad wha are he major obsacleso mplemeao?
BABBitt: I is impran n haw alrady hav mad significan prgrss
in rlling u NxGn prcdurs andchnlgis aras arund h cunry.As w m ach f ur NxGn mil-sns, aviars and h flying public willrally bgin s h bnfis fr safy,h nvirnmn and fficincy f fligh. Ifn say ha NxGn is n a bx ha
w jus urn n. In fac, i is asysm f sysms ha alradyis saring ransfrm h
way passngrs fly, whhrhy ar n a cmmrcial car-rir r in a gnral-aviain
aircraf. enginrs insid hFAA and in priva indusryar criical playrs in makingNxGn a raliy.
on f h fundamnalchnlgis undr NxGnis h salli-basd sysm
yu mnind, which will allw us rack aircraf wih grar prcisin andrliabiliy han h currn sysm f radars.tha sysm, calld Aumaic DpndnSurvillanc-Bradcas (ADS-B), will allwcnrllrs safly rduc h manda-ry sparain bwn aircraf, incrasingcapaciy in h nains skis. Pils arabl s wha cnrllrs shr air-craf in h sky arund hmwhil alsknwing, via cckpi displays, whr hyar in rlain bad wahr and rrain.
this sysm alrady is up and running inAlaska, h Gulf f Mxic, Luisvill,Philadlphia and Suh Flrida. In 2013,
wll hav ADS-B cvrag whrvr whav radar cvrag nwand in hrplacs whr radar cvrag ds n xis,such as munainus rgins in Alaska andvr war in h Gulf f Mxic.
NxGn alrady is hlping kp ur
airprs safr. Airpr surfac managmnand dcin chnlgis ar in plac aa numbr f airprs arund h cunry.ths chnlgis giv pils, air-rafficcnrllrs and airpr prars ral-iminfrmain rduc h risk f runwayincursins and grund incidns.
ACEC: How do you foresee egeershelpg he FAA ad her arpor cl-es address he major frasrucurechalleges facg he avao secor?
BABBitt: enginrs prvid suppr andinvaluabl skills acrss h FAA. Mr han4,000 FAA nginrs wrk in a variy faras mak sur h agncy is abl mis safy gals, and als cninus findinnvaiv sluins aviain challngs.
th FAA ruinly wrks wih priva-scr nginrs assis in h dvlp-mn f sandards fr airpr infrasruc-ur. W hav parnrd wih h privascr n nabl safy prjcs such ash Nainal Airpr Pavmn ts Facil-iy, whr w wrk dvlp innvaivpavmn nginring mhdlgis. Wals wrkd wih priva and public par-nrs dvlp h enginrd Marials
Arrsing Sysms, r eMAS, which hasalrady hlpd sav six aircraf ha vr-ran h runway, h ms rcn f whichsavd 31 livs in Charlsn, W.V. Priva-scr nginrs als implmn h FAAssandards a h nains airprs, frm sislcin hrugh cmmissining. And,hy assis airpr wnrs in drminingh layu f h runways and axiways,
dsigning airfild prjcs and prfrm-ing cnsrucin vrsigh and prjcadminisrain.
enginrs insid and usid h FAAar criical playrs in h ransiin NxGn. thir highly chnical skill ssin aras such as lcrnics, cmpurs,aircraf crificain, airpr dsign and hnvirnmn will nsur ur abiliy findinnvaiv apprachs and sluins as wransfrm h Nainal Aviain Sysm. n
Mving frward,nw airprinfrasrucur willcninu playa vry impranrl in incrasingcapaciy arundh cunry.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt
and Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood use an aviation simulator
at an air show in Oshkosh, Wis.
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>>
Tough economic times lead totough business conditions. Asthe economy has stumbled,the pursuit of new businesshas created fundamentalchanges in the engineeringand design fields. Nowhere
is this more obvious than in contracts andhow clients and engineering firms view riskand responsibilities.
As money has gotten tighter and businessconditions have gotten tougher, project ownersare looking for a greater number of servicesat a lower cost, says James C. Brown, vicepresident at New York-based Malcolm Pirnie,Inc. In many cases, theyre looking to revampthe way contracts are structured.
By Samuel Greengard
Takeaways>>A ough onoy and inasd oiion
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uh unnssay isk, is sois s
o walk away fo a dal.
The Difference Is in the
Fis lan o anag isk, lii liailiyhough si ona languag
Details
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eNGINeerING INc. September / OctOber 201014
Contract negotiationsused to be a far sim-pler proposition, thanksto standard clauses and
wi de ly us ed in du st ryforms drawn up by orga-nizations such as ACEC.People have used theseforms for a number of
years, they understandthem, and there is con-sensus on what appro-priate risk allocation is,explains Kent Holland
Jr., a construction attor-ney for Construction-Risk, LLC, and editorof Risk Management forDesign Professionals in aWorld of Change.
Unfortunately, proj-ect owners are exert-
ing greater pressure ondesign, construction andengineering firms to accept riskier con-tracts. Obvious or hidden expectations,demands and provisionsparticularlyin the areas of third-party certifications,LEED standards, sustainability require-ments, reduction in construction wastematerials and indoor air qualitycan leadto obligations beyond a firms commonlyaccepted standard of care.
Not surprisingly, its the firms responsi-bility to get it right out of the blocks. Rec-ognizing controversial contract provisions,using effective negotiation techniques, andunderstanding litigation trends and courtrulings and their implications for standardof care go a long way toward structur-ing a sound deal. Experts say bottom-lineprofits are won or lost on the front lines ofnegotiations.
