GCA Construction News Bulletin April 2021

VOL. 62 ISSUE 4 APRIL2021 • GUAM CONTRACTORSʼ ASSOCIATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

12

16

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

APRIL

2021 8

S.A.M.E. UPDATE

10

SMALL BUSINESS NOTES

12

FEATURE STORY

16

FEATURE STORY

18

NAWIC NEWS

20

MEMBER BENEFITS

22

NEWSLINE

24

REPORTS/ INFORMATION

NOW ACCEPTING ONLINE PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO 2 | APRIL2021

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EDITORIALS

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

THEDIRECTORS

THEEDITORIALS

THETEAM

PRESIDENT James Martinez Guam Contractors’ Association

Guam Contractor’s Association (GCA) in conjunction with Adztech and Public Relations, Inc. publishes the Construction News Bulletin (CNB) monthly.

Reproduction of materials appearing in this publication is strictly forbidden without written permission by GCA.

PUBLISHER: James Martinez

CHAIRMAN Peter Errett Hawaiian Rock Products VICE CHAIRMAN Bill Beery Tutujan Hill Group

While we always strive for accuracy, we will from time to time overlook mistakes. In order to help us improve the quality and accuracy of this publication, we ask that you take the time to look at the information provided and notify GCA or Adztech of any corrections as needed. Opinions and editorial content of this publication may not necessarily be those of the publisher, production team, staff, GCA members, GCA Board of Directors and advertisers.

SECRETARY/TREASURER Grace Jacot SET Pacific PAST CHAIRMAN Jessica Barrett Barrett Plumbing CONTRACTOR DIRECTORS: Don McCann Black Construction Corporation

For more information about advertising in the GCA Construction News Bulletin contact the advertising department at (671) 477-1239/2239 or email at adztech@teleguam.net.

Shoja Rezvani Contrack Watts Contractors John Sage Pacific Rim Constructors Inc.

Distributed to GCA members or can be obtained by stopping by the Guam Contractors’ Association office located at 506 Mariner Ave., Barrigada, Guam 96913

Dan Soriano Granite Construction Lucia Wood APTIM ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS: Jose Garcia First Hawaiian Bank

To find out more about how you can become a GCA member contact Guam Contractors’ Association at Tel: (671) 647-4840/41 Fax: (671) 647-4866 or Email: gca@teleguam.net. www.guamcontractors.org

Mark Cruz MidPac Far East Patty Lizama Pacific Isla Life

AD SALES: Jaceth Duenas PRODUCTION: Jason Davis Geri Leon Guerrero Christopher “Taco” Rowland EDITOR: Adztech CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Pete Diaz Irene Hicks RD Gibson Rodney “RJ” Ricarte Rebecca Gale GCA STAFF: Desiree Lizama Elaine Gogue Francine Taitague Trevor Cruz COVER: Taking advantage of the lower number of flights, the Guam International Airport Authority are working on their runways.

Postmaster. Send address changes to Guam Contractors’ Association, located at 506 Mariner Ave., Barrigada, Guam 96913

Camilo Lorenzo Matson Navigation

GCA

PRODUCTION TEAM LEAD: Geri Leon Guerrero

TRADES ACADEMY B u i l d i n g

S k i l l s

F o r

A

L i f e t i m e

Guam Contractors Association

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Hafa Adai! GCA Members: This past February 18th GCA was presented with infrastructure and other development projects in the Federated States of Micronesia. The value of the projects in the FSM is hovering at just over $400 Million A couple of the projects that soon to be released is the construction/renovation of a school in Pohnpei and another is a water project which entails a 11.2-mile distribution line and storage tanks. Be on the lookout for these projects in April.

The CNMI is also putting out invitations for bid for military construction projects on the island of Tinian. These projects were presented by NAVFAC Marianas during The CNMI Virtual Industry Day event held on March 23 – 25, 2021. If you missed that presentation, slides are available on their website at WEBSITE ADDRESS. Some exciting and informative webinars are coming up later in April. The law offices of McCarter & English a law firm that practices Government Contracts and Global Trade, will be presenting on the changes in policy by the Biden Administration on the “Buy American Act”.

