All subcontractors, General Contractors, Owners, both members and non-members should read Scope, Best Practices and Specificity, written by Ameen Khouri and his committee of ASAMW members. Best scoping practices and scope specificity will prevent the conflicts caused by incomplete or ambiguous scopes. The finishing trades are especially impacted by scope creep and poorly written scopes, so they particularly need to study this paper.

Help your GC Avoid False Claims on Tariffs
Verify that your suppliers are accurately reporting imported goods. According to this ConcensusDocs Article, the US Dept of Justice will “aggressively” enforce the False Claims Act (FCA)…and the fines are hefty.  In March a flooring contractor settled an $8.1 million case on flooring imported from China. Subcontractors can ask for verification of the country of origin and tariff classification for imported materials. We would like to hear from members who are addressing the issue of tariffs. Just reply to this email.

Payment on Federal Projects
As bids on private and local government jobs slow down, more members will be turning to Federal construction projects. It is important to make sure to use all the tools at your disposal on Federal projects to ensure that you receive timely payment. Payment in 90 days is untimely according to the Federal Acquisition Register (FAR) and any payment received by a GC for a Sub’s work must be paid in 7 days. 

Subcontractors should also be aware of their rights under the Miller Act. This article by Smith Currie explains a change order case in which a subcontractor filed against the bond on the Miller Act while at the same time filing a Contracts Dispute case. The article offers additional insight into Miller Act Protections.

Will AI Determine if You Have the Job?
You might want to learn about Agentic AI. According to this article from Construction Dive, agentic Ai works better than traditional Ai for procurement…like construction procurement. This could lead to more owners and GCs using Ai models to determine the contractors and subcontractors for a particular project. 

Free Webinar on Labor and Safety Issues
Click here to attend a webinar July 1 at 1 pm on Davis Bacon, Fair Labor Standards act and other issues of particular interest to the construction industry.  Learn more about what to expect if there is an OSHA, EEOC or Dept of Labor inspection on one of your projects. Be prepared. 

Before You Bid on Commanders Stadium
No one really knows who will be the GC on the new Commanders Stadium that is scheduled to open in 2030. I think we know who has the inside track, but if you know, please reply to this email. This article from Construction Dive will be helpful to those who bid the job. The schedule will be of utmost importance on this project since the funders will depend on the opening to start getting a return on their investment and the Commanders schedule will not change because of construction delays. Some things to think about before you bid.

Have you paid your Dues?
Your dues to ASA of Metro Washington are due next Tuesday. Please be sure to pay your dues timely – for subcontractors, that means now. If you do not recall receiving a dues invoice, just email [email protected] and she will send your invoice.