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| Texas
CEC Membership Information |
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| Thank
you for your inquiry
into membership with the
Texas
Council of Engineering Companies.
We are pleased to provide
you with an information
that describes the activities
and programs that our organization
offers. |
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| First
and foremost you are an
engineer, but more importantly
you are a consulting
engineer; a businessperson
working to profitably sell
to clients your expertise
and that of your colleagues
and employees. There are
many organizations that
provide information on technical
and professional matters.
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| But
Texas
CEC and ACEC are
the only associations that
represent you and your business
interests as a consulting
engineer. |
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| Currently,
Texas
CEC has over 300
member firms employing over
4,500 technical and professional
employees. ACEC has over
5,500 member firms, representing
some 184,000 employees.
As you will note from the
enclosed materials, the
Council plays an aggressive
and proactive role in representing
the interests of our member
firms in the State Legislature,
through liaison relationships
with state agencies, and
through our chapter involvement
with regional and local
concerns throughout the
state. |
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| Your
membership in Texas
CEC and ACEC is an
investment in the vitality
and importance of the consulting
engineering industry in
Texas. Our focus is on market
development, liability protection
and other matters that improve
your bottom line, as well
as on activities that promote
the visibility and image
of the industry. Only through
coordinated, industry-wide
efforts with as much participation
as possible can we make
progress in all these areas. |
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| We
hope you will take a few
minutes to review the material
below. Please give us a
call at (512) 474-1474 so
that we may answer any questions
concerning Texas CEC. |
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| LEGISLATIVE
ADVOCACY |
| Texas
CEC commits considerable
resources to advocacy for
the interests of consulting
engineers before the Texas
Legislature. Their efforts
are guided by a State Legislative
Committee open to all Texas
CEC members who commit to
participation in the political
process. The SLC’s
legislative efforts are
directed toward expanding
markets for engineering
services, protecting firms
from inappropriate liability
threats, and generally improving
the environment for the
profitable practice of consulting
engineering. |
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| These
efforts have had considerable
success in recent legislative
sessions. Major accomplishments
include: |
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| Tort
Reform – Texas
CEC was the primary proponent
of significant reform of
the Deceptive Trade Practices
Act to return the Act to
its true purpose and limit
its applicability to construction
contract litigation. |
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| Privatization
– The contracting-out
of engineering services
by the Texas Department
of Transportation has been
significantly expanded from
a level of $25 million in
FY92 to over $100 million
in FY98, primarily as a
result of Texas CEC’
work with TxDOT. |
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| Retainage
– Texas CEC worked
with TxDOT to convince the
Legislature to repeal the
requirement that TxDOT withhold
retainage on professional
service contracts. |
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| Lien
Laws – In 1995,
legislation was enacted
with Texas CEC’ support
which makes the filing and
collection of liens by engineers
much easier than before. |
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| Indemnification
– Texas CEC pushed
for limitations on the ability
of state agencies and political
subdivisions to require
engineers to sign onerous
indemnification agreements
in contracts. These contracts
are now unenforceable. |
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| Design-Build
– Texas CEC worked
with other organizations
in 1997 to enact procedural
guidelines governing design-build
and construction management
contracts by school districts
and institutions of higher
education. These guidelines
significantly protect the
role of the engineer and
qualifications-based selection
in these alternative delivery
systems. |
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| PROTECTING
YOUR INTERESTS |
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| Consulting
engineers confront state
agencies on almost a daily
basis either as regulators
or as potential clients.
Texas CEC works aggressively
to educate these agencies
about the issues and concerns
of the industry and to solve
problems where they arise. |
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| For
example, Texas CEC maintains
ongoing Liaison Committees
with the Texas Department
of Transportation and the
Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission. The TxDOT Liaison
Committee has been in existence
four years and has focused
on issues such as the development
of a written manual on consultant
selection, implementation
of a pre-certification selection
process designed to reduce
selection time and save
proposal preparation costs,
the development of guidelines
for fee negotiation, and
many others. The Committee
periodically holds planning
sessions open to all interested
Texas CEC members. Finally,
Texas CEC maintains a subscription
service through which important
TxDOT documents are distributed. |
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| Texas
CEC was instrumental in
the creation of a Chief
Engineer position at the
TNRCC, part of an ongoing
effort to improve the engineering
culture of the agency. The
TNRCC Committee has worked
with the agency staff on
issues including the structure
of the Petroleum Storage
Tank Program, indemnification
provisions in professional
service contracts, wastewater
design criteria, wastewater
plan and specification review,
and numerous other issues. |
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| Texas
CEC also works closely with
the State Board of Professional
Engineers on rules and policies
that affect consulting firms.