The second webinar in early May covers a presentation on “False Claims”. False Claims Act/Qui Tam Litigation & Civil Investigations False Claims Act (“FCA”) and qui tam “whistleblower” lawsuits have increased dramatically over the past several years, posing serious challenges to government contractors and companies across a broad spectrum of regulated industries. When faced with these potentially crippling lawsuits, it is important to rely on experienced counsel who can help navigate the entire life cycle of these cases, from preliminary fact-gathering through trial or appeal. Both webinars will be hosted by the GCA Small Business Committee and is FREE to GCA members. Both of these webinars will offer a clear insight in these topics. McCarter & English LLP are star no strangers to Guam, as they have made numerous presentations here in the past three years (pre-pandemic). We’re very excited once again to host this webinar. Thank you to the GCA Small Business Committee for your effort on this.

May begins the start of the new fiscal year for GCA and marks the beginning of our newly installed GCA Board of Directors. During the virtual membership meeting in April, vote counters will tally the votes for the three (3) vacant seats for FY2022. Good luck to all our candidates this year. The new GCA Board will have their swearing -in during the May membership meeting on May 19, 2021. Lt. Governor Joshua Tenorio will administer the Oath of Office.

Let’s play a round of golf shall we! We got clearances to hold our Annual GCA Golf Tournament Scholarship Fundraising evnt on Friday, June 4, 2021 at the Leo Palace Golf Resort. Tee time is scheduled for a shotgun start at 11:00 am. The good news is that Leo Palace Golf Resort is closed for regular business on that day which means we have the whole course to ourselves. So dust off your golf clubs and join us to help raise funds to send some aspiring young students to the GCA Trades Academy so that they can learn a trade and get into our industry. This is a live and in-person event. No virtual golf here. Save the date.

WHAT: GCA Golf Tournament for Scholarships to the GCA Trades Academy WHEN: Friday, June 4, 2021 11:00 am Shotgun Start WHERE: Leo Palace Golf Resort Then in the month of July, the GCA Safety Committee will be hosing it’s Annual GCA Safety Conference in virtual format. We will have local safety instructors and professionals covering safety topics in the construction and general industries. We will also have off-island instructors from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) OSHA Technical Institute and Federal OSHA Compliance.

Another exciting GCA event is coming up! Once again, hosted by the GCA Small Business Committee, GCA presents our Annual GCA Industry and Trade Fair and Meet the Generals Events in September 2021. While we are currently in the planning stages and securing guest speakers from NAVFAC Marianas, Government of Guam Agencies, and private developers, we are securing our larger general contractors for Meet the Generals. We will also be looking at a virtual marketplace where our suppliers and service providers can showcase their products and services virtually during this event. Each vendor will be assigned their own virtual room and event participants may go in and out of each of these “virtual rooms” during the event. Participants for the Meet the Generals event will be afforded a 5-minute, one-on-one interaction with a general contractor, so this discussion will be held in private and limited to 5 minutes.

We hope that restrictions will be lifted so that we can hold these events live and in-person. In the meantime, we are planning for a virtual event. Get ready GCA members for all these events as we kick off our new fiscal year.

Dångkulu na si Yu’us ma’åse’ James A. Martinez President Guam Contractors Association

Guam Contractors Association

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S.A.M.E. UPDATE

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

Society of

NEWSLETTER APRIL 2021

American Military Engineers

ANNOUNCMENTS Guam Post Annual Elections Please let Scott Thompson (scott.thompson@coffman.com) or Noel Enriquez (nenriquez@macdonaldbedford.com) know if you are interested in being a Director. Elections are in May. Installation of Officers in June.

SAVE THE DATE 24 APR 2021, 0600 Show Time Earth Day 2021, Island-wide Beautification Cleanup Meeting Place: Tamuning Mayor’s Office. Bring your face mask and reusable water bottle.

5 MAY 2021, 1200 - 1300 Investments 101, Virtual presentation by BG Investments geared towards firsttime investors. Hosted by the Young Professional’s Committee. Open to all members. For more info: Contact Jecelia Llegado (Jecelia.Llegado@ghd.com) 18-22 MAY 2021 ChST Virtual Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo (JETC) Three keynote speakers, 50+ speakers, 40+ educational and training sessions, Virtual Exhibits.

For more info: www.samejetc.org

Upcoming April Meeting

Returning to the Workplace Presented by Steelcase, Inc and Interior Showplace

Guam & CNMI Military Construction Plan & Design Presented by Jacobs Engineering Group

15 APR 2021

MARCH EVENT RECAP:

ZERO WASTE ANALYSIS & IMPLEMENTATION Conchita Taitano, Air and Land Administrator, Guam Environment Protection Agency (GEPA) and Cory Hinds, Project Manager, Jacobs Engineering Group presented on Guam’s Zero Waste Plan and results of their waste characterization study during our March General Membership Meeting.