Legal MattersGetting a handle on todays rapidly chang-ing environment isnt easy. Changes in
contract language have altered the playingfield in significant ways. By nature, mostdisputes arise out of a misunderstandingabout what the engineer was supposed todo or not do, says Richard Cook, pastchair of the ACEC Legal Counsel Forumand general counsel for Kimley-Horn and
Associates, Inc., in Raleigh, N.C.Often, provisions added to industry-
standard contracts represent the biggestpotential stumbling block. Engineers and
project owners write intheir own clauses abouta projects scope anddimensions. They canuse vague terms, poorlanguage and ambiguousdescriptionsand thats
where most prob lemsand litigation arise,
Cook explains. As aresult, Its unclear whois responsible and whatsrequired to address aproblem.
In addition, manyproject owners now aredemanding heightenedstandard-of-care provi-sions, putting the onusof responsibil ity ondesign and engineeringfirms. Stepping beyond
established professionalstandards is dangerous,
says Justin L. Weisberg, a Chicago attor-ney who specializes in contract law for
Arnste in & Lehr, LLP. E&O pol iciesgenerally do not cover additional liabilityassumed by contract, he says.
The problem has gotten worse in recentyears, Holland says. Because of the stateof the economy and the fact that there arefewer projects available along with greatercompetition for them, project owners arepushing harder for contracts that theydeem favorable, heexplains. Weisberg sayshe sees many projectowners using contractsand forms that are gen-erated by the contractowner. Some insist bid-ders accept the contractas is or drop out ofcontention.
The upshot? You haveto review every word,
and you cannot assumeanyth ing , Hol l andsays. Unfortunately,there isnt a lot of caselaw interpreting whatthese contracts mean.
Whats more, You haveto assume that the proj-ect owner is allocatingrisk in a way that is moredifficult for the engi-
neer or the design professional to manageand insure. Thats typically the reason forrevamping a standard contract.
One of the riskiest provisions often isburied in a contracts indemnificationclause. A growing number of owner-gen-erated contracts state that the engineeringor construction firm must indemnify anddefend the project owner against all claims
and for all facts, errors and omissions.This becomes an uninsurable risk, saysHolland. There is no way to guaranteeevery item and control every factor. Everymajor project has errors and omissions inthe design documents.
Copyright is another issue. Historically,design firms have relied on standard-formcontracts from professional organizationssuch as ACEC to specify ownership ofintellectual property. These agreementsstipulate that the project owner will receivea limited-use license for instruments of
servicetypically documents and draw-ingsfor the specific project. But someproject owners are now attempting to gainownership of all project materials gener-ated by a services firm. This can limit afirms ability to financially capitalize on itsintellectual property.
The problems dont stop there. A grow-ing number of project owners also aredemanding that engineering firms absorbany and all cost overrunseven if thedesign or engineering firm had nothing todo with creating the initial estimate. But
even a sound estimatecan go astray. An array offactorsfrom changes inpricing for raw materialssuch as wood and steel tolabor issuescan throwoff a project budget.Likewise, unanticipatedenvironmental issues orchanges in business con-ditions can force stake-holders to recalibrate.
Projects often go overbudget through no faultof the design firm, Hol-land says. When projectowners present con-tracts that make designand engineering firmsresponsible for cost over-runs, the situation some-times gets dicey. If a firmagrees to such a provi-
By nature, mostdisputes arise out ofa misunderstandingabout what theengineer wassupposed to do ornot do.RIchaRD cook
Kimley-Horn and associates
Theres aneed for coordinationand centralizationso that people dontinadvertently signcontracts that deviatefrom standardforms.kenT hollanD JR.
constructionrisK, llc
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sion, it might find itselfincurring damagesall
without the benefi t ofprotection. Most insur-ers, for example, will notissue policies for firms
willing to accept suchliability and the potentialfor significant monetary
damages.Any type of guaran-tee is exceptionally risky.Even if a firm has a greatdeal of confidence in itsexpertise and the abilityto deliver as promised,too many variables canthrow a plan into flux.Guaranteeing LEEDcertification, for exam-ple, requires more thansimply constructing a
green building. The U.S.Green Building Councildemands detailed documentation and hasits own independent approval process.
Courting SuccessIt should come as no surprise that astrategy for dealing with risk is essen-tial. Recent court rulings have made itclear there is a great deal at stake. In onecase decided this year, Universal Devp. v.CH2M HILL, 103 Cal.Rptr.3d 685, the6th District Court ruled that an indemni-fication provision provided by an engineerto an owner could potentially obligate theengineer to pay for the owners defensecosts, even if the engineer was not deemedliable for the underlying claim.
In another case, Witt v. La Force Coun-try Club, 3D08-1812, a 3rd DistrictFlorida Appellate ruled last June thatthe economic loss doctrine does not apply toprofessionals. The ruling meant that alimitation-of-liability provision was ineffec-tive in protecting a geologist from claims
in excess of the fee. Says Weisberg: Someprofessional design firms are attemptingto include limitation-of-liability provisions
within their contracts. Whether such lim-itations are enforceable depends on the
jurisdiction in which a party attempts toenforce the limitation.
Cook suggests that engineers rely onindustry-standard contract language asmuch as possible. Theres a reason whyit commonly is used. In most cases, these
clauses have been in placefor years, the courts haveruled on them, and par-ticipants know wherethings stand. Thoughits not easy to stand upto a project owner anddemand concessionsespecially in a tough
economyone majormistake or omission canprove costly, if not fatal,he says.
