Public agencies have been reporting for more than a year that they are paying less for school buildings and other facilities than they had been. But few governments seem to have stepped up their construction programs to take advantage of the price breaks.
Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside… Read More January 21, 2010
Republican Scott Brown's win in the Massachusetts special election is reverberating through Congress. It appears the House lacks enough votes to pass the Senate version of the legislation, which means the Senate and House leaders must continue to work on a compromise of their two differing… Read More January 21, 2010
Yesterday, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum that directs federal agencies to block government contractors delinquent in their taxes from receiving new contracts.  In addition, the memorandum would require the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to conduct a review of the accuracy of… Read More January 21, 2010
Yesterday a broad coalition of members of Congress, industry experts, and stakeholders called on Congress and the Obama Administration to create a National Infrastructure Bank to help fund infrastructure projects of regional and national importance.  ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ attended the event and stressed that the… Read More January 21, 2010
The White House announced this week that President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address on January 27 and release his FY 2011 budget February 1. It is widely believed that the State of the Union and the president’s budget will focus on cutting the federal deficit and may downplay… Read More January 21, 2010
The U.S. Senate defeated an amendment by a vote of 53-45 to legislation that would have increased the federal debt ceiling and prevented any new financial commitments for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The amendment was particularly troublesome because it would have invalidated the key… Read More January 21, 2010
On Tuesday, Scott Brown (R) defeated Martha Coakley (D) in the Massachusetts special election to fill the seat vacated by the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Brown's victory is already impacting Senate proceedings by removing the Democrat's super majority of 60 votes. Â
Once Brown is officially seated… Read More January 21, 2010
The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods was unchanged in December before seasonal adjustment (up 0.2%, seasonally adjusted) and up 4.4% from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The PPI for inputs to construction industries, a weighted average of materials… Read More January 20, 2010
NEW FEDERAL DATA SHOWS CONTRACTORS GETTING SQUEEZED BETWEEN RISING MATERIALS COSTS AND STAGNANT PRICES FOR FINISHED CONSTRUCTION
Latest Producer Price Index Figures Signal Need for Speedy Investments in Infrastructure Construction While Prices are Still Relatively Low, Construction Economist Notes… Read More January 20, 2010
View ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Chief Economist Ken Simonson's presentation on the outlook for construction activity, materials and labor.
January 20, 2010
