Construction News & Events

Is the construction industry recovering?

The recession has tested the confidence of many in the industry. Firms are cautiously optimistic a broad recovery is poised to begin as the experts point to a slow, but steady, recovery in the U.S. economy. That’s excellent news for many contractors. The continued slow- bleed of the coffers may be finally coming to an end.

According to the most-recent ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index (CICI) survey, the first quarter CICI rose to 58 on a scale of 100. This was up 16 points from 42 in the last quarter. (According to ENR a CICI rating of 50 would indicate a stable market.)

The executives of large construction and design firms surveyed believe the market has stabilized and is beginning to show signs of recovery. Many believe the private-sector markets are going to take the lead. The petroleum market is perceived to be the strongest, followed by multi-unit residential, power and health care. The retail sector, once the lowest-rated market, is showing signs of stabilization, while the commercial office market has also strengthened slightly. Unfortunately for those in Central Florida, the only market reported to have fallen in the CICA survey was the entertainment and theme-park sector.

The CICI survey parallels the results of the latest Confindex survey from the Construction Financial Management Association. According to the CFMA poll, the Confindex rose from 116 to 126 in the most recent quarter. (The Confindex is on a scale of 200. A rating of 100 indicates a stable market). Higher rating show growth is expected.

However, headwinds remain. According to ENR, many contractors are concerned about pricing pressures such as the rising cost of fuel and petroleum-based products. Additionally, many of the problems that hampered the expected recovery in 2011 continue, including the debt crisis and tight bank financing. According to some economic consultants, business conditions can cause a rise in demand, but until the banks free up the capital for projects, market growth is expected to only be in the 2 to 3% range, at best.

For more information, the full article describing the results of the most-recent CICI survey, fo to ENR’s website at enr.construction.com.

Visit APEX at Las Vegas ABA Annual Meeting event

Attending this year’s annual meeting of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry in Las Vegas April 26 – 28? Stop by Booth 11 and visit us. We look forward to meeting you! Remember, don’t gamble on your consultants, APEX is always your best bet!

Does an expert have to be licensed in every state to testify?

Recently there have been discussions regarding licensure for expert witnesses who provide testimony in multiple states. The debate centers on whether it was ethical for an engineer to provide expert witness testimony in a state where that engineer was not licensed.

All engineers are obligated to adhere to a state’s licensure laws if they are practicing engineering in that state. As such, a Forensic Engineer also would have to meet the applicable legal and ethical obligations for that particular state. However, in general, someone may be qualified as a technical expert by a court without possessing a professional license. Thus, it was determined by the NSPE that unless there was a particular state licensure law prohibiting unlicensed individuals from performing expert witness services, there would not be a legal need for the expert to be licensed in every state.

Further, it was determined that by being licensed in other states, the engineer demonstrated he/she met the basic minimum standard of competence and it would be a hardship to require the engineer be registered in all 50 states to serve as an expert in those states.

APEX's 'Due Diligence Diagnostic™' Service off to great start

It has only been a few months since APEX announced its “Due Diligence Diagnostic™” Claim review service (“3-D”, for short) and the jury is back with its verdict – they love it!

We’ve had numerous requests for this service and the response has been great!

Our clients love the level of services provided, the quality of the reports, and the guaranteed fast turnaround. But what they’ve told us they especially like is the low flat rate.We offer a guaranteed turnaround in as little as 3 days and a flat rate of only $4,900. We plan on increasing these types of quick-turnaround, flat-rate service offerings in the future. Watch for future announcements! All of this is only made possible by our un-matched technological breakthroughs which none of our competitors can