This is particularly important
since the interests of consultants
and those engineers who
work in government or industry
do not always coincide. |
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| Finally,
Texas CEC works with other
agencies such as the General
Services Commission, the
Department of Licensing
and Regulation (which handles
architectural barriers issues),
the Historical Commission,
and the Texas Water Development
Board as issues arise. |
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| MEMBERSHIP
PRIVILEGES |
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| Texas
CEC, in cooperation with
ACEC, operates a number
of insurance and employee
benefit programs. Often,
Texas CEC members save more
through participation in
these programs than the
cost of membership in Texas
CEC. |
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| ACEC
Life/Health Insurance Plan |
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| The
ACEC Life/Health Insurance
Trust oversees a program
that provides life and health
insurance coverage for participating
ACEC member firms. The program
offers flexible benefits
designed by engineers for
engineers. You’ll
find the right plans for
your whole firm in one place:
health, dental, disability,
life and more. With the
program, you’re backed
by the group purchasing
power of more than 1,700
firms and 28,000 employees.
The plan administrator is
HealthPlan Services and
the plan underwriter is
Trustmark. Further information
on the program, including
quotations, can be obtained
by contacting Todd Cowan
of HealthPlan Services at
(888) 813-7265 Ext. 3326. |
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| ACEC
Business Insurance Plan |
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| The
ACEC Business Insurance
Trust oversees a program
that provides business and
professional liability insurance
coverage for participating
ACEC member firms. The program
brand is “The ProShop.”
The ProShop offers policyholders
tailored coverage along
broad policy terms and conditions.
Program coverage includes
automobile liability and
physical damage; workers’
compensation; and the “Spectrum”
package policy affording
protection for buildings,
business personal property,
money and securities, business
liability, equipment breakdown,
computers and media. Catastrophe
liability protection is
available through umbrella
coverage. The plan underwriter
is The Hartford, and the
plan administrator is Marsh
USA, Inc. |
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| The
Trust has authorized Marsh
to make engineers’
professional liability coverage
available to member firms
only. Further information
on the program, including
quotations, can be obtained
by contacting Sharon Zach
of Marsh at (800) 338-1391. |
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| ACEC
Retirement Trust |
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| The
ACEC Retirement Trust oversees
a program that provides
retirement plans for participating
ACEC member firms. The program
recordkeeper, Prudential
Retirement, offers full
service 401(k), Profit Sharing,
Money Purchase, and Defined
Benefit plans with discounted
fee schedules to all member
firms. Investment options
are comprehensive and are
reviewed regularly by an
independent investment advisor
retained by the Trust. A
dedicated service team at
Prudential ensures professional
assistance with all aspects
of administering the participating
firms’ retirement
plans. Further information
on the program can be obtained
by contacting Nancy Barrette
of Wachovia Securities,
LLC, at (800) 521-9463 |
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| COMMUNICATIONS |
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| In
today’s complex business
world, communications is
the one most important asset
to help you increase your
competitive advantage. Information
can mean the difference
between getting by or getting
ahead. Texas CEC has the
tools for you and your business
to help save time and money
so you won’t have
to worry about issues affecting
your business. |
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| Publications |
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Texas
CEC Newsletter |
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Texas
CEC Capitol Report |
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Texas
CEC "Member
Update"
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LAST
WORD |
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ACEC
Resource Guide |
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|
Capitol
Report |
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The
American Consulting
Engineer |
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| Keeping
You In Touch |
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| Your
partnership with the
Texas Council of Engineering
Companies means you,
your employees and
your business can
make a wise investment
that entitles you
to participate in
a wide range of activities
and groups that can
lead to new contacts,
fresh ideas and other
important business
opportunities. Membership
in Texas CEC assures
you and your business
and the all Consulting
Engineers are bound
by a common thread
striving for a common
goal: To
Increase Your Market
Share and Limit Your
Liabilities! |
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