Southeast Region Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environmental Summit

SESSION SUMMARIES

APRIL 12, 2023

TRACK1: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ROUNDTABLE.
12:45-2:15: Keynote Panel: Department of Defense Energy and Environmental Policy

  • Moderators:
    • Scott Dorney, Executive Director, North Carolina Military Business Center
    • Diane Cherry, Strategic Industry Professional (Energy and Environmental), North Carolina Military Business Center
  • Speakers:
    • Christine Ploshke, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment

2:30-3:45: Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure on Military Bases. Currently two Executive Orders affect the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) at our military bases:

  • by 2035, government entities will be required to purchase all new fleet vehicles as zero emission vehicles (EVs, hybrids)
  • by 2030 a goal of 50 percent of all vehicles purchased will be zero emissions.

In addition to the Executive Orders, each military branch has their own guidance on combating climate change, an important issue given North Carolina’s coastal environment.  This session will discuss the policy guidance for EV charging and what opportunities exist for North Carolina small business to assist military bases with EV deployment ranging from a base study to actual installation. Questions include: (1) who should install the EV charging infrastructure (i.e., what vendor); (2) where the charging infrastructure should be located; and (3) how electric vehicles will be used in an emergency (natural disaster, especially in a coastal environment like we have in North Carolina), among others.

  • Moderator:
    • Diane Cherry, Strategic Industry Professional (Energy and Environmental), North Carolina Military Business Center
  •  Speakers:
    • Craig Frank, Resource Manager III, Marine Corps Installations East, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
    • Audrey Oxendine, Chief, Energy and Utilities Branch, Operations and Maintenance Division, Fort Bragg DPW
    • Loyd Graves, Manager, Program Delivery Transportation Electrification, Duke Energy
    • Caitlin Dorame, Offering Management Branch, Office of Fleet Management, US General Services Administration

4:00-5:00: PFAS - What Are the Requirements? PFAS is a class of Perfluoralkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances that are widely used and long-lasting chemicals. Exposure can be linked to harmful health effects; it has been found in blood, food products, water, soil, air, fish, and other animals. Soil is a significant reservoir for PFAS and feeds into groundwater. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to determine how to better and more efficiently detect and measure PFAS, how much people are exposed to PFAS, how harmful it is, and how to remove, manage, and dispose of PFAS.

Department of Defense records confirm PFAS in groundwater and soil at nearly 400 bases, with suspected contamination in groundwater at an additional 294 bases.  Some installations record some of the highest PFAS levels ever found in water or soil (nearly exceeding 1 million parts per trillion; some states have regulated PFAS at levels as low as 6 parts per trillion for health protections, and recent studies suggest a safe level is less that 1 part per trillion) – this is mostly for water.

States are moving to set targets to clean up PFAS in soil and a number of states have categorized PFAS  as “hazardous substances”, however not many have guidelines yet for how to clean up/remediate.  This session will provide the most up to date guidance on what to do with PFAS given the somewhat conflicting policy directions. Hear from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, military bases in North Carolina and other DoD officials for a conversation about how to deal with this environmental issue in a safe manner.

  • Moderator:
    • Diane Cherry, Strategic Industry Professional (Energy and Environmental), North Carolina Military Business Center
  •  Speakers:
    • Michael Scott, Division of Waste Management Director, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
    • Lia Gaizick, PFAS Liaison, US Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters and Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health on PFAS
    • CDR Ross Campbell, Director, Public Works, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
    • Tim Woods, Senior Project Manager/Risk Assessor, ECC
    • Cathy Kohler, Vice President, Tetra Tech
TRACK 2:

2:30-3:45: Industry Perspective, Challenges Dialogue: Inflation, Supply Chain, Workforce and More. Industry members will provide an informative discussion on how industry representatives from the architect, engineering, general contracting, manufacturing and supplier sectors are dealing with and mitigating the impact of acquisition policies, COVID-19 regulations, supply chain management issues and workforce impacts. These and numerous other forces are in play to affect the costs of doing business.  The panel members will address these issues and provide suggestions on how industry and government can streamline the process to create cost and time savings.