Where its impossibleto use a standard agree-ment, Brown says, itscritical to submit thecontract to a thoroughlegal reviewand evenhave a CFO examine it.Its also wise to comparestandard clauses and pro-
visions with those thathave been altered within
the contract. Its important to understandwhat risk youre taking. Too often, poten-tially damaging provisions go unnoticedand untouched until its too late, he says.
Just Walk?Brown recommends negotiating unaccept-able contract language. Malcolm Pirniehas turned down work when it has facedunacceptable contracts and unbendableproject owners. There certainly are situ-ations where engineering firms are toldto take it or leave it. It is crucial to recog-nize when the risk is too great and youreendangering the health of the firm. Thereare times when its wise to walk away froma project, he says.
Of course, litigation isnt the onlythreat. Prolonged disputes drain time andresources that can otherwise be directedto revenue-producing projects. The key,according to Brown, is to understandthese implications up front.
There are times when its okay toaccept some risk, so long as you under-stand that risk, theres a way to manageit and youre compensated for it, heexplains.
The ultimate goal should be to sharerisk equitably. To get there, some organi-zations have turned to tri-party or mul-tiparty collaborative agreements. As withstandard contracts, however, the hurdleis deciphering the nuances of contract
As money hasgotten tighter andbusiness conditionshave gotten tougher,project owners arelooking for a greaternumber of services ata lower cost.JameS c. BRown
malcolm Pirnie
language and eliminating any hidden orrisky provisions, especially where there isno legal precedent.
In the end, an engineering firm musthave tightly defined processes and proce-dures in place for negotiating, writing andreviewing contracts. Success requires morethan simply tossing contracts at in-housecounsel and gathering feedback. Theresa need for coordination and centraliza-tion so that people dont inadvertently
sign contracts that deviate from standardforms, says Holland. Theres often aneed for outside counsel or insurance bro-kers to review them. Finally, he says, its
wise to provide training to engineers whoput these deals together.
Ultimately, its up to a firm to protectits own interests. n
Samuel Greengard is a business andtechnology writer based in West Linn, Ore.
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Takeaways>> though he U.S. Green building Councils Leadershi
in Energy and Environenal Design rogra reains
he sandard for easuring susainailiy, new raing
syses include evaluaions for infrasrucure, land
develoen and renovaions.
>> Firs us decide eween rescriive or checklis
aroaches o susainale design and erforance-ased aroaches, which easure he iac of eco-
friendly innovaions.
>> ACEC/ApWA/ASCE are develoing a new raing sysefor infrasrucure rojecs.
Since its introduction 12 yearsago, the U.S. Green BuildingCouncils (USGBCs) Leadershipin Energy and EnvironmentalDesign (LEED) program hasbeen the gold standard formeasuring sustainability of
habitable facilities in the built environment.At its best, engineers say, LEED fosters
more collaboration among stakeholdersearly in the design process, when innovativeideas and environmental considerations aremore easily woven into a project plan.
LEED gives you a framework andtargets to shoot for, says Katy Kolbeck,president of Dunham Associates, aMinneapolis-based engineering firmthat specializes in sustainability.
Gre
Evolvingsusainailiraingsyseshel drive
eco-friendlyengineeringdesign
How to Masu
Images from left: Housatonic Museum, Dagher Engineering and FXFOWLE Archi-
tects; Great River Energy headquarters building, Dunham Associates; Darien office
exterior, Wight & Co.; Great River Energy headquarters daylighting, Dunham Associ-
ates; Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Wight & Co.; Darien office interior, Wight & Co.
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You talk through the checklist by ask-ing, Which design points do we have agood shot at achieving? Which ones arereally not going to be feasible with thisproject, asks Kolbeck.
But LEED hardly is the only game intown. According to a running ACEC tally,engineers now have at least 200 voluntaryevaluation systems for rating sustainabil-itysuch as the Green Building Initia-
tives Green Globes certification processand the Qatar Sustainability AssessmentSystem (QSAS) developed for projects inthe wealthy Middle Eastern country withthe help of experts from the Universityof Pennsylvanias T.C. Chan Center forBuilding and Energy Studies.
ACEC, the American Public WorksAssociation and the American Society ofCivil Engineers also are collaborating on anew web-based sustainable infrastructure
project rating system setto launch in spring 2011.
Todays sustainabilityratings also are evolvingto include checklists forprojects beyond build-ings, such as infrastruc-ture, land developmentand renovations.
Prescriptive vs.Performance
As the number of optionscontinues to grow, twodist inct camps haveemerged. More prescrip-tive rating systems, suchas LEED and GreenGlobes, require design-ers to take a checklistapproachincorporating
everything from rainwa-ter catchment systemsto energy-efficient win-dowsto achieve variouslevels of sustainability. Inthe other camp are moreinvolved metrics, such asQSAS, which anchors itsratings on performance(i.e., how much energy
is saved).QSAS measures per-
formance outcomes asopposed to a linear Q&Aprocess that you gothrough to rate a sustain-able design, explains Jef-frey Beard, ACECs vicepresident for its Institutefor Business Manage-ment. Beard points out
Now, LEEDchallenges designersto produceprojects that willperform over thelong haul.Katy KolbecK
Dunham associates
enb a Jh
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18 ENGINEERING INC. SEptEmbER / OCtObER 2010
USGBCs most coveted sustainabilitycertiication. A guaranteed maximumprice speciied in the contract meantthat designers could not go over budget.We decided to push ourselves and showthat we could deliver a Platinum build-ing, says Daniel Fox, IBC partner anddirector o engineering.
Not only did the building achieve
Platinum status, but the team completedthe project a month ahead o scheduleand under budget. What we accom-plished was a result o our modeling andusing high-powered tools to do the anal-ysis and give us the answers we neededup ront, Fox says.
