ORANGE SPEEL

“Professional Estimators and those

in training shall conduct themselves

with integrity at all times and not

knowingly or willingly enter into

agreements that violate the laws of

the USA or the states in which they

practice. They shall establish guide-

lines for setting forth prices and re-

ceiving quotations that are fair and

equitable to all parties”

- Canon # 5

In This Issue

Letter from the President

Upcoming Dinner meeting

ASPE National Website

Recap of the Annual Meeting

South West Region

National Partnerships

NAWIC dates

Member Mingle

Letter from the President Welcome to a new ASPE business year!

So much has happened since our last meeting including 2015 Annual Meeting & Estimators Summit (AMES) in San Diego and our Chapter Planning Retreat. Highlights of AMES are discussed elsewhere in this edition and more in October. Director and Certification Chair Ron Svarc, CPE will be covering the educational presentations in more de-tail.

The program was different this year with 4 speakers per day Thursday and Friday. The morning sessions repeated in the afternoon so we were able to attend all 8 sessions. It was nice not having to pick and choose, often missing out on something because there were two pro-grams at the same time. The format was such a success it will be re-

peated next year. Speaking of which, it is not too early to start planning for 2016 Annual Meeting & Estimators Summit in Tampa, Florida. The dates have been set for July 14 - 17, 2016. More information will be available soon.

Once again the Southwest Region (of which our Chapter is a member) and the Northwest Region have joined together to plan the Fall Regional Conference in Se-attle October 2 - 3, 2015. That is right around the corner. If you are planning to attend book your flight to arrive in time

for the welcome on Thursday evening. Friday will start early with a full day of educational programs and Saturday will be a 1/2 day (ending at 2:00 pm) of ASPE business and a focus on the Chapters. The Seattle Chapter has done a great job setting this up! More infor-mation will be available right after the first of September and will be sent out. Hotel and registration information is included herein.

Continued

ASPE Chapter 3 Newsletter September 2015

ESTIMATING TODAY

The official monthly new maga-

zine of the American Society of

Professional Estimators

“Estimating Today” is available on

line. The August September edi-

tion has interesting articles and

each month features a technical

paper Read what transpired at the

Annual Meeting and Estimators

summit. This is an opportunity to

learn more about estimating and

understand what is required to

become a Certified Professional

Estimator

Letter from the President - continued During our Chapter Planning Retreat we laid out the basics for this year’s speakers and

committees. We are still in need of committee chairs, co-chairs and members. I will

include a listing of the committees and our new chairs so you can see what is available.

If you see something that interests you reach out directly or send me an email for more

information. We are in the process of finalizing some great educational speaker pro-

grams for our monthly meetings. Your input is important to help us put together topics

that you are interested in. If you would like to be a speaker or if you know of or have

heard someone who is a good presenter please let us know. Even a topic of interest is

welcome.

On a personal note I am happy to announce that I was recently promoted to Assistant

Chief Estimator at Cupertino Electric, Inc. In addition we have just moved to our new

office in Whittier. The phone numbers remain the same.

Be sure to read this month’s Orange Speel newsletter for more information. Make

plans to join us on September 9th for the first meeting of the 2015-2016 year. Invite a

co-worker or customer and help us get the word out on the benefits of ASPE member-

ship.

Until next month,

Carri

ASPE Membership Meeting

Please RSVP by the Wednesday

before each meeting so we are

sure to have enough food and

place settings.

Registration is available at

www.aspechapter3.org. Click on

“Monthly Reservation” and make

sure you select your dinner

choice.

Cost is $45 if RSVP before the

deadline and $50 if you don’t.

Note that if you RSVP and you do

not attend you will be invoiced

and are expected to pay.

The Chapter has to cover the cost

of the meals that we confirm.

Recap of Annual Meeting & Estimators Summit 2015 in San Diego

This year’s format changed with the elimination of the "Estimating Academy" and incorporat-

ing the educational programs into the Annual Meeting. The speakers were top notch and

there was plenty of opportunity to learn about new products from the sponsors and network

with fellow estimators. Despite the difficulty to put together programs that appeal to such a

broad range of interests and disciplines as are represented at our Annual Meetings the Soci-

ety Business Office delivered! Patsy, Tanya and Tina again came through! Since our Octo-

ber educational program will go more into depth on some of the topics discussed this will

only serve as an overview and perhaps a "teaser" so you will want to plan to attend the Octo-

ber meeting and next year’s AMES in Tampa.

One of the first presentations was on "Forecasted vs Actual Costs for Code Compliance for

Hospitals" (Paul Coleman - Deputy Director, California Office of Statewide Health Planning

and Development). This had information about OSHPD and was a great presentation. It is

interesting to learn how the code changes following major earthquakes and especially as it

relates to hospitals. As a result of the extensive damage caused in past events codes are

revised to prevent or minimize future problems.

Continued

RECAP Continued

Some of the complications after an earthquake are logical when you think about them,

but I never really considered them, including the fact that evacuating the seriously ill can

be fatal and patients are exposed to additional risks and injuries. Issues with contagious

disease, negative pressure, positive pressure, immune depressant patients, and critical

equipment that needs to remain operational, such as life support. When you stop to

consider the many different needs of a hospital it is no wonder they are so expensive

and complex. Expect to see a 2016 code out soon. There will be many changes in the

hospital industry in the future, some as a result of the new healthcare mandates and

more modern approaches such as "video visits".

Another great presentation was "Design-Build Best Practices for Estimators" (Greg

Gidez, AIA - Director of Preconstruction, Hensel Phelps). It was interesting to get a GC

point of view on some of the challenges faced in bidding Design-Build work. So much

content was delivered it is difficult to even provide a condensed version to recap. Anoth-

er presentation covered "Estimating and Managing Higher Ed/K-12 Construction Costs",

in another we learned more about being an expert witness and in another how working

with the different generations in today's workplace can make for a very positive work

environment.

I hope you will consider attending 2016 Annual Meeting and Estimators Summit. It is

certainly a great investment of your time and a great value. Don't discount the im-

portance and benefits of the relationships that are made and nurtured at each one of our

ASPE events. We certainly see it on the Chapter level and it is multiplied as you expand

into the Regional and National level. Make the most of your ASPE membership. There

are a lot of benefits that some people never take advantage of.

September Dinner meeting

Dear ASPE, Chapter 3 Member-

We cordially invite you to attend

the ASPE Orange County, Chapter 3

meeting scheduled on Wednesday,

September 9, 2015 at the Ayres Hotel

in Costa Mesa, California. Kurt Grosz

will present on “The Estimator as Ex-

pert Witness"

About the Speaker:

Kurt Grosz holds an M.B.A. degree

from Pepperdine University and a B.A.

degree from Clemson University.

Kurt has over 40 years experience in

construction and consulting in the are-

as of building inspection, estimating,

project management, scheduling and

as chief operating officer of construc-

tion companies

"Change Orders and Claims: How to Win Defective Documents, Conflicts, Omissions and Ambiguities Every Time" The June 10 meeting featured Anwar Hafeez is the president and founder of SDC & Associates, Inc. and a nationally known and respected engi-neer and construction project manager.

ASPE National Website

The new website has been on line since mid-June. Have you taken the

time to log in and check it out? Not only is it a good resource it has other

features such as “instant chatting” and email between members. The Na-

tional calendar lists upcoming events and classes available. The online

rosters are always up to date – that is if you have updated your personal

information. One of the many benefits of ASPE membership is network-

ing and sharing information. If you have not updated your profile it will

not be possible for others to reach out to you. Several of our members

have consulting businesses that depend on referrals for business, yet their

contact information is not on line or it is not correct. Make this a priority.

It only takes a few minutes.

Chapter Newsletter Articles

We are always looking for articles for

the Orange Speel newsletter. These

can be information or technical in na-

ture. Share a recap of a program/

seminar attended, estimating tips, arti-

cles on ethics, or other construction/

estimating related items. The deadline

for submittal is the Friday following our

membership meeting. Any arriving

after that will be considered for the next

month. Items can be sent to Will

Beukman at wbeukman@cox.net.

Reminders:

Verify your information is correct on the

National website.

CPE Proctors are needed for testing.

Contact:

Ron Svarc at kickerron@gmail.com

New Board of

Directors

[2015/2016]:

President:

Carri Morones, CPE

1st Vice President:

Scott Porterfield, E

2nd Vice President:

Kevin Murphy CPE

Past President:

Steve Murow, E

Secretary:

Andy Heffel E

Treasurer:

Asoka Sellahewa CPE

Certification Chair:

Ron Svarc, LCPE

Membership Chair:

Kevin Murphy CPE

Directors:

Ron Svarc, LCPE

Wil Beukman, CPE

Tom Smithson E

Martin Luther King Medical Campus ER Canopy

Chapter Committees – Help Wanted! We are still looking for Chairs, Co-Chairs and Committee Members. Please let Carri Morones know if you have an interest or if you need more information. The current Chairs and Co-Chairs are listed if applicable. They can always use more help if this is something you would like to be involved with. Awards – Scott Porterfield and Bryan Barker. By-Laws – Kevin Murphy, CPE Certification – Ron Svarc, CPE College or University – Open Liaison between our Chapter and College/University with Construction/Engineering Programs Chapter Historian – Wil Beukman, CPE Education – Open Develop and present educational programs 1 or 2 times per year. Finances – Asoka Sellahewa, CPE Hospitality – Tom Smithson, Scott Porterfield and Bryan Barker Membership – Kevin Murphy, CPE and Scott Porterfield Newsletter – Wil Beukman, CPE Programs – Tom Smithson Publicity – Open Promote ASPE Website – Open We currently outsource the development and maintenance, but need a liaison to make sure it is up to date and relevant. We also need someone who can go through the current website and make sure all of the links are still working.

Fundraising Ideas?

Have you participated in or heard

of any great, fun or interesting

fundraising ideas? We would

love to hear them! What do you

like to do? Can we turn that into

a money making event? Bowl-

ing? Miniature golf? Casino

night? Perhaps you know of a

place that will help us put some-

thing together?

Constant Contact –

Information

Distribution

The Chapter is currently

utilizing Constant Contact

to send out our meeting

notices, newsletter and

other information.

We are looking for some-

one who can take charge

of this. The responsibilities

would include preparing a

meeting notice each

month, sending out the

newsletter or other infor-

mation as applicable and

cleaning up the current

contact list.

This program is pretty sim-

ple to use and has many

other features that we are

not taking advantage of at

this point. If you are inter-

ested in taking this on or if

you want more information

contact Carri Morones at

cjmorones@yahoo.com or

661.717.6201.

National Partnerships About RICS: RICS is the world’s leading qualification

when it comes to professional standards in land, proper-

ty and construction. In a world where more and more

people, governments, banks and commercial organiza-

tions demand greater certainty of professional standards and ethics, attaining RICS sta-

tus is the recognized mark of property professionalism.

112,000 professionals worldwide have already recognized the importance of securing

RICS status by becoming members. Members are recognized by the designation after

their name - FRICS (for Fellow of RICS) or MRICS (for Member of RICS).

Member Mingle:

Asoka Sellahewa, CPE This month the spot light is on Asoka Sellahewa, the treasurer of the OC Chapter.

Asoka Sellahewa is the Principal of EQS Consultants, Inc. He has over 30 years of expe-rience providing professional construction management support services as a Quantity Surveyor / Estimator in the Middle East, East Asia and in the USA. Asoka holds a Diplo-ma in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and a Diploma in Quantity Surveying from the College of Estate Management, England. Asoka is a Certified Professional Estimator since 2000. His areas of expertise include benchmarking, cost modeling, conceptual estimating, design phase estimating and value engineering. He has worked on numerous prestigious projects, including UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Stanford Hospital & Clinics in Palo Alto, McCarran Airport Terminal 3 in Las Vegas and most recently Shanghai Disneyland in China.

Asoka grew up in Sri Lanka and is active in his high school alumni group in the USA and in Sri Lankan community in Los Angeles. He loves to travel and is a cricket fan and sup-porter of Sri Lanka cricket team. Asoka has one daughter who is a sophomore of Irvine High School. Asoka Sellahewa, CPE

NAWIC meeting dates www.nawicoc.org :

September 22, 2015 Landscape, Hardscape,

Erosion Control

South West Region

Fall Regional Conference – Seattle, WA

The registration rate is $ 120 per person. PayPal online payment options will be made

available for a $2.00 processing fee. More information will be out soon. The Hotel Block is

open until September 10, 2015: standard reservation is $70/night + tax.

TO MAKE A RESERVATION PLEASE TELEPHONE & SPEAK TO A HOTEL AGENT.

There is no on line reservation. Call the Clarion Hotel Renton (425) 251-9591 and refer-

ence code “ASPE” when making reservation to receive this special rate. Your credit card

will be charged for 1 night as deposit at time of reservation. Remember our group block

expires Wednesday September 10, after which time the regular rate of $ 114.00/night will

go into effect. The hotel is located at 3700 East Valley Rd Renton, WA 98057.