In most states the standard is $1000000 of liability coverage for each occurrence with an aggregate of $2000000.  Which means that the max payout for a year is two million. There is also the option to insure your vehicle on the same plan.  Ask your agent and if they think doing so makes sense in your unique situation.

If you have a handyman company has more than one employee, you are required by law to carry worker’s compensation insurance. Worker compensation insurance covers your employee should they get injured on the job. Injuries are a high risk among handymen due to the nature  of their job, so worker’s compensation is not only the law, but extremely important for your employee’s protection.

Handyman insurance offers you peace of mind to do your job well, while knowing your employees, business and financial assets have the best security available.

Most handyman businesses will often use vehicles for business purposes, such as picking up supplies or driving to their client’s home or business to complete repairs.  Therefore having  business auto insurance is an essential policy for the individual handyman or business owner.  If your handyman is in an accident while driving the company vehicle, and is injured or causes damage to the vehicle, these costs will be covered by business auto insurance policy.

There are many customers that prefer their handymen to come from a business that is  bonded, which ensures that they will guarantee the services they plan to provide the client.   As an example of surety bond, if you  have agreed to repair the shingles on a client’s roof, the surety bond offers a promise to the client you will complete the work in the amount of time detailed on the contract.

One common type of  insurance policy for a handyman businesses would be  general liability insurance.  General liability protects your business from a variety of risks that can potentially cause you financial strain, including unforeseen events.

Handyman business owners may want to get an insurance policy that combines general liability insurance with additional customized policies, in what is known
as a Business Owners Policy  or BOP.  A BOP can include any number of policies you  choose to include in this package policy for your handyman business’s protection,
such as the following:

1) Structure and Contents

2) Business Income and Extra Expense

3) Business Income and Extra Expense

4) Employee Dishonesty Coverage

5) Electronic Data

6)  Products and Completed Operations

There are a different types of handyman insurance that is available for you or your  company, which  will offer your business and assets protection against potential lawsuits, injuries, or other risks. Make sure to read carefully and speak to your insurance agent to make sure you are getting what you need.

Clarksburg, Maryland.  A website for established home improvement contractors and those, like boomers, looking to start out in home improvement for the first time, www.thriveorsurvive.net offers sites and solid tips.

Windows, update and enhance the beauty of your home along with increasing the value at the same time.  Doors ,  the entry door is the first impression your home offers so make it a good one.

Fife Roofing services, providing first class workmanship on all aspects of roofing including roof repairs,emergency roofing, flat roofs,guttering and more. Roofers in Fife have over 30 years of experience in the  domestic and commercial roofing trade. They provide repair and re-roofing solutions for all roof types and operate extensively throughout  Fife and surrounding areas including Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, St Andrews, Leven and all other areas.  They also cover the whole of Scotland and distance is no object to us.  If you need roofers in Scotland then get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to visit for a free estimate. Fife Roofing Office 2, 1 Neilson Grove Burntisland, Fife KY3 0BL 800-799-9039

The False Claims Act should be taken seriously. In recent years, the government has been increasingly willing to wield the provisions of the FCA as weapons, zealously punishing offending federal contractors.

A recent opinion United States ex rel. Hooper v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 11-55278 (9th. Cir. 2012) reminds us once again that the government almost seems to be searching for ways expand the FCA’s application, finding new categories of conduct that are covered by, and punishable pursuant to, the Act.

In Hooper, the Court found that the practice known as “buying in” – i.e. deliberate underbidding of a job – was covered under the FCA. Hooper, a former employee of Lockheed Martin, brought a “qui tam” action against Lockheed, alleging that the company deliberately underbid at least one Air Force contract. The contract was cost-reimbursable with an award fee. As one might imagine, intentionally underbidding this type of contract could be quite lucrative. In apparent recognition of this fact, Hooper alleged that Lockheed knowingly underestimated its costs when submitting its bid.

In response, Lockheed moved to dismiss. The company argued that a false estimate could not create liability under the False Claims Act. The Court disagreed. After noting that both the First and Fourth Circuits had previously found the FCA applicable to similar “underbidding” situations, the Ninth Circuit stated as follows: “we conclude that false estimates, defined to include fraudulent underbidding in which the bid is not what the defendant actually intends to charge, can be a source of liability under the FCA, assuming that the other elements of an FCA claim are met.”

In the wake of this decision, all contractors would be wise to take every possible precaution to avoid underbidding – intentional or otherwise.

Edward T. DeLisle is a Partner in the firm and a member of the Federal Contracting Practice Group. Maria L. Panichelli is an Associate in the firm’s Federal Practice Group.