Sustainability for Transportation
The U.S. Department o TransportationsFederal Highway Agency reportedlyis developing a sustainability checklistor the transportation industry, which
or now doesnt have a LEED certiica-tion process to promote greener designs.Rather than wait or the eds, however,some states have decided to develop theirown guidelines.
Wight & Co., or example, was part oa group o engineering irms that helpedthe Illinois Department o Transporta-tion develop a new sustainable scorecardsystem or highway projects. The planalso calls or logical transportation ter-mination points and integrating engi-neering with land use, says Pete Mesha,
Wights group president or engineering.The scorecard itsel is not at the same
detail as LEED, but its a good start ortransportation, Mesha adds. Engineers
can bring the score-card to a client at thestartup meeting andquickly get a sense othe clients predisposi-tion or becoming moresustainable.
Carbon-ConsciousFuture
Stricter building codesand a push or carbonneutrality wil l drivedemand or sustainabledesigns, industry expertsbelieve.
T h e s e c a r b o nconsiderations will un-damentally alter the
that the latest LEEDbenchmarks also incor-porate measurements operormance, though hesays the measurementsare preweighted in a waythat encourages sustain-able solutions but inhib-its lexibility o design.
For more than adecade, these systemshave been voluntary,meaning project ownersmust speciy that they
want a pro ject to ol-low LEED standards orsome other certiicationprocess. But many othese same sustainabilitymeasures are now ind-ing their way into ormalindustry standards.
Amo n g th e mo s twidely used is ASHRAE90.1 2007, a set o design guidelinesrom the American Society o Heating,Rerigerating and Air-ConditioningEngineers (ASHRAE). The standardcovers HVAC, water heating, electricpower distribution and lighting systemsin larger buildings.
ASHRAE al so jo ined with USGBCand the Il luminating EngineeringSociety to unveil Standard 189.1, orthe Standard or the Design o High-Perormance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. It sets mini-mum requirements or site sustainability,
water use and energy eiciency, indoorenvironmental quality and other condi-tions. In addition, the U.S. EPA promul-gates its own environmental rules throughits widely used Energy Star guidelines.
Some industry experts expect state andlocal agencies to increasingly combine exist-ing green rating systems with evolving build-ing codesa move that will make compli-
ance with such standards mandatory.I jurisdictions nationally begin to
adopt the green building codes, then it nolonger is a question o whether you wantyour building to be certiied, says LoisVitt Sale, chie sustainability oicer or
Wight & Co., which completed its irstLEED-certiied projects in the late 1990s.I you want a building permit, you will doit in a way that is sustainable. So thats anindustry-changer.
LEED and Other
Systems
As the landscape evolves,some engineers expectL EED w i l l r ema inthe bellwether against
which other standardsor the buildings mar-ket are measured. But
LEED itsel has under-gone several changes.In its early days, theguidelines were littlemore than a list o prac-tical suggestions. Inthe beginning, i youlocated a building on abike path or includedsome cosmetic eatures,you could get in underthe wire or a LEEDcertiication, Kolbeck
says. Now, LEED chal-lenges designers to pro-
duce projects that will perorm over thelong haul.
The USGBC says engineers shouldexpect to see environmental and holis-tic approaches to sustainability in thecoming months. Building decisionsshouldnt be made in a vacuum, such as
whether a project is using all o the col-lected stormwater on site, says BrendanOwens, vice president o LEED techni-cal development or USGBC.
Early discussions and perormancemodels have encouraged design teamsnationwide to consider sustainabilityand with good results.
Rochester, N.Y.-basedIBC Engineering Ser-vices, P.C., was part oa team hired to designand build a new Uni-versity Services Centerat the Rochester Insti-tute o Technology. As
part o its design plan,the college set a goal oachieving LEED Silvercertiication, USGBCssecond-highest LEEDranking. As engineerspo r ed o ve r p ro j e c tenergy models, theyrealized the building
was with in reach o aLEED Platinum rating,
These carbonconsiderations willundamentally alterthe entire feld.elias DaGHer
Dagher engineering
What weaccomplished wasa result o ourmodeling and usinghigh-powered toolsto do the analysis andgive us the answerswe needed up ront.Daniel Fox
iBc engineering services
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0
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entire field, says Elias Dagher, seniorprincipal at Dagher Engineering in New
York City.Dagher cites average commercial
rents of about $50 per square foot foroffice space in modest Manhattan officebuildings. Total energy costs, includingheating, cooling and lighting, accountfor only about $5 of that price. Whatsthe incentive to implement additionalenergy efficiencies when the cost ofenergy hardly matters, he asks. But, ifcosts were to rise significantly with, say,the introduction of carbon taxes, all ofa sudden, measures that make no sensetoday will become highly desirable.
Carbon fees also will likely have impli-
cations beyond building design. The cityof Chicagos single largest energy con-sumer is the Metropolitan Water Rec-lamation Districts stormwater manage-ment system, Vitt Sale says. Its notinfrastructure on one side and buildingson the other. Carbon footprint consider-ations really do work hand in hand. n
Alan Joch is a business and technologywriter based in Francestown, N.H.
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New ACEC/APWA/ASCE Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System in Development
Engineers increasingly must review ongoing performance data to validate the computer models
they create at the start of a project. This chart shows some of the energy consumption information
Dunham Associates has reviewed over the past two years for Great River Energys headquarters in
Minnesota, a LEED Platinum project.
