Left, Dennis R. Peters, owner of PCI manning the booth at the PSAB Conference.

PSAB ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Peters Consultants, Inc. once again participated as an exhibitor in the 2012 Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs Conference April 20^th and 30^th.

The conference provides elected officials and municipal engineers and code officials with training and an opportunity to meet and speak with Exhibitors that want to provide services and products to their boroughs. The key note speaker was Actor and Philanthropist Richard Dreyfuss, Speaking about his Civics Initiative.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs represents 2.6 million Pennsylvanians in 958 boroughs and the more than 12,000 elected officials who serve their constituents.   The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, one of the largest and oldest municipal organizations in the nation, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association operated by the boroughs of the Commonwealth to promote practical, effective and economical local government and to strengthen the prerogatives of local self-government.  The purpose of the Association is the improvement of local government through cooperative effort.  Please visit their website to learn more -  www.boroughs.org.

PSATS ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW

Peters Consultants, Inc. also participated as an exhibitor 101^st Annual in the 90^th Annual Educational Conference and Tradeshow of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors May 6-9 at the Hershey Lodge.

More than 4,000 township officials, exhibitors and guests participated.  The conference provides township official and municipal engineers and code officials with information, services and products to help them better server the constituents and gives them an opportunity exchange ideas on important local issues.   Heading the list of notable speakers was Governor Tom Corbett.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors has been serving the state’s 1,455 townships of the second class since 1921.  Townships of the second class represent more residents – 5.5 million Pennsylvanians – more than any other type of political subdivision in the commonwealth.   Please visit their website to learn more - www.psats.org.

John Getty, co-owner of Campbell Printing, in photo at right, listens during the meeting held at the Berwick Elks lodge by the Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce to discuss the Berwick construction project. Representatives from utility companies and the borough’s engineering firm, Peter’s Consultants, were on hand to answer questions and give updates on the projects underway.

PHOTOS BY M.J. MAHON

Re-posted from the Press Enterprise, 5/14

The Federal Register became effective on March 14, 2011.

The revisions are the first comprehensive overhaul of the 8(a) program in more than 10 years. The regulations incorporate technical changes and substantive changes that mirror existing or new legislation enacted since the last revision in June 1998.

“The 8(a) Business Development Program is an effective tool for providing small businesses with support to help them compete for and win federal government contracts, and in turn put them in the best possible position to drive economic growth and create jobs,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “Through public meetings held in cities throughout the country, SBA gained valuable input from members of the small business community on ways to strengthen the program to provide the best opportunities for eligible firms, while also stepping up efforts to combat waste, fraud and abuse.”

The rules cover a variety of areas of the program, ranging from clarifications on determining economic disadvantage to requirements on Joint Ventures and the Mentor-Protégé program. Some of the components of the 8(a) program that the revised regulations will affect include:

•        Joint Ventures – requiring that the 8(a) firm must perform 40 percent of the work of each 8(a) joint venture contract that is awarded, including those awarded under a Mentor/Protégé agreement, to ensure that these companies are able to build capacity;
•        Economic Disadvantage – providing more clarification on factors that determine economic disadvantage as it relates to total assets, gross income, retirement accounts and a spouse of an 8(a) company owner when determining the owner’s ability to access capital and credit;
•        Mentor-Protégé Program – adding consequences for a mentor who does not provide assistance to their protégé, ranging from stop-work orders to debarment
•        Ownership and Control Requirements – providing flexibility on whether to admit 8(a) program companies owned by individuals with immediate family members who are owners of current and former 8(a) participants;
•        Tribally-Owned Firms – requiring firms owned by tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, Native Hawaiian Organizations and Community Development Corporations to report benefits flowing back to their respective communities;
•        Excessive Withdrawals – amending regulations on what amount is considered excessive as a basis for termination or early graduation from the 8(a) program; and
•        Business Size for Primary Industry – requiring that a firm’s size status remain small for its primary industry code during its participation in the 8(a) program.