A waste characterization study was performed with the goal of obtaining a larger understanding the landfilled materials on Guam, to drive programs and policies to increase the diversion of waste away from landfills and save money and resources. Waste materials being sent to the landfill only from four sources (residential, commercial, military and illegal dump sites) were sorted and characterized. The following were key findings of the study: • Existing landfill bans on cardboard, ferrous metals and tires appear to be working as the levels in the samples were low.

• Food waste and compostable organics represents a significant opportunity for diversion (e.g. source reduction, composting, and anaerobic digestion) • Quantities of #1 and #2 plastics confirm existing material recycling on Guam is saving significant landfill space.

• The largest quantities of plastics being landfilled on Guam are #7 or Other including plastic film.

Evaluations for on-island management include small-scale pyrolysis. Implementation of single-use plastic bags (in progress) is a good interim step.

• Mixed paper is a significant portion of the landfill waste. With no current market, material will need to be landfilled until a solution is found.

• Inorganics (e.g. diapers, textiles, waxed plates/cups, rubber) are made of composite materials will be a challenge to manage sustainably on Guam.

• Based on the composition of the landfilled waste on Guam the two recommended focus areas for diversion include 1) food waste and organics and 2) recycling.

Recommendations on the way forward include the following: 1. Reduce, Recover and Divert Food & Compostable Organics from the Landfill Immediate Options: Outreach & Education (Schools, Homes, Businesses), Incentives to Expand Food Recovery/Donation, Composting (School, Home, Biosolids) Long-term Options: Island-wide Organics Composting, Anaerobic Digestion (Biogas to Energy) 2. Tetra Pak Separation & Recycling Options: Separation & Recycling at Schools, Green Purchasing, Environmental Producer Responsibility 3. Plastic Recycling Options: Evaluate Chemical Recycling Options, Leverage Investments, Institutional Framework Development (Green Purchasing, Bans, Economic Incentives) 4. Reduce Illegal Dumping Options: a) Mandatory Collection Service (all Residents Pay) to include waste & recycle bins and pick up of bulky items, expand customer base, disincentive to illegally dump b) Tipping & User Fee Management: Bundle Waste Collection Fees with Utility or Housing Payments; Structure the program so existing customers do not pay more; consider feasibility and viability of PayAs-You-Throw options c) Conduct Comprehensive Cost-Benefit Analysis 5. Greening Roadway Infrastructure

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SMALL BUSINESS NOTES

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join our SB Community!

• The GCA Small Business Committee supports small business members of the association to ensure their voices are heard and needs are met within GCA capabilities.

• Do you have an issue or concern that we might be able to assist with?

• Do you have an idea or suggestion that may benefit our small business community?

L-R: James Martinez, Joe Roberto, Adam Baron, Bill Bernardo, Theresa Crisostomo, Tom Roberto, Jaylene Kent, Gerardine Mendiola, Jane Ray, Philip Leddy, Ken Lujan.

HELP US HELP YOU BY JOINING US AT OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS OR CONTACT: Lucia Wood (Chair) Theresa Crisostomo (Vice-Chair)

(671) 777-8425 lucia.wood@aptim.com (671) 588-5972 theresac@jwsguam.com

GUAM PTAC FREE Live Webinars Potawatomi Support Services Informational Session

4/21 2021

04/22 2021

04/29 2021

Potawatomi Support Services (PSS) wants to meet with local companies to form teaming relationships. The Guam PTAC hosts this informational session where Guam/CNMI based businesses can learn more about PSS and how to work with them as a teaming partner or subcontractor.

Wages Which wage do you pay your employees on government contracts? The Guam PTAC will discuss the various laws and regulations to make sure you stay in compliance.

The Guam Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is offering FREE webinars to the public for April 2021.

Webinars run from 10am-11:30am and will be conducted via Zoom. Links to the live webinar and the webinar evaluation will be emailed to all registered attendees 15 minutes before the start of the webinar.

Register at: guamptac.ecenterdirect.com For more information, contact the Guam PTAC at (671) 735-2552 or visit www.guamptac.com

Government of Guam Procurement The Guam PTAC will explain Government of Guam Procurement, where to find opportunities, and how to submit bids.

FREE Live Webinars Every Thursday!

