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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 325
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 – Deceptive Trade Practices Act revisions, enactment of a Certificate of Merit law, limits on broad form indemnity, guidelines for errors and omissions recovery, enactment of a Good Samaritan statute, defense of the Statute of Repose. |
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Government Competition – Statutory mandate that TxDOT seek a “balance” between the use of inside an d contracted engineering services; pushed for incorporating greater business planning, accountability and transparency in to the DOT contracting and planning process; and sought reductions in agency staff through attrition as transportation funding has decreased. |
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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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Qualifications-Based Selection/Procurement – Defend and expand the use of qualifications based selection by public entities and educate those entities on the law. |
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Project Delivery – CEC has been at the center of alternative project delivery changes since its inception in 1997 and continues to be involved as these methods expand. |
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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 Commission on Environmental Quality. 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
TCEQ, part of an ongoing
effort to improve the engineering
culture of the agency. The
TCEQ 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 Texas Facilities Commission, the
Department of Licensing
and Regulation (which handles
architectural barriers issues),
the Historical Commission, the Texas Department of Rural Affairs,
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
United Health Care. Further information
on the program, including
quotations, can be obtained
by contacting the following individuals:
Dallas / Fort Worth / North Texas / East Texas Areas:
John Krantz
McLaughlin Brunson Insurance Agency
Dallas, Texas
Toll Free: 800-506-1011
Metro: 214-503-1212
E-mail: john@mclaughlinbrunson.com
Houston / Austin / San Antonio / Corpus Christi / Rio Grande Valley Areas:
Larry Hawkins
Employee & Executive Benefits, Inc.
Houston, Texas
Phone: 713-963-1450
E-mail: larry@benefitshouston.com
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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 Kevin Woolley of Marsh at (800) 338-1391. |
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| Texas CEC Sponsored 401(K) Plan |
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The Texas Council of Engineering Companies-sponsored 401(k) program provides retirement plans for participating Texas CEC member firms*. By combining the purchasing power of our member firms throughout Texas, the Texas CEC-sponsored 401(k) program offers our members the potential for significantly reduced costs of plan administration and investments, outstanding service and individualized plan design and investment consulting. Under this program, each member firm will be assisted by dedicated professionals to create a customized retirement plan, including:
- Full-service 401(k) plan recordkeeping and administration
- Access to 200+ fund choices offered by 40+ fund families
- Customized plan design to accommodate each firm's unique needs
- Discounted fee schedules
- Assistance with fiduciary services, employee meetings and investment guidance
- Extensive web-based services for 401(k) plan access (for plan sponsor as well as 401(k) participants)
- Customer Service Representatives available 7:00 am – 9:00 pm M – F and
7:00 am – 3:00 pm Saturdays
*Available only to Texas CEC Member Companies
For more information—please contact:
Debbie DeWall Matustik, Financial Advisor
Advisory and Brokerage Services
ASSURE Financial Services, an NRP Member Firm
Austin, TX 78746
Tel: 512-750-2074
Fax: 512-777-5006
E-mail: Debbie@AssureFinancialServices.com
Website: www.AssureFinancialServices.com
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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 "Member Update" |
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Texas
CEC Capitol Report |
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LAST WORD |
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ACEC Resource Guide |
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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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