The SBA initially published the proposed rule on Oct. 28, 2009 and provided a 60-day comment period for the public to submit their comments. Many businesses requested more time, so the SBA extended the comment period an additional 30 days, allowing the public to submit their comments by Jan. 28, 2010. In addition to requesting written comments from the public, the SBA also embarked on a “Listening Tour” and hosted public meetings between December 2009 and January 2010 in 10 cities around the country: Albuquerque, N.M., Atlanta, Ga., Boston, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Dallas, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., Miami, Fla., New York, N.Y., Seattle, Wash. and Washington, D.C.

The SBA also conducted tribal consultations to gain further public input to the revisions in Albuquerque, Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska, and Seattle. In total, the SBA received more than 2,500 individual comments from the public.

The 8(a) program is a nine-year business development program for small businesses where the owner(s) fits the SBA’s criteria of being socially and economically disadvantaged and the same owners control the firm. The 8(a) program helps these firms develop their business and provides them with access to government contracting opportunities, allowing them to become solid competitors in the federal marketplace. It also provides specialized business training, counseling, marketing assistance and high-level executive development to its participants. In FY09, small businesses received $18.6 billion in 8(a) contract dollars.

For more information about the revised 8(a) regulations, a compliance guide and the 8(a) program, visit http://www.sba.gov/content/revised-8a-regulations or e-mail questions to: 8aBD2@sba.gov

There are three areas of focus within civil engineering project management: contracting, government requirements, and documentation. These topics are all part of any project management position, but have unique aspects in civil engineering. All civil engineering projects are completed with government funding. This adds an additional layer of complexity, as the project budget may be quite tight. In addition to financial constraints, political pressure and profile of a project can often impact the overall project plan and support. Contracting of suppliers, construction firms, and professional staff is a complex, multi-stage process for any large project. In civil engineering project management, additional steps are required. As the project funding is government based, there are often specific requirements included in the funding agreement surrounding the procurement process, licensing requirements, union affiliates.

Take the time to review the agreement in detail and highlight the applicable sections. Compliance is required for funding to continue, and it is a fine line to walk between following these requirements and obtaining best value for dollar. Many civil engineering project managers work with procurement specialists, who are responsible for managing the contracting and tendering process. Government requirements are often provided as a specific section of the agreement. This may include project milestones, press announcements, confidentiality clauses, financial reporting, and other processes. Progress reports can be quarterly, monthly or even weekly. Compliance is required both to receive payment on the current project and to be considered for future opportunities.

Civil engineering project management guidelines include an increased level of documentation. There are two reasons for this, project length and government reporting requirements. A civil engineering project can have a very long time frame, as project scope tends to be very broad. As a result, there is an additional reliance on written documentation for everything from change orders to receipt of materials.

Many project managers hire a documentation specialist to manage this process and ensure that the information is recorded for review and discussion. An additional risk with a government funded project is a change in the leadership. This often results in concerns about projects approved by the other political party. Proper documentation of authorization and costs is the best way to reduce this risk.

REPOSTED FROM WISEGEEK.COM

Fermin Diaz appointed to Project Engineer and Inspector

Mr. Diaz has extensive experience in various facets of civil engineering. Prior to coming to Peters Consultants, Inc., he worked on large building projects, public works infrastructure, schools and hospital and high rise structures as a resident engineer in the Dominican Republic. At Peters Consultants, Inc. he is gaining experience in design, project management and construction administration.   His responsibilities at Peters Consultants, Inc. are construction phase engineering, inspector, structural and auto CAD designer.

Mr. Diaz has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Institute of Technology in Santo Domingo.  He will graduate in April of this year with a Master’s Degree in Construction Management.

Read full article online at the Times Leader – CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to download article in PDF Format

Peters Consultants, Inc. was awarded a series of design projects for the Borough of Berwick utilizing liquid fuel grants and CDBG grants, to upgrade and improve many of the Borough’s streets. A total of 44 streets were selected for improvements over the last 10 years.

The work consisted of the milling of existing pavement, installing a sub-base and wearing course, installing handicap ramps and curbing at each intersection, installing concrete curbing, adjusting manholes and inlets, base reconstruction, lawn restoration, roadway shoulder installation, correcting of grading and drainage problems on adjacent streets, and the installation of storm water inlets and piping.