FAR council issued a final rule entitled Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (“the Rule”). Although this Final Rule was implemented just last month, it has been a topic of discussion on Capitol Hill for over six years.

In 2006, the Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-282, 31 U.S.C. § 6101 note) (“FFATA”) was enacted, with a two fold purpose: (1) to reduce “wasteful and unnecessary spending;” and (2) to ensure that the public can access financial information on entities and organizations receiving federal funds, which included federal government contractors and their subcontractors. FFATA required all federal contractors to divulge, through the use of a website set up by the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”), contract and subcontract award information for all contracts over $25,000. Contractors’ reporting responsibilities were further expanded by the Government Funding Transparency Act of 2008 (“GFTA”). GFTA amended the FFATA to provide that contractors report, in addition to contract and subcontract award information, the names and total compensation of the five most highly compensated officers of those entitities. On July 8, 2010 an interim rule was put in place, requiring Federal contractors to comply with the new reporting requirements.

It was this interim rule (with a few minor modifications) that was ultimately implemented on August 27, 2012. Under the Final Rule, prime contractors must report contract and first-tier subcontract awards, and the names and executive compensation of the five most highly compensated officers of both the prime contractor, and its first-tier subcontractors. The information must be reported by the end of the month following the month of a contract award, and annually thereafter, in the Central Contactor Registration system (“CCR”)(now the “System of Award Management” or “SAM”). All of the information is to be made accessible to the public through www.usaspending.gov.

Compliance with the rule requires that contractors fully understand the reporting requirements, which can be rather complicated. Accordingly, some guidance concerning the reporting requirements is set forth below.

Subcontract Award Reporting

This requirement is applicable to all Contracts with value of $25,000 or more, but there is no requirement to disclose classified information. This represents a change from the interim rule, which included language stating that it did not apply to classified contracts; the Final Rule expands this provision to state that nothing in the statute requires disclosure of “classified information.” The Final Rule deleted an additional exception that had been contained in the interim rule, namely that the rule did not apply to contracts with individuals. There is no such exemption in the Final Rule. There is also no exemption for COTS or commercial items.

A “First-Tier Subcontract” is defined as a subcontract “entered into by the [Prime] Contractor to furnish supplies or services for performance… It includes, but is not limited to, purchase orders and changes and modifications to purchase orders, but does not include contracts that provide supplies or services benefiting two or more contracts.” FAR 52.204-10(a). This too represents a change from the interim rule. The interim rule’s definition of “first-tier subcontracts” has been modified slightly, to clarify that the definition does not include long-term contracts for supplies and materials that are not solely related to a single, applicable contract. According to the preamble of the Final Rule, this change is meant to give contractors “greater flexibility” in determining what type of company qualifies as a “first-tier subcontractor.”

An extensive list of the information contractors must report regarding first-tier subcontract awards can be found at FAR 52.204-10(a).

Executive Compensation Reporting

Contractors and applicable Subcontractors must comply with this requirement only if that contractor or subcontractor, in the preceding fiscal year, received eighty percent (80%) or more of its annual gross revenues and twenty-five million or more in annual gross revenues from federal contract awards, AND if the public did not otherwise have access to this executive compensation information from other publically available sources (for example, through SEC or IRS filings).

The category of subcontractors required to report executive compensation is limited to “First-Tier Subcontractors,” which is defined in the same manner as set forth above. The Subcontractor is required to report to the prime contractor names and total compensation of each of the five most highly compensated executives for that subcontractor’s preceding completed fiscal year. The Prime Contractor, in turn, is required to report this information, along with its own executive compensation information to the extent that it falls within the parameters of the Rule.

For purposes of disclosure under the final Rule, both “executive” and “compensation” are defined broadly. Compensation includes not only salary, but also:

– (1) bonus;
– (2) awards of stock, stock options, and stock appreciation rights;
– (3) earnings for services under non-equity incentive plans;
– (4) change in pension value;
– (5) above-market earnings on deferred compensation which is not tax-qualified; and
– (6) other compensation, if the aggregate value of all such other compensation (e.g., severance, termination payments, value of life insurance paid on behalf of the employee, perquisites or property) for the executive exceeds $10,000.

“Executive” is defined as any officer, managing partner, or any employee in a management position.

The prime contractor must report executive compensation information in two different locations. For subcontractors, the information is entered into the FFATA Sub-award Reporting System (“FSRS”). For contractor information, primes must use the Federal Procurement Data System (“FPDS”), where certain required information will be pre-populated by the government. Prime Contractors must note two things here: First, as to first-tier subcontractors, the prime is responsible for notifying its subcontractors that the required information will be made public. Second, regarding its own information, under the Final Rule it is the prime’s responsibility to check and correct any inaccurate information pre-populated in FPDS.