Register at: guamptac.ecenterdirect.com For Project Management Professionals, Guam PTAC workshops may count toward your annual Professional Development Unit (PDU) goals!

For more information, contact the Guam PTAC at (671) 735-2552 or visit www.guamptac.com

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SMALL BUSINESS NOTES

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Bridging the Gap: Moving through the Gate into Federal Contracting What Small Business is looking for a reliable, repeat customer who buys nearly every product and service? A customer that wants to buy from small businesses, spends billions annually, and most importantly, pays on time.

That ideal customer is probably who all businesses would like to have and that would be the Federal Government.

We are all aware of the billion dollar Military Buildup, sponsored by the Federal Government, currently underway on Guam and Micronesia. We, the Guam Contractor’s Association’s (GCA) Small Business Committee (SBC), are also aware of how many Guam businesses feel poorly equipped to be contractors or subcontractors and are unable to take advantage of this booming market and consequently are being left behind.

A current initiative of the SBC is to assist those companies by developing a program to help move Small Businesses into the vast marketplace “Inside the Gate”. To this end, we have created the Inside the Gate committee consisting of Chairwoman, Ms. Irene Hicks of America’s Best ElectricMart, Ms. Norma Borja of NAVFAC Marianas, Mr. Dave Hayner of APTIM, Ms. Lucia Wood of APTIM, Mr. Boris Hertslet of the Procurement Technical Assistant Center (PTAC), Jaylene Kent, Ph.D., C.I.T., of Isla Coatings and Roofing Supply, and Ms. Doyon Morato of North Wind Group.

Guam has exceptional “Islands of Expertise” which include PTAC, SBDC, GCA, and NAVFAC Marianas Small Business office who support military contracting. Yet even with all our experts, many companies continue to have challenges becoming a contractor or subcontractor. We speculate there may be many reasons for this and are exploring if key ingredients should be added to our Islands of Expertise. What additional services, skills, tools or support are needed for businesses to move Inside the Gate? We need your help to achieve this ambitious goal. We do not wish to duplicate existing services, but rather create synergy, where the combined effect of all efforts is greater than the sum of their separate effects in fulfilling our shared mission -- full participation in the military boom.

We look forward to having you join us and invite you to attend our next Inside the Gate Committee meeting on Monday, April 26th, 12:30PM - 1:30PM. Please send your email address to irene@abemart.com to receive the invitation for our virtual meeting.

Guam Military Construction Workload

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NAVFAC Marianas

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25 February 2021

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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF AN OPPORTUNITY by: R.D. Gibson

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

At first, it was two weeks. It let some of us off the hook for a few days as we rode out a quarantine. Some of us caught up on the books and TV shows we put off; caught up on the home improvement projects at the back of our minds; organized an otherwise cluttered home; and waited patiently.

However, not everybody took a break. We all know partners in various industries who were hard at work to reorganize, adapt to new models and procedures, and lay out plans to move forward as soon as the ‘all clear’ was delivered. It was not easy, especially with the looming, ominous, invisible foe.

However, now it is important to consider what things will be like when the island will fully reopen. Several businesses have closed - temporarily or permanently.

Many lost work. Many have tapped into their talents in finding ways to make ends meet and a little extra cash.

Several businesses and industries were born out of this pandemic.

But, people made it happen. That has to stand for something, right? It was not easy. Sure. But, in the midst of all the chaos and uncertainty. The island got things done, and some things were completed easier with safer at home orders - however long they were extended.

As island residents stayed home, worked remotely, and moved digitally, several in the industry were hard at work in preparation for projects for the time when our slice of paradise was going to open again fully.

As of press time, tourism was set to reopen in May. The “Path to Half” campaign for fully inoculated residents 16 years and older was at 43,339 (out of 62,500) as of April 15, 2021 according to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s Instagram account. The campaign is an indicator to reopen the island to visitors.

And, as tourism officials are hard at work to market and entice visitors to return, the Guam International Airport Authority was hard at work to enhance greater “safety and integrity of our primary runway and extend its useful life” said GIAA Airport Marketing Administrator, Rolenda Faausuamalie about the $22M 6L/24R Runway Rehabilitation currently in progress. The project is 90-percent funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The last time rehabilitation work was done for the 6L/24R was its $70M extension in 2015.