Annual Electrical Consumption by End Use
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Pr
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Dem
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tion Scheduling&Planning
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Ana
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Budgets
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Timesheets and Expenses
Work in Progress
Billing
Financial Statements
Customer Service
Document Management
Knowledge Base
Business Intelligence
Advanced Cost ControlsQuick Processing ofTimesheets and Expenses
Fast and Flexible Invoicing
Information Availability &Sharing
Opportunity Management
Forecasting
Analysis and Reporting
Resource Planning
Project Control
Empower projectsfrom proposal to profi
Solu
Come see us at the
2010 Fall ConferenceOctober 17-20
Project Suite allows engineering fi
to quickly and easily setup proje
Projects are flexible and prov
diverse structures to match y
real-world projects. Employ
can remotely log time a
expenses over the Internet a
then follow simple or comp
approval processes. Proj
Managers can track and man
projects in real-time, and invoi
can be generated to reflect any num
of billing rates and rules.
555 Metropolitain Blvd. E, Suite 302, Montreal (QC), Canada, H1P 3H3 1 (888) 988-3535 [email protected] www.jovaco
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September / OctOber 2010 eNGINeerING INc. 21
mULtI-prOJect FeAtUre
We performed the finaldesign of the project, includ-ing how to convey water from
the roadways and treatmentplant to the water storagefacility, designed the waterreuse tank and the system thatconveys the water to 40 to 50surrounding irrigation zones,the irrigation systems filtra-tion system and the boosterpumps, explains Hubmer.
The first challenge wasfinancing. The $1.5 millionestimated cost represented asignificant financial burdenfor the small community.In cooperation with thelocal city council, WSBpresented potential benefitsof the project to HennepinCounty officials, the RiceCreek Watershed District andthe Mississippi WatershedManagement Organization.The benefits were easy toshow; stormwater runoff andbackwash water is now used
to irrigate a 20-acre site thatincludes a municipal park withseveral ball fields and the cityhall campus, says Hubmer.
The site for the under-ground water storage tank
was extremely narrow and fitbetween a county road and afew tennis courts. The pit forthe tank had to be deep, whichpresented slope and grade
challenges for the contrac-tor, Hubmer explains. WSBadjusted its design to narrowand lengthen the tank, facili-tating construction.
The firm also coordinatedactivities between HennepinCountys general contractorand St. Anthonys construc-tion contractor.
The innovative nature of theproject now serves as a demon-
stration for future water-reuseprojects in the region. Thoughsimilar projects are common indrier climates, few such reuseprojects have been constructedin the Midwest, according toengineers, and this remains theonly facility known to reusebackwash water from a treat-ment plant and stormwaterrunoff for irrigation.
prOJect:Sowarunoff and Filbakwash Warus poj,S. Anhony, minn.
FIrm:WSb & Assoias,In., minnaolis
Concerned that a stream
of pollutants andstormwater runofffrom 13.5 acres ofcounty roads, city
streets and the St. AnthonyCity Hall were seeping intothe Mississippi River and alocal lake, city officials tappedengineering firm WSB &
Associates, Inc., to help addresspotential water-quality issues.
Todd Hubmer, principal andproject manager for WSB &
Associates, says the citys mis-sion was to reduce pollutantsin surrounding waters; preservethe surrounding groundwaterand valuable aquifers; turnstormwater and backwash intovaluable resources; reduce thecitys impact on the environ-ment; and reduce the need touse groundwater and potable
water for irrigationall at asustainable cost.
WSB worked with the cityto set the projects environ-mental goals and developed a
way to combine stormwaterrunoff and filter backwash
water for storage and laterreuse for irrigation. The com-pany also assisted with secur-ing funding for the project.
Stormwaterreuse andretention
projects helpcommunitiesmake better
use of naturalresources RainRE
CYCLED
by Daln b
making WaWok in
S. Anhony
WSB helped design a system that prevents potentially harmful stormwater
runoff from seeping into the Mississippi River.
Todd Hubmer
>>
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eNGINeerING INc. September / OctOber 201022
mULtI-prOJect FeAtUre
Bill Leber
prOJect:
Sowamanagn,Wa Qualiy andDiing runoffconols puSaions fo hNw IndianaolisInnaionalAio,Indianaolis
FIrm:
Wsslengining,Indianaolis
As the projects stormwatermaster planner, Wessler wascharged with developing drain-age guidelines and a stormwatermanagement plan. The firmalso was responsible for theevaluation, design, constructionadministration and part-timeinspection of deicing controlsand water-quality treatment forairside drainage.
By 2008, the facility wasfully operational and accom-
modating clean stormwater,as well as stormwater runoffcontaminated with aircraft andpavement deicing fluids. The
firm employed a dual-collectionsystem that segregates gate arearunoffwhere primary aircraftdeicing often occursfrom theremainder of the ramp. Storm-
water runoff is treated by twomassive water-quality systems;it then flows to a diversionmechanism that directs the run-off to either high-concentratestorage, low-concentrate storageor the receiving waterway.
A 12,400-gallon-per-minutepump station transfers con-taminated runoff from anunderground storage facility toa lined, covered storage facilityin the airfield. From this facility,
runoff is pumped to anothercontrol facility before beingdischarged to the city of India-napolis sanitary sewer system.
The underground facility isup to 40 feet deep at its baseand is strong enough to supportthe weight of aircraft activityoverhead. To accommodate thenecessary depth and ground-
water conditions, engineersdesigned thicker concrete wallsand placed shear keys along itslength to increase the structuresdead load.
Designing the stormwaterretention and diversion facilityand necessary infrastructure
was no small feat. The under-ground facility is the size ofa football field, says WesslerPresident Brent Siebenthal.
The facility was sized using30 years of hourly precipita-tion data. The stormwater
and runoff facilities also areequipped with a supervisorycontrol and data acquisitionsystem for remote control andmonitoring. Wessler led ateam of 15 consultants dur-ing design and constructionand coordinated stormwaterdesign efforts for the entireproject, says Bill Leber,
Wessler project manager.
planning, paaion paysOff in Indianaolis
Designed by Wessler Engineering, the
underground stormwater diversion and
retention facility at the Indianapolis airport
is the size of a football field.
At 1.2 million squarefeet, there is nothingsmall about the India-napolis International
Airports Midfield Ter-minal. The massive construc-tion project was so complexthat planning for the originaldesign began more than 30years ago. It wasnt until 1999that Wessler Engineering wasgiven the green light to moveforward on an ambitious effort
to cost-effectively managewater-quality treatment and air-craft deicing for the facility.
Its roles were largely twofold:
Brent Siebenthal
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September / OctOber 2010 eNGINeerING INc. 23
mULtI-prOJect FeAtUre
prOJect:Auoa mdialcn, Sui,Wis.
FIrm:r.A. Sih Naional,bookfild, Wis.
P
abst Farms in Ocono-mowoc, Wis., is a1,500-acre multiuse,15-year developmentproject for which R.A.
Smith National has provideda series of site engineering andstormwater solutions, includingthose for the new Aurora Medi-cal Center. The center, whichopened this past March, is an800,000-square-foot medicalfacility on 53 acres that anchorsa planned 100-acre futureHealth and Wellness campus.
To help the project owner
build a medical facility thatwould better serve patientsneeds, R.A. Smith Nationalprovided sitework engineer-ing and surveying for the site,
which included site planning,grading, sanitary and stormsewers, the stormwater man-agement plan, improvementsto adjacent county and stateroads, the design of a new
town road and construction
engineering services. The sitehad to conform to an overallstormwater management plancreated for the entire PabstFarms development in 2000by a committee of local andstate officials, the developerand other stakeholders, saysPaul McIlheran, associate andsenior project engineer, wholed the site and stormwaterdesign effort.
Like most sites in the devel-opment, the area upon whichthe center was built releasedvirtually no stormwater dueto its flat topography and per-meable soils, so R.A. SmithNationals design was requiredto treat and infiltrate sitestormwater runoff up to andincluding a 100-year rain event,in compliance with stormwa-ter utility district goals andrequirements. Having to infil-
trate such an event is unusualin Wisconsin, but possible onthis site because the type ofsoil allows water to infiltratequickly, explains McIlheran.
Based on the topographyand the requirement that thecenter have multiple entrances
with distributed parkingand a ring road, McIlherandesigned a series of three sets
of stormwater quality pondsand infiltration basins dis-tributed around the site. Theponds are designed to remove80 percent of total suspendedsolids (TSS) from stormwaterrunoff on an average annualbasis before release to the infil-tration basins to help protectgroundwater and extend thelife of the basins.
Another challenge was pro-tecting the infiltration basinsfrom excess runoff, while the
deep-rooted plants maturedto the point where they couldabsorb the water. A typicalproject would bypass stormwa-ter around the basin until theplants mature, but with thistopography, there is nowhereelse to route the water, McIl-heran says. So, only 40 percentof the basin was planted,allowing the remaining native
Paul McIlheran
mdial Failiy Has righ rxFo Sowa tan
granular soil to absorb runoff.That solution typically isnot attractive, but with all theblooming native plants placedin the middle of the basin, theresult is a beautiful focal pointthat permits the basin to do its
job while the plants mature,McIlheran says.
R.A. Smith National provided stormwater planning for the 800-square-foot
Aurora Medical Center in Summit, Wis.
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eNGINeerING INc. September / OctOber 201024
prOJect:colonia San main,Saano couny,calif.
FIrm:
cunninghaenginingcooaion,Saano, calif.
Colonia San Martin,completed at the endof 2008, is a 60-unit,transit-oriented, urbaninfill development in
Sacramento County with a20-unit-per-acre density. The
project is widely recognizedas the first affordable-housingproject in Sacramento withsolar power and an array ofother sustainable features,including disconnecteddownspouts and vegetatedstormwater quality bioswales,drought-tolerant and water-efficient landscaping, com-munity gathering areas and a
community garden with ediblefruit trees that provide foodfor residents.
The owners goal, recallsDan Fenocchio, vice president ofCunningham Engineering, wasto build an affordable-housingproject in the most cost-effectivemanner, using low-impact devel-opment techniques.
As the design engineer, Cun-ningham was responsible forleading development of theprojects stormwater qualitysystem. We worked closely
with the architect to influencethe site design in terms of openspace and building placement
to be more harmonious withthe stormwater quality system,Fenocchio says. The companyalso provided constructionservices to ensure that actualconstruction was in compliance
with design documents.The stormwater manage-
ment plan had to reduce thestormwater runoff quantitydelivered off site, and improve
the quality of stormwaterrunoff. To meet that chal-lenge, Cunningham appliedlow-impact developmenttechniques that mimic natu-ral hydrologic conditions inthe early site planning and indesigning the disconnecteddownspouts and water-efficient landscaping. To treatthe stormwater runoff, thecompany incorporated veg-etated treatment techniquesand steered clear of costly andhigh-impact undergroundmechanical devices. The veg-etated swales used to improvestormwater runoff quality
also happened to be the mostinexpensive method for dealing
with site stormwater runoff,explains Fenocchio.
When completed, the projectreduced stormwater runoff tomore than 60 percent belowpredevelopment conditionsand decreased the DirectlyConnected Impervious Area(DCIA) from 95 percent to
Dan Fenocchio
couniy pus FousOn Wa Qualiy
3 percent. To get to thatlittle DCIA, the parking lotsand most of the roofs weredesigned to drain directly tolandscaped areas, explainsFenocchio. In addition, curbs
were depressed to facilitatewater movement into thelandscaped areas, and all sur-face rainwater was channeledinto five vegetated bioswales.
To reduce the postdevelop-ment water flow rate by morethan 60 percent, Cunninghamestimated that the 10-year run-off rate was 4.8 cubic feet persecond (cfs). The postdevelop-ment 10-year runoff rate is now
1.8 cfs. The difference is dueprimarily to the predevelopedpaved condition of the site,
which was an automobile deal-ership, Fenocchio says.
Colonia San Martin wasthe recipient of the CaliforniaStormwater Quality Associa-tions 2009 Outstanding Sus-tainable Stormwater Project ofthe Year. n
Cunningham Engineering led design efforts on an
award-winning stormwater system for a 60-unit
housing development in Sacramento, Calif.
mULtI-prOJect FeAtUre
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An NCEES Record is invaluable to every
licensed engineer and surveyor on the go.
NCEES Records are recognized nationwide.
Once yours is established, you can quickly
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Let an NCEES Record keep track of what
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Keep your professional recordsas mobile as you are.
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800.250.3196
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ACEC Fall ConferenceOctober 1720, 2010
Key Industry TrendsMarket Forecasts
Business ChallengesEl Conquistador ResortFajardo, Puerto Rico
Joe Scarborough
Keynote Luncheon
Former Congressman andpopular host of MSNBCs
Morning Joeprovidespolitical insights.
Other Prominent
Speakers
nGeoffrey YaremanBarry WorthingtonnG. Tracy MehannPuerto Rico Governor
Luis G. FortuonMany Others
ACECs Fall Conference
Key IndustryTrends, MarketForecasts and BusinessChallengesoffers leading-edge educational sessions,networking events and
strategies for helping firms navigate thischallenging economic environment.
Enjoy the beauty and allure of Puerto Ricoat El Conquistador Resort, a retreat perched
high above the ocean.
Fall Conference Highlights
nThe Future of Transportation FinancingnCEO and CIO Roundtable DiscussionsnTaming Risk and Increasing ProfitabilitynEnergy and Water MarketsnKey Industry TrendsnNew Opportunities for Your Firmn2010 CASE ConvocationnCAMEE Roundtable on Critical MEP Firm Issues
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Dr. DanielAltschulerLife in the UniverseFormer director ofthe famed AreciboRadio Observatory willdiscuss latest findingson the universe andthe possibility of
extraterrestrial life.
ACEC Awards ProgramnNew Fellow InducteesnChairmen Emeritus AwardnCASE Past Chairs AwardnCommunity Service AwardsnYoung Professional of the Year Awardsn2010 Scholarships
Exceptional ToursnEl Yunque Rain ForestnOld San Juan CitynCatamaran and SnorkelingnBioluminescent Bay Excursion
ACEC/PAC ActivitiesnSunset Caribbean SailnSweepstakes DrawingGrand Prize: $10,000 CASHnACEC/PAC Golf Tournament at
El Conquistador Golf Course
Full Conference Fees Early Bird After 9/20
Member Rate $ 995 $1,085
2nd + Member, same firm $ 875 $ 895
Non-Member $1,225 $1,350
Spouse/Guest Fee $ 395 $ 425
Legal Counsel Forum $ 375 $ 450
Hotel InformationEl Conquistador Resort1000 El Conquistador Ave.Fajardo, PR 00738888-543-1282 toll free787-863-1000 local
www.elconresort.com
A Waldorf Astoria property,the resort offers dramaticviews and stylish amenities.It is located on the northeast-ern tip of Puerto Rico, nearEl Yunque Rain Forest, and
offers an on-site water park,world-class golf and a privateisland and beach.
No Passport?
No Problem!Puerto Rico is a territory of theUnited States, and U.S. citizensdo not need passports. A validU.S. drivers license is the onlyidentification required to enterand leave the island. However,visitors of other nationalitiesmust have passports.
Room Rate(single/double)
ACECs room rate is $195,
single/double occupancy, plustax. Room reservation mustbe received bySept. 20.Reservations received afterthis date, or after the groupblock sells out prior to thisdate, will be on a space andrate available basis. Registra-tion for the conference isrequired BEFORE makingyour hotel reservation.
To Make HotelReservations
All Conference attendeesshould make their reservationsby calling El ConquistadorResort at 888-579-2701 or canmake their reservations onlineby visiting www.acec.org andclicking on the Fall Conferenceicon. When making individualreservations, please referenceACEC10 to receive the dis-counted group rate. A deposit
of one nights stay plus tax isdue at the time the reservationis made.
For further details on conferenceregistration, airline information,resort transportation and carrentals, visitwww.acec.org.
27September / OctOber 2010 eNGINeerING INc.
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ENGINEERING INC. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201028
Business Insights
The ACEC Institute for Business Management provides
comprehensive and accessible business management education
for engineering company principals and their staffs.
Visit ACECs online educational events calendar at
www.acec.org/calendar/index.cfmor bookstore at
www.acec.org/publications, or call 202-347-7474, ext. 338,
for further information.
methodologies for an engineering firmand its relationship tointernal ownership transition planning or an external firm sale.
The course also examines the impact of economic volatility onfirm health above and beyond revenue, profits and backlog. Formore information and to register, visit www.acec.org/education/index.cfm.
MegaprojectsHigh Risk,High Impact on SocietyMegaprojects, by their nature, leave a lasting imprint, revitalizingand providing a legacy to the communities where they are built.From the historic Transcontinental Railroad and the PanamaCanal to the more recent Trans-Alaska Pipeline and EuropesChannel Tunnel (the Chunnel), to those in the headlines and
under way, public infrastructure projects costing $1 billion-plusattract public attention and political interest because of theirimpact on communities, environments and government budgets.They can be conceived, planned, executed and delivered in anatmosphere of controversy,disagreement and debate, withexpectations and projected costsoften left unrealized.
In the just-released Mega-projects: Challenges and Rec-ommended Practices, editorsDavid Hatem and David Cor-
kum analyze the problems thatplague massive public infra-structure projects and offerconcrete, realistic and practicalsolutions. Bringing together thediverse perspectives of dozensof past and current megaproject participants, the editors providea comprehensive guide to the unique planning, management andliability issues of megaprojects. Megaprojects is a must-read forfirms dealing with large-scale project design. For more informa-tion and to order, visit www.acec.org/bookstore. n
Make Sure Your StaffKnows the Businessof
EngineeringEngineering schools provide little or no fundamental businesseducation, but A/E professionals are expected to understand thebusiness side of the industry. ACECs The Business of DesignConsultingcourse is an excellent resource for gaining importantbusiness acumen along with professional development. This flag-ship ACEC course is aimed at pro-fessionals with several years expe-rience who are moving into themanagement ranks. It is tailoredto the A/E workplace, centeringon essential business topics not
covered by engineering schools:business management, finance,marketing, risk management, con-tracts, leadership, human resourcesand information technology. Newadditions include IT systems man-agement, value pricing and win-ning proposals/presentations.
The course will next be offered Sept. 29Oct. 2 in Atlanta.For more information and to register for this event, visitwww.acec.org/education/index.cfm.
Do You Really Know YourCompanys Financials?How has the economic downturn impacted design firm rev-enue, profits, backlog and staff size? Do you understand howproject financials feed into firm financials? The recent economyhas stimulated company reorganizations and generated tremen-dous M&A activity, so it is critical to understand where yourfirm stands financially. ACEC offersa new course to help you evaluateyour financial metrics. Essentials of
A/E Financial Management andFirm Valuationwill be held Nov.
45 in Phoenix. The program, ledby industry finance expert DavidCohen of Matheson Financial
Advisors, Inc., will analyze actualfinancial statements and resultingkey financial ratios to help attend-ees fully grasp their firms financialposition and its impact on operations and building shareholdervalue. Attendees will review performance, liquidity and leverageratios and understand how to benchmark these results and makethe link to shareholder valueincluding the acceptable valuation
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ign &Cons
truction
ndustry
Trends
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Report With a new
section on
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ign &Cons
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OOKSTOREB Your best read on the businessof engineering
OOKSTOREYour best read on the businessB
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Advanceyourself
and yourFIRMeducational programs
& publications!
For more information on these and other upcoming seminars and
webinars, go to www.acec.org/education and to check out products at
the ACEC Bookstore, go to www.acec.org/publications
HR ForumOctober 7-8 - Cambridge, MA
Sales & Marketing ForuOctober 17 - Puerto Rico
Essentials of A/E FinancManagement & Firm Valua
November 4-5 - Phoenix, AZ
Engineering Expert WitneNovember 11-12 - Orlando, F
UPCOMINGACEC COURSE
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ENGINEERING INC. SEptEmbER / OCtObER 201030
Members in theNews
Mergers & Acquisitions
Sam L. Claassen has been namedpresident of St. Paul, Minn.-based ShortElliott Hendrickson. Previously, he ledthe firms wastewater division and served asits COO and vice president. Claassen also
was tapped to succeed Mike Kraemer asthe firms CEO in July 2010.
Parsons Group President Todd K. Wagerhas been named to the Council on ForeignRelations, a nonpartisan foreign policy
The PBSJCorpo-
ration
(PBSJ) enteredinto a definitivemerger agreement
with WS Atkinsplc, headquarteredin the U.K., toacquire PBSJ in anall-cash transaction.The deal is expected to close in the earlyfall pending PBSJ shareholder approval.We are fortunate to have maintainedsolid performance even during the recent,challenging economic climate, said PBSJ
Chairman and CEO Robert Paulsen. Butwe wanted to grow the company in a waythat employee ownership alone could notsupport. Said Atkins CEO Keith Clarke:This is an important acquisition for
Atkins and forms part of our plan to growour business through a multiskill, multilo-cal strategy. PBSJ will operate as a busi-ness of Atkins in the United States, wherePaulsen will continue as CEO.
Stantec, Inc. has signed a letter of intent
to acquire Naples, Fla.-based Wilson-Miller, Inc., a full-service engineeringfirm with more than 265 employees in 10offices across the state.
Seattle-based Sparling recently acquiredSan Diego-based ILA Zammit Engi-neering. ILA Zammits 28 employees
will join Sparlings San Diego office,which opened in 2007.
KCI Technologies, Inc., recentlyannounced its acquisition of Florida-
based ASC geosciences, inc. ASCs 21employees will work out of Lake City,Lakeland and Fort Myers, as well as KCIsoffice in Tampa.
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB)announced that it is merging operationsin Virginia Beach, Va., and Williamsburg,Va., with Hampton Roads, Va.-basedLandMark Design Group.
AECOM
Tech-
nologyCorp. has acquiredTishman
Construction
Corp., a providerof constructionmanagementservices in theUnited States and the United ArabEmirates. AECOM says the dealexpands the firms mix of higher-margin construction mana