Welcome Gwyn Donohue, CAE, to ASAMW

We are excited to announce that Gwyn Donohue, CAE, has joined the American Subcontractors Association of Metro Washington (ASAMW) as our new Executive Director.

Gwyn brings more than 20 years of association leadership experience, including a strong track record in the construction and nonprofit sectors. She previously served as Executive Director of NAHB Remodelers at the National Association of Home Builders, where she revitalized member engagement through expanded value-driven programs.

Please join us in welcoming Gwyn to ASAMW. We look forward to her leadership as we continue to deliver value, advocacy, and community to our members across the D.C. metro region. Learn more about our new Executive Director in our press release here.

We are grateful for Ike’s 13 years of exceptional service and wish him the best in his retirement. Visit this link to learn more about Ike's dedication to the industry and the ASAMW Community.

GCs Want Your Notice
Why do you hesitate to send a GC a notice letter? In a recent meeting with one of ASAMW’s GC Partners, they stated that they never receive notice letters from subs – and they want them. This is hard to understand. If you put “What notice letters should a GC expect from a Sub” into AI, it comes back with 14 notices the GC should expect from the pre-bid to the post construction phases of the project. How would you respond if you heard a GC say they never received notices?

Should You Bet On Office Construction? 
The Washington Business Journal reported in this article, there is not enough office space for the 33 large companies looking to locate in Northern Virginia. Nothing of significance is on the horizon, so will there be new office construction soon? At the same time, nationwide, Anirban Basu reports that new office square footage being built is down 80% from 2020 levels and nothing on the horizon indicates this will change. That’s nationwide, but the picture is rosier in our area. Balfour Beatty is breaking ground on a large project in DC and there is a major datacenter project in Middletown, VA, just an hour away. This article also reported that construction planning took a bump upwards in June with commercial planning up 7.3% and institutional up 5.7%.  Any insight on where you see the economy going is appreciated.

Tariffs
Construction material prices went up 6% through May and are likely going up even more. It appears most ASAMW member subcontractors are addressing these price increases in their contract documents and change order requests, but things might get testy when owners realize the cost of their projects is going up significantly. Here is an excellent article from Construction Dive that places the tariff issue in perspective. Prices for copper, steel and aluminum are bound to go up and some are looking at mass timber to address these increases. Here is a clause that can be used to protect yourself: “Pricing stated herein is not guaranteed due to market volatility. Pricing will be equitably adjusted at the time of order to account for increases in the market price of quoted materials.”

SDIs
There has been talk lately about GCs using Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) to cover their risk for using subs that might not be able to complete the project. SDIs give the GC more direct control over the claims process than traditional surety bonds. Those with SDI experience, particularly general contractors, are invited to share insights about this emerging practice.

Where Are We With PLAs?  
Project Labor Agreements did not go away as it appeared they would a few weeks ago. Smith Currie explains the status in this article written in June – although things still might change. Remember PLAs are a standard and often required component of large public construction projects in D.C., with an ongoing legislative effort to expand their application to more projects by lowering the cost threshold from $75 million to $50 million. There is also an effort to make the new Commanders’ Stadium a PLA. Prince Georges County public projects lean to expanded use of PLAs.    

ICE Raids
We are not aware of any ICE raids on local projects in the last 60 days, however it appears to be a common practice in other areas of the country. This ENR Article explains how Hispanics in our industry are expected to be 50% of the workforce by 2030. It might be at that level now in the DMV. 

ASA National has an ICE Checklist that you should download to prepare for a visit by ICE agents.  Download the Checklist here. It covers what documentation you need to have on hand and your rights and obligations in responding to ICE agents. This article from Construction Dive explains the need to keep I9 information accurate and up-to-date and to use E-verify to check for accuracy. Here is more information on E-Verify. 

Labor Shortage
In a July 15^th article, Anirban Basu questions how recent ICE raids have impacted construction employment. Employment among residential specialty contractors has decreased 27,200 since September. Reply to this email with your impressions of immigrant employment. Are we facing dire prospects for current and future jobs if we lose a significant portion of the immigrant labor in the DMV?

Scope
All subcontractors, General Contractors, Owners, both members and non-members need to study ASAMW’s Scope, Best Practices and Specificity written by Ameen Khouri, Shapiro and Duncan, along with his committee of ASAMW members. The processes and practices in this paper will prevent the conflicts caused by incomplete scopes that result in finger-pointing that does no one any good.

Reminder: Your ASAMW Membership
We hope you're having a great year and taking advantage of your ASAMW membership benefits! Just a quick reminder that 2025 dues were due July 1st.

To keep your membership active and ensure continued access to all our programs, networking events, and resources, please send in your payment as soon as possible.

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See How Virtual Assistants Are Changing Job Site Workflows 
This month, member Chad Gill with Laminin Coaching, shares that virtual assistants combined with smart devices are turning site walkthroughs into instant deliverables. Here's the streamlined process contractors are using:

Record voice notes during your site walk using wearable devices like the Plaud NotePin, Limitless AI Pendant, or simply your phone. The audio automatically syncs to your cloud storage or project management system, where your VA takes over—transcribing recordings, identifying tasks and issues, then organizing everything into turnover sheets, proposals, or meeting summaries. Your VA can even draft follow-up emails based on the content.

Why This Matters: Trade contractors save hours on admin work, capture details they'd otherwise miss, and get organized instantly with AI-powered documentation. This voice-first workflow means less paperwork and faster turnaround without sacrificing accuracy or professionalism.

Join Us at SubExcel 2025
The American Subcontractors Association's premier annual conference is heading to Oklahoma City this September 16-18, and ASAMW will be there! Our staff and several Metro Washington chapter members are planning to attend this can't-miss industry event. SubExcel offers unparalleled networking opportunities, cutting-edge education sessions, and the latest industry insights. Click here for more information.