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FEATURE STORY

The entire project provides “rehabilitation and reconstruction over 1,550 linear feet covering 155,000 square feet of area” not done since 1953, according to Faasuamalie. Simultaneously, there is rehabilitation on another 1,450 linear feet covering 169,000 square feet. Additionally, “The rehabilitation will eliminate frequent patching of the runway surface.”

Senior Project Manager, Ed Hipolito of SSFM Construction stated, “The Runway is one of the key airport infrastructure elements that determines safety of airport flight operations,” reinforcing Faasuamalie’s statement on safety enhancement. He continued, “Runway rehabilitation is essential to the safe operation of the airport and helps maintains a reliable, safe to land, long-lasting runway.”

Faausuamalie stated that the project did not experience any obstacles considering the pandemic and subsequent circumstances. “This project was designated "essential" and thus was not affected by the restriction on construction activity during Guam's first shut down,” she stated.

“Additionally, the timing of the rehabilitation project and runway closure was ideal, with no impact to air traffic.”

As tourism saw a halt because of the pandemic, the airport saw it as an opportune time, since the project required closure of the primary runway. Faausuamalie stated that cargo operations were also not affected by the rehabilitation and construction.

Sometimes things fall into place. It is also important to look toward the future. The Guam International Airport Authority has a handful of projects coming down the pipeline, including Phase II of the Runway Rehabilitation Project and new and expanded facilities through the updated Airport Master Plan.

For Hipolito, the pandemic did have significant effects when working on infrastructure plans overall. He stated, “Covid-19 has caused several project challenges including issuance of the notice to proceed, shipment of materials, permit approvals, shortage of construction workers and equipment operators, among other challenges.” However, he added that the project was able to keep people employed even though the project started in the middle of the pandemic. Hipolito did state that they’re looking forward to completing the project “later this year.”

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APRIL2021 | 13

FEATURE STORY

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

A big win for the Airport was their ability to proceed with their capital improvement program even with an ongoing pandemic, which works toward enhancing safety and security of the operations of the island’s only commercial airport. Sometimes it takes having a positive disposition for goals to manifest.

If you think about it, it’s pretty interesting to imagine that the first batches of tourists post-COVID to fly into Guam will be the first to experience the rehabilitated runway; that people coming home from extended stays away will touchdown on the runway.

14 | APRIL2021

Sometimes it’s a matter of repositioning and refocusing our thinking - changing a mindset. Thinking about how we can get things done on the down time we have.

Learning the advantages of patience.

For now, we wait and see the how the social distance, mask wearing, and vaccination efforts are helping to bring back a gradual sense of normalcy to our island, and leave the heavy lifting with the pros.

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FEATURE STORY

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STEPPING UP TO EXCELLENCE by: R.D. Gibson

The industry is a dangerous one, as we all know. At the very heart of the construction and contracting industries is safety. It is what each of our entities eats, breathes, and sleeps. It ensures our longevity, viability, validity, and growth. Which is why it is driven by hard work, and determination and commitment toward safety.

Data is compiled on a weighted point scale on five components, and participating companies’ incident rates (Total Recordable Incident Rate) are documented, as well, as stated on the website. The five components include, Evaluate, Track, Implement, Benchmark, and Lead.

This year, thirteen local contractors received various levels of STEP awards through the Associated Builders and Contractors. According to the STEP website, the awards are a “safety benchmarking and improvement tool.” Since its founding in the late 80s, the safety management system has grown into a ‘world-class’ tool, which refines safety performance amongst its participants. “Participating ABC member firms measure their safety processes and policies on 25 key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents,” as stated on their website.

The application process is rigorous; a lot of man-hours and documentation, training and implementation goes into this program, but only demonstrates the effectiveness of the program and the gumption and can-do attitudes of the program’s participants.

16 | APRIL2021

Having this many local awardees is a milestone. It demonstrates a pointed commitment to safety throughout. Congratulations to the local companies and their dedication to growth and safety!

Contractor

Award

Smithbridge Guam, Inc.

Bronze

Core Tech Int'l Corp.

Silver

Orion Construction Corp. (Guam)

Gold

Agbayani Const. Corp.

Diamond

Fargo Pacific

Diamond

Ian Construction Corp.

Diamond

Infratech Int'l, LLC

Diamond

Allied Pacific Builders

Platinum

Black Construction Corp.

Platinum

Hawaiian Rock Products

Platinum

Landscape Mgmt Sys, Inc.

Platinum

Pacific Federal Mgmt

Platinum

The PIT

Platinum

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APRIL2021 | 17

NAWIC NEWS

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

Ana Lisa Salazar is a new member of NAWIC Guam and has joined us to help share ideas, support her local community and interact with other women of similar goals to serve and encourage other women to explore the construction industry. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture and is certified in Construction Quality Management, ICC Reinforced Concrete Special Inspection and the EM385 Safety Compliance. She says interacting with knowledgeable and skilled people excited to share their talents or crafts is one reason she loves the construction industry.

CORPORATE MEMBER: AmOrient Engineering Guam Member Rep: Ana Lisa Salazar Construction Manager/Special Inspector

With her positive outlook on life, she meets every challenge by telling herself she can do it! As we all know living on a tropical island, in the middle of the pacific hours away from any major land mass, challenges can pop up often in the construction industry. But to Ana Lisa, she looks forward to the feeling of immense pride and satisfaction when conflicts on the jobsite are resolved. She has a fierce determination to succeed and faces any conflict positively, knowing

where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Watching her on a jobsite, many people can’t tell –shhhh- she is afraid of heights.

As her job requires her to climb ladders and walk across scaffolding, she says, you may not see it, but my legs are shaking every time! If anything, it’s a way to guarantee she gets the job done right the first time, then she won’t have to go back up.

She has been on Guam since 2004 when she originally arrived with an H-2 Visa as a Civil Drafter from the Philippines. Her employer saw such potential in her they helped her become a permanent resident alien. Kudos to Amorient for seeing her potential!

Since making Guam her home she enjoys biking, swimming, taking walks with her boyfriend, and watching Guam’s beautiful sunsets. She appreciates the Catholic Community of Guam and enjoys singing in the choir at Santa Bernadita Church in Yigo. The amount of community care she sees on Guam inspires her and she looks forward to contributing more through NAWIC Guam Chapter 381.

SI YU'OS MA'ASE NAWIC Guam would like to thank its members, industry partners and island community for making its 2021 Women in Construction Week from March 7-13 a great success! We appreciate the overwhelming support and enthusiasm. We will continue our work diligently to encourage, empower and advance women in construction. BIBA NAWIC GUAM!

Want to learn more about the professional development resources available or to BECOME A MEMBER of NAWIC Guam we encourage you to reach out to us!

All women working in construction are eligible for membership, including women builders in the trades, project management, marketing, administration, and executive leadership. Women in related industries, who work on construction related business, such as finance, legal, insurance and other complementary industries, are welcome as well!

JOIN NAWIC GUAM CHAPTER 381 TODAY! Contact us at nawicguam@gmail.com or Find us on Facebook or Follow us Instagram (@nawicguam).

18 | APRIL2021

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MEMBER BENEFITS

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FOR THE TECH-SAVVY (AND NOT SO TECH-SAVVY), TAKECARE OFFERS MANY DIGITAL TOOLS

By Rodney “RJ” Ricarte

TakeCare offers a suite of simple, smart, tech tools for you to digitally access information about your benefits and receive medical services.

Your Health Plan: at Your Desk or on the Go

Do you prefer to manage or access your health coverage at home or on the go? MyTakeCare Member Portal (https://takecareasia.com/mytakecare-web-portal) allows members access to medical and health plan information, as well as wellness resources, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The TakeCare Mobile App (download at Apple App Store or Google Play), conveniently provides you alerts and notifications, insurance identification card, plan information, virtual fitness stamp cards, wellness & fitness programs and calendars, and Affinity Rewards information.

Have a Question? Here’s Where You Can Get the Answer

TakeCare’s Instant Virtual Assistant (“TIVA”) is a convenient online virtual assistant that answers the most common health insurance questions. TIVA (https://takecareasia.com/tiva) works on all browsers and devices. You can expect an immediate response from TakeCare through TIVA on your questions.

TeleHealth is a convenient, contactless service to obtain a medical consultation about a member’s health condition relating to a non-emergency services. Members in need of emergency services should call 911 or go to Guam Memorial Hospital. Qualified TeleHealth staff is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., by calling TakeCare’s Medical Referral Services, (671) 300-5995, option 3, and choose “Ask a Nurse/Provider” from the call option.

Telemedicine includes audio and video services using a computer, tablet or smartphone in addition to phone consultation for primary and specialist consultations. Telemedicine services limit potential exposure in physician offices, protecting patients and health care providers. Please contact your provider regarding the availability of Telemedicine services in their respective offices through your TakeCare plan.

Pay Online Safely and Securely

TakeCare’s Pay Online (https://pay.takecareasia.net/general_payment_page) service allows you to safely, securely, and conveniently pay medical and/or dental premiums, and other payments online using most major debit and credit cards.

There are no additional fees for online payments. HR managers can use Online Bill Pay to pay corporate premiums.

Please contact me to sign up for this service.

Save Time and Money on Your Prescriptions

The Elixir Mobile App (download at Apple App Store or Google Play), helps you save time and money on your prescriptions. The Elixir Member Portal gives you convenient, 24/7 access to your pharmacy benefits. Go to elixirsolutions.com and click “Register” in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Get and Stay Healthy

Virgin Pulse is a complete fitness program to help you get healthier. TakeCare members can earn rewards for completing activities, sync with more than 60 apps and devices and track your steps and activity, receive health tips, and learn how to eat healthy, get fit, sleep great, and manage stress. Register at https://tinyurl.com/TakeCareVirginPulse, and download the mobile app at the Apple App Store or Google Play.

More Tech Coming Soon

TakeCare will continue to host benefit briefings and monthly service calls via video conferencing. Also forthcoming is an online enrollment process to give you more flexibility and convenience in your enrollment needs.

Rodney “RJ” Ricarte is the TakeCare account executive for GCA. He can be contacted at (671) 487-7121 or rodney.ricarte@takecareasia.com.

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NEWSLINE

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

NEWSLINE ABC Partners with Congressional Leaders to Advocate for a Fair and Open Competition in Infrastructure Legislation On April 14, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hosted a “Members’ Day Hearing” to seek recommendations on the policy priorities of members of the U.S. House of Representatives as they begin to consider legislation to reauthorize surface transportation legislation, which expires at the end of September.

After the hearing, Rep. Ted Budd (N.C.), sponsor of ABC’s priority legislation, the Fair and Open Competition Act (H.R. 1284), sent a letter to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure leadership signed by 26 members of the U.S. House expressing enthusiastic support for a fair and open competitive bidding process and strong opposition to project labor agreement mandates on federal and federally assisted taxpayer-funded construction projects.

Rep. Budd also provided written testimony urging the Committee to consider to include the Fair and Open Competition Act in the surface transportation reauthorization, while also warning the members of the harm that mandating PLAs would have on the construction industry.

“I ask that the committee include my Fair and Open Competition Act, H.R. 1284, in the surface transportation bill. This bill prevents federal agencies and recipients of federal assistance from requiring contractors to sign controversial project labor agreements (PLAs) as a condition of winning a construction contract. This would ensure that taxpayer funded construction contracts are awarded 22 | APRIL2021

through fair and open competition.

This guarantees the best value for hardworking taxpayers by prohibiting a rigged federal procurement process that discriminates against many small construction businesses.

Many of the bill’s 45 cosponsors have signed onto a letter asking the committee to include this proposal ” said Rep. Budd. Rep. Budd’s full written testimony can be found here(1).

In a similar effort, on March 31, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) authored a letter addressed to the leadership of the infrastructure-focused Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works that was signed by eight U.S. senators. Sen. Young is the lead sponsor of the Senate’s Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 403). The letter was also signed by Republican Sens. Tim Scott (S.C.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), James Risch (S.D.), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), and John Barrasso (Wyo.).

Since its introduction, the Fair and Open Competition Act has been supported by a diverse coalition of construction and business associations as well as a large group of taxpayer, free market and consumer advocates.

These congressional efforts in support of FOCA come as President Joe Biden’s recently released American Jobs Plan calls on Congress to tie federal investments in infrastructure to ABC-opposed government-mandated project labor agreements/community workforce agreements, as well as prevailing wage regulations via the www.guamcontractors.org

archaic Davis-Bacon Act, registered apprenticeship programs and the ABC-opposed PRO Act. President Biden’s plan also notably did not address a multi-year reauthorization of the expiring surface transportation legislation (the FAST Act), instead leaving the reauthorization process to Congress to address.

In ABC’s response to President Biden’s plan, president and CEO Mike Bellaman opposed the anticompetitive measures, saying, “Government-mandated PLAs exclude more than 87% of the U.S. construction workforce from rebuilding their communities and benefitting from well-paying middle-class jobs created by taxpayer investments in infrastructure.”

Bellaman also pointed out that “taxpayers will spend 20% more per mandated PLA project, which results in fewer infrastructure improvements and less job creation to help America rebound from the pandemic’s economic devastation.”

As Congress begins to consider infrastructure-related legislation, ABC will continue to lead advocacy efforts to ensure that any federal investment in our nation’s infrastructure benefits all of the U.S. construction industry, regardless of labor affiliation. Learn more about ABC’s opposition to government-mandated PLAs and support for the Fair and Open Competition Act at freeenterprisealliance.org/foca.

(1) https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Budd.pdf

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NEWSLINE

CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

ABC Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit and Announces Webinars ABC has launched a COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit as part of the Coronavirus Update webpage to help inform and educate members about the latest available resources and information on the COVID-19 vaccine.

4. Common Questions Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine 5. COVID-19 Statewide Vaccination Plans

The webpage is set up so that members can easily navigate through the resources, which include five categories of information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and ABC general counsel Littler Mendelson P.C.

In addition to the new toolkit, ABC National will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 15, at 3 p.m.

ET, “COVID-19 Vaccine—Legal and Practical Considerations for Employers,” to help employers navigate the constantly evolving legal landscape and unique employee relations issues tied to vaccination programs in the employment setting.

Register now.

1. COVID-19 Vaccines—Important Things to Know 2. COVID-19 Vaccination for Essential Workers 3. EEOC Guidance on EEO Law and COVID-19 Vaccination

The Construction Industry Safety Coalition, of which ABC is a member, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will also present a webinar, COVID-19 Vaccines and Construction: Key

Things to Know on Wednesday, April 21, at 2 p.m. ET. Scott Earnest, PhD, PE, CSP, director of the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health and Dr. Margaret Kitt, MPH, MD, deputy director of NIOSH, will share information on what we know about the current COVID-19 vaccines, when and how construction workers can get vaccinated and frequently asked questions.

Disclaimer: Issues related to COVID-19 vaccination in the workplace are governed by various laws and regulations. The resources available on the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit webpage do not convey or constitute legal advice, nor is it intended to be acted upon as such. Employers should consult with counsel for guidance on legal questions related to COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace.

24 | APRIL2021 5 2

A/C & Refrigeration Mechanic HVAC & Refrigeration Technician

24

6

Crane Operator

Total Non-Construction H-2B Workers

11

Pipefitter

www.guamcontractors.org TOTAL Construction H-2B Workers

Total OTHER Construction

10

HVAC & Refrigeration Mechanic

2

Heavy Equipment Mechanic

1647

61

19

Heavy Equipment Mechanic

17

Camp Cook

8

Construction Equipment Mechanic

5

Other Construction Occupations

Employers Workplace Monthly Report Statistics

Automotive Mechanic

Other Non-Construction Occupations

GUAM DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Alien Labor Processing Certification Division

17 117 91 2 27

Sheetmetal Worker Heavy Equip. Operator Electrician Camp Cook Welder Total Common Const.

1669 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1671

1754

1671

Total H-2B Employers

Total U.S. Workers Grand Total H-2B Workers

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Total U.S. Workers

Total U.S. Workers Grand Total Hin H2 companies 2B Workers

US Workers vs. H-2B

5 23

3500

18

Construction Non-Construction

Employers By Industry

Philippines Mexico Japan Kiribati United Kingdom Australia Italy Peru Thailand Other Total by Nationality

Workers by Nationality

1586

17 66

Structural Steelworker Plumber

201

678

370

Reinforcing Metalworker

Carpenter

Cement Mason

Common Construction Occupations

MONTH ENDING: March 2021

Mexico Thailand 0.12% 0.00%

1.07%

4.16%

1.07%

7.38%

12.67%

5.74%

0.13%

Other 0.00%

Peru 0.00%

Prepared By: Jessie Cruz Contact information: Greg Massey, ALPCD Administrator P.O. Box 9970 Tamuning, Guam 96931 (671)475-8005/8003

Welder

Camp Cook

Heavy Equip.

Operator Electrician

Sheetmetal Worker

Reinforcing Metalworker Structural Steelworker Plumber

Carpenter

Cement Mason

Other

Thailand

Peru

Italy

Australia

United Kingdom

Kiribati

Japan

Korea

Philippines

United Kingdom 0.00%

Kiribati 0.00%

23.33%

42.75%

1.70%

Common Construction Occupations

Philippines 99.88%

Japan 0.00%

Australia 0.00%

Italy 0.00%

H-2B Population by Nationality

REPORTS/ INFORMATION CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN

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