This Rule places prime contractors in the precarious position of collecting and reporting not simply their own information, but information from others. How can a prime assure itself that it is collecting and reporting the full extent of the subcontractor information required? How can it ensure that the information it receives from its subcontractors is accurate? These are troubling issues and prime contractors will have to develop risk management systems to assist with compliance. Specifically, prime contractors should establish a mechanism, through their subcontracts, for example, to notify subcontractors of the reporting requirements and what information must be provided. However, since the reporting obligation applies to the prime contractor and not subcontractors, it will not be sufficient to merely “flow down” the actual reporting responsibilities. Having subcontractors certify the information provided may also assist prime contractors in protecting themselves from the risks associated with the Rule. And primes must not forget about reporting their own information. Systems for collecting, reporting and updating this information must be established to remain compliant. Oh, the joy of dealing with the federal government…

Frequently asked questions is, whether attorneys fees are recoverable as part of the federal claims procedure. The answer is sometimes. A case just decided by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit assists in explaining when such a recovery is possible.

In Tip Top Construction v. Donahue, the United States Postal Service required a contractor to perform additional work to complete an air conditioning repair project in the Virgin Islands. While it approved a change order to perform the additional work, the contractor incurred other additional costs, including attorneys fees, to convince the USPS to accept its request for additional money. Those monies were submitted in the form of a claim and denied.

The U.S. Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals upheld the denial stating that the costs included in the claim “had nothing to do with the performance of the changed work or genuine contract administration.” The Federal Circuit disagreed.

The Federal Circuit took the position that the monies included in the claim reasonably flowed from negotiations associated with the change order process. This conclusion was important, for the Federal Circuit framed the issue as follows: “If a contractor incurred the cost for the genuine purpose of materially furthering the negotiating process, such cost should normally be a contract administration cost allowable under FAR 31.205-33, even if negotiation eventually fails and a CDA claim is later submitted.” Here, the facts revealed that the parties were, in fact, making attempts to negotiate an amicable resolution regarding price for a number of months prior to submission of the claim. Consultants and attorneys were used by the contractor to assist it in its presentation to the Postal Service. Because the evidence suggested that the contractor’s underlying purpose was to resolve the dispute, the Federal Circuit held that these costs were recoverable.

Tip Top illustrates the fine line one must walk when it comes to the collection of attorneys fees. Certainly, once an actual claim is submitted by a contractor, there can be no expectation to collect fees from that point forward. The dispute has traveled too far down the road of dispute resolution. Prior to that point, however, if a contractor can prove that the costs incurred for counsel stemmed from a desire to negotiate an amicable resolution to a change order dispute, recovery of fees is possible.

Networking Cocktail Reception preceded by a precise presentation on Avoiding the Pitfalls in Federal Construction Contracting.

This networking event will facilitate interaction between large and small businesses that are looking to understand how to win federal construction contracts. The presentation, led by Federal Contracting Chair, Michael Payne, will provide an overview of the following topics:

• Top 10 list of pitfalls to avoid
• Tips on how to deal with the hazards
• Understanding how to protect your rights

The Federal construction market is accountable for over $100 billion worth of spending annually. If you are interested in learning more about federal contracting opportunities, this networking event is a great place to connect with other companies and learn inside tips from our Federal Contracting Partners, who boast years of experience working with Federal agencies.

Date:
November 8, 2012

Time:
4:00pm-4:30pm Registration
4:30pm-5:30pm Seminar
5:30pm-7:30pm Cocktail Reception

Location:
The Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Cost:
$50 per person

Please  register early as space is limited. For questions, contact Rachel McNally at (215) 564-1700.

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio will meld an historic facade with a contemporary and flexible performance hall.

For its dedication to people, diversification, planning and innovation, TDIndustries is named ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2012 Specialty Contractor of the Year.

The first annual Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development in the United States went to a team from Houston’s Rice University for their solution for oil companies venturing further offshore.

Redmond, Washington. Dynamic Systems, an industry leader in barcode tracking solutions since 1981, has released expanded barcode tracking software solutions for construction. These include: ID badge systems, tool management.

Construction and building jobs and careers can be found in Cleveland, OH. Using online job listings you can find construction job vacancies in Cleveland and neighboring areas. Construction jobs are offered at various levels of experience and responsibility and are attracting many job seekers in the city. Construction worker tasks include surveying land, strategic planning, handling heavy machinery and erection of structures. Other tasks such as installing mechanical systems, machinery repairs and handling of heavy equipment are often also needed.

