ACEC OKLAHOMA FIRST WORD 7/27/21

PPP Update and Future ACEC Events

As you know, we have been hard at work seeking a legislative fix related to the FAR clause within PPP. ACEC's national lobbyists have partnered with us to communicate with senior staff within Senator Inhofe and Senator Lankford's offices respectively. We have been in close communication with Senator Inhofe's team. Most recently, our ACEC OKLAHOMA's board sent a letter to Senator Inhofe which you can read here.

We will keep you apprised of ongoing discussions with our federal delegation as it pertains to PPP.

Additionally, we have several upcoming events and conferences you will want to save on your calendar.

The ACEC OKLAHOMA/ODOT Partnering Conference will be held in Tulsa at the Southern Hills Marriott. Check in will begin on September 22nd with the conference occurring on September 23rd. Registration for the event and hotel will be coming soon. For questions, or to reserve your spot, Please send us a message here.

The ACEC National Fall Conference will be held in Marco Island Florida October 27-30th. You can secure a discounted rate through the early bird period ending on September 24th. Register for the conference here.

-Mike Thompson- President & CEO

Volunteers Needed!

ACEC OKLAHOMA is hosting a booth at the Oklahoma Municipal League's annual conference in Oklahoma City. Volunteers are needed to help staff our booth who will interact with city managers, mayors and city councilors across Oklahoma. The conference takes place from September 7-9th and volunteers will be needed each day. If you can commit a full day, half day or even an hour, your help is greatly appreciated. This is a critical relationship we must build as part of our Strategic Partnering Committee plan. You can click this link to request a time slot. Volunteers will be contacted later, based on availability.

ODOT Offering Traffic Signal Design Course

ODOT will be hosting a virtual Signal Design and Operation course through FHWA August 30^th- September 2^nd. Spots are limited so please RSVP quickly. They will offer one spot per consultant firm, but please let us know if you have additional people that you would like to attend. We will reach out to you if we have additional spots available. The course will be $350 per participant and will be invoiced by ODOT upon registration.

You can RSVP to Cody Hamlin via email here.

Capitol Tour for Engineering Interns

The ACEC Oklahoma Branding Committee offered a great opportunity for interns and interested members, a guided tour of the newly renovated Oklahoma State Capitol! Special thanks to our committee members for working on this effort and to Trait Thompson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma History Center (who led the capitol construction campaign) for providing an expert tour.

We were join by nearly 25 ACEC OKLAHOMA member firm's interns (and a few interested members) in what was an informative and interesting tour.

Save the date for August General Membership Meeting

Our first, in-person meeting will be held on August 25th from 11:30-1:00 PM. The event will be in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma History Center. We look forward to seeing you in person! We are taking sign-ups now in anticipation of a big group. Please sign up if you plan to attend here.

ACEC National continues to fight for PPP fairness. ACEC OKLAHOMA is working closely with our Congressional delegation and ODOT on resolving issues with PPP and the FARR credit clause.

As mentioned in previous action alerts, ACEC is participating in a lobbying and educational effort and needs your help! You can learn more and join their campaign here.

It's always a good time to support our PAC to keep making a difference for ACEC OKLAHOMA.

Please be on the lookout for a survey dealing with our PAC and how we can best serve you!

Mike Thompson

President & CEO

220 N.E. 28th Street, Suite 135

Oklahoma City, OK 73104