  • Moderators:
    • Sue Kranes, Strategic Industry Professional (Construction and Infrastructure), North Carolina Military Business Center
    • Joe Angell, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and Defense Alliance of North Carolina (DANC)
  •  Speakers:
    • Louise Slate, Operations Manager, Tetra Tech
    • Ben Brubeck, ABC National’s VP of Regulatory, Labor, and State Affairs
    • Jordan Howard, AGC of America Counsel, Federal Construction and Regulatory Affairs

4:00-5:00: Government Perspective, Challenges Dialogue: Pricing, Bonding, Bid-Holding, Execution and More. This session will be a collaborative discussion between government and industry panel members. These discussions will share observations and suggestions on how government and industry can work together to streamline the acquisition process such as using different acquisition approaches and streamlining the execution of work both pre- and post-award.  Some examples of concerns include responding to RFIs in a timely matter, reducing extensive time lines for holding prices which often exceed 180 days and reducing the time design-build teams take to prepare designs by reducing the government oversight and management.  By allowing repricing of proposals and using economic price adjustment clauses within the solicitation and contract, the firms proposing on government solicitations can eliminate some risk associated with their proposals which would result in lower proposals and costs.

  • Moderators:
    • Sue Kranes, Strategic Industry Professional (Construction and Infrastructure), North Carolina Military Business Center
    • Joe Angell, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and Defense Alliance of North Carolina (DANC)
  •  Speakers
    • US Army Corps of Engineers (Savannah; Norfolk; Charleston and Wilmington Districts)
    • Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic

APRIL 13, 2023

FEDERAL PROGRAM AND REQUIREMENTS DIALOGUES 

  • 9:30-10:15: North Carolina (Army & Air Force)
    • Seymour Johnson AFB
    • US Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District
    • US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District
    • Fort Bragg MICC - 900th Contracting Battalion
    • Fort Bragg DPW
    • North Carolina National Guard
    • 596th Transportation Brigade (MOTSU)
  • 9:30-10:15: General Services Administration
    • General Services Administration Region 4
    • General Services Administration, Federal Acquisition Service
  • 10:30-11:15: South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
    • US Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District
    • US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District
    • Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Southeast
    • Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic
    • Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield
    • Marine Corps Installations East
  • 10:30-11:15: US Coast Guard
    • USCG Shore Infrastructure and Logistics Center
    • USCG CEU Cleveland
    • USCG Base Elizabeth City
    • USCG Sector North Carolina
  • 11:30-12:15: Virginia
    • US Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District
    • Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic
  • 11:30-12:15: Federal Agencies
    • Environmental Protection Agency
    • US Department of State
    • National Institute of Health
    • Architect of the Capitol
  • 2:00-2:45: Department of Veterans Affairs Program & Requirements Dialogue
    • Department of Veterans Affairs, Construction and Facilities Management
  • 3:00-4:00: North Carolina (Navy & Marine Corps)
    • Marine Corps Installations East
    • Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic
    • Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
    • Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
    • Hurricane Florence OICC, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Representatives from military installations and major commands in each state will present and engage in interactive discussion with businesses about their programs, projects and related issues for FY2023 and beyond.  Representatives will address acquisition and execution processes for projects in the program of work.  Audience participation throughout the session is strongly encouraged.

Topics to be addressed include:

  • Installation/agency growth and facilities utilization plans, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency major military construction (MILCON) projects, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency sustainment, restoration and modernization (SRM) construction, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency civil works projects, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency energy programs and projects, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency environmental programs and projects, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency horizontal infrastructure construction, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency non-appropriated fund major/SRM construction, FY2023 and beyond
  • Installation/agency architectural and engineering services, currently in place and future acquisitions
  • Installation/agency service contracts, currently in place and future acquisitions
  • Installation/agency use of public private partnerships to provide infrastructure and services
  • Process for teaming, subcontracting or supplying installation public private partnerships
  • Impact of budget constraints on FY2023 and future programs and projects
  • Anticipated acquisition strategies for projects in the FY2023 program (primary emphasis)
  • Agency use of and business access to Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC), Multiple Award
    Construction Contracts (MACC), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts, Blanket Purchase
    Agreements (BPA), Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA) and other acquisition tools
  • Agency use of various small business set asides, sole source awards and other acquisition tools
  • Government expectations, concerns and current issues (with contractors) in acquisition and execution of
    construction and engineering projects

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (ADVANCING NATIONAL PRIORITIES).  A panel of senior government experts will explore current and future technology innovations required to solve our Nation’s most challenging problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, infrastructure, and environmental sciences for the Services, Department of Defense, civilian agencies, and our Nation’s public good.

  • Dr. Andrew "Andy" Nelson, Director, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
  • Drew C. White, PE, CCM, SES, Chief, Installation Readiness Division, US Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters
  • Dr. David W. Pittman, SES, Director of the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center and Director of Research and Development and Chief Scientist, US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Lee Robinson, Deputy Director - Energy Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit