Deadline Approaching: Sign Up to Voice Your View on Productivity in the Workforce

 

The National Institute of Building Sciences will conduct a representative hearing on productivity and the workforce on September 25, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The hearing, which is being sponsored by Autodesk and supported by the International Code Council, will provide an opportunity for representatives from the planning, design, construction, operations, ownership, finance, insurance, regulatory, manufacturing, academia and other segments of the U.S. building industry to speak about the challenges they face and offer potential solutions. The hearing is open to anyone interested in attending, and both written and oral testimony will be accepted. However, those parties who want to provide oral testimony must notify the Institute of their intent by September 1, 2015, at 5:00 pm EDT.

The Institute is particularly interested in receiving testimony from organizations that have moved beyond traditional approaches to address needs related to advancements in productivity, safety and project certainty. Case studies, best practices and data on the benefits of such approaches are encouraged.

The U.S. building industry is under increasing pressure to deliver high-performance buildings to meet the needs of owners, occupants and government. Owners and contractors are looking for opportunities to improve certainty in schedule, performance and cost while managing risks. At the same time, there is an increasing concern from multiple segments of the industry on the availability of a skilled workforce, as well as the productivity of the buildings workforce today and into the future. The testimony the Institute receives will inform the development of a strategic vision, which is intended to provide the industry with a path forward to advance productivity and address workforce challenges.

Dorothy Robyn, Past Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services Administration; Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA; and Charles L. Greco, President of the Associated General Contractors of America and Chairman of Linbeck, will preside over the hearing. Sue Klawans, Past Institute Board Member and Director of Operational Excellence and Planning at Gilbane Building Company, is serving as an industry advisor for development of the hearing and resultant outputs.

The National Institute of Building Sciences is located at 1090 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 700. To view the procedures for submitting oral and written testimony, download the Guidelines.

About the National Institute of Building Sciences
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.