Requirements among job candidates

A hard working nature and strong work ethic are essential among construction job candidates. Job seekers must also be able to work as a team and have problem solving skills as well.  It can often be a very physical job so this should also be considered before applying for building jobs.

Career options

Construction professionals are required in various areas in Cleveland for completion of work associated with renovation, construction, maintenance and building of projects, both in OH and across the US. Those who wish to work in this field should have an eye for detail and must be resourceful. Certain workers must also be able to create and analyze technical graphs and illustrations, prepare and read final construction plans, maps and land surveys, sketches and blueprints. They should also be adept at operation of heavy equipment such as bulldozers and trucks. Panelling work, finish work such as trim, ceiling and floor installation are often also included under their duties and responsibilities. Some construction people are expected to be able to handle electric distribution systems, power distribution and hydraulic steering systems efficiently.

Work of a Quality Manager

A Quality Manager has to provide leadership to the quality technicians to ensure that they work well as a team as ensuring that they have a clear idea about procedures and quality expectations. They are also in charge of managing and developing auditing systems in the quality department. They should also be able to take up works related to performance management and support compliance with systems and programs.

Job opportunities

Construction job candidates can get wide exposure and visibility by working in the construction field in Cleveland. They also have an opportunity to use sophisticated tools and heavy equipment. Job aspirants can also benefit a lot from classroom as well as field training.

Other job opportunities available for job seekers in this area include those of electrician, plumber,  civil engineer, illustrator, carpenter, mechanic, Construction Engineer, architectural Drafter, sheet metal worker, and hydraulic mechanic.

Type of work options

Construction personnel can improve both their professional as well as personal profile by working as a construction worker in Cleveland. Even the Navy and other defence forces require many construction professionals every year. You can also opt for part time or full time working options.

After obtaining some quality experience, construction workers can become involved in construction projects around the world.

Sustainable Fellwood marks the redevelopment of a 27-acre public-housing site near Savannah’s historic district. The project, which includes 220 multifamily units, single-family homes, senior housing and retail, office and commercial uses, has rents ranging from public housing level to market rate. The project’s third phase, which earned LEED-Platinum certification, features a rooftop photovoltaic solar array, Energy Star appliances and lighting, low-E windows and programmable thermostats. The development is estimated to be 32% more energy efficient than the ASHRAE baseline model.

The project required the construction of three 27-story towers, but one of the biggest challenges was below the water table.  The St. Regis is a 2.1-million-gross-sq-ft resort development consisting of three 27-story residential towers with more than 500 units. But one of the project’s biggest challenges was the 270,000-sq-ft subterranean garage, which is positioned below the water table. The contractor needed roughly 4,000 auger-cast piles and more than 40 large pumps to complete the “bathtub” in approximately 13 months—by which time the tower structures were well over half complete.

The Florida single-family residence earned LEED-Platinum certification, among numerous other sustainability ratings. This contemporary home, designed in the minimalist style, is built on a framing system constructed of recycled structural steel and concrete, and features an exterior built of EIFS (exterior insulated finish system). As a result, the structure is hurricane-, earthquake- and fire-resistant.

Conditions outside its control left the contractor just four months to convert an existing auto dealership into an animal adoption facility.

Architectural firm Bacon Group, which specializes in animal shelter design, utilized the existing building’s high-volume ceilings and tall walls in the animal control areas to eliminate the need for secondary ceilings, thereby improving air circulation for the animals. Acoustical panels were installed to control noise, and the building’s open layout was compartmentalized to keep dogs and cats separated. Despite the delayed start, the project was completed on schedule.

The small office space project uses modern materials in a traditional Savannah, GA, neighborhood.  Inspired by midcentury modern design, the architectural firm of CSCP Consult Design used a modular design and steel-based construction, a method that accommodates the structure’s elevation of 6 ft above the ground, which was required to meet federal regulations for the area. For cost effectiveness, the structure is clad in corrugated metal and built on a light-gauge steel frame. The building also features double-pane windows, interior solar shades and recessed LED lighting. To reduce costs further, the owner opted to equip the building only with electricity and air conditioning.

Water-based polyurethanes provide a clear finish and has low odor. You can recoat them in two hours and clean your tools with water. If you start early enough in the day, you can apply the recommended four coats and sleep in the room that night.

Oil-based polyurethanes leave an amber glow and require fewer coats. But the five-hour wait between coats and 12-hour wait after the last coat will put a bedroom out of commission for a few days, and you will have to put up with a strong odor.