Articles & News

Many construction contracts contain dispute resolution clauses that require disputes arising out of the project to be resolved through mediation, arbitration, or a combination of both, instead of through litigation.  A common question that arises in light of these dispute resolution clauses is whether, and…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have recently announced new residential construction statistics for July 2013. According to the data, building permits for privately-owned housing units in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 943,000, up 2.7…

Recently the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a published opinion on the topic of binding arbitration clauses in written contracts.  In Noohi v. Toll Bros., Inc., 708 F. 3d 599 (4th Cir. 2013), a class action of prospective home buyers…

Starting on July 1, 2013, a revision to Section 17-110 of the State Finance and Procurement Article will effectively reduce the amount of retention that a public body in the State of Maryland can withhold from prime contractors on projects that are 100% bonded.  Prior…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, construction spending for June 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $883.9 billion. This rate is down 0.6 percent from the revised May estimate of $889.4 billion. However, when compared to…

Between June 2012 and June 2013, construction employment has increased in 191 out of 339 metropolitan areas across the United States, according to an analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The data also showed construction employment declined…

In response to the 2010 Small Business Jobs Act, the U.S. Small Business Administration has issued a new rule that will force agencies and prime contractors to pay more attention towards their small business subcontractors. Effective August 15, 2013, prime contractors in a “covered contract”…

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development both released new residential construction statistics for June 2013. According to the data, building permits of privately-owned housing units were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 911,000 for June 2013, down 7.5…

One of the big issues crossing my desk lately is the problem of ‘price and proceed’ change orders, unilateral change directives, and other directives to proceed with additional change order work.  The contract documents typically require the contractor to perform ‘additional work’ upon receiving notice,…

For the first time since 2008, the construction unemployment rate dropped below double digits in June, according to new government data analyzed by the Associated General Contractors of America. The data also showed that every segment of the construction industry experienced an increase in employment.…