Steven L Reed

Federal Construction Law for Construction Professionals Any firm intent on benefitting from the boom in federal government construction contracts must navigate an increasingly complicated and demanding set of laws, regulations, and practices that govern these projects and the contractors performing them. To help guide you through this maze, here is the updated edition of the easy-to-understand guide to the practical reality of these special requirements, and how managers and owners of construction industry firms can use them to effectively avoid pitfalls on current projects and compete successfully for new projects. Smith, Currie & Hancock's Federal Government Construction Contracts, Second Edition walks the reader through actual federal contracts, highlights critical clauses, and simplifies governmental and legal jargon to provide ease of use by the nonlawyer. Updates to this Second Edition include: Coverage of the newly enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Specifics of federal government grants to state and local public construction contracts New insights on Design-Build, Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), BIM, Green Construction, and Web-based project management techniques used by the federal government A revised look at the increasingly detailed business ethics and compliance program requirements for contractors and subcontractors as mandated by the federal government for its contractors A unique Web site at www.wiley.com/go/federalconstructionlaw provides the user with a Table of Acronyms and Terms commonly found in federal government contracts, an extensive list of Web sites of interest to federal government construction contractors, checklists, sample forms, as well as specifications related to innovations in project delivery By making transparent the many rights, risks, and legal responsibilities involved in a federal government construction project, Smith, Currie & Hancock's Federal Government Construction Contracts, Second Edition provides construction industry professionals?from general contractors, subcontractors, and designers to surety bond agents?with the insight and understanding they need to avoid problems and run a successful project from start to finish.

The first Black mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, shares his story of making his way in a world that wasn't built for him, drawing on his rich heritage as the son of a civil rights leader. As a proud son of a civil rights leader, Steven L. Reed grew up hearing stories about how his father integrated Montgomery lunch counters and took advice directly from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverend Ralph Abernathy. However, it wasn't until Reed was in the fourth grade and received a death threat against his father that he began to understand more fully the importance of the lessons his father was trying to impart. At this pivotal moment, his father explained, "My job is to prepare you to be a cross-bearer and not just a crown-wearer. Bigotry has no place in our household. It will only hold you down and make you small." First, Best is an essential antidote to the perpetual dehumanization and distortions of Black men in our culture and media. By sharing the story of forging his own path, Reed offers an alternative narrative to Black men coming of age, catalyzing their hope and sense of possibility. Although Reed took a circuitous path to the office of mayor that began by forging his identity at Morehouse College, pursuing entrepreneurship and exploring the wider world, and serving as a probate judge, each step was guided by the values of his father's generation. First, Best is not just about assuming the mantle of manhood or leadership, nor is it only about the expectation of greatness. Fundamentally, it's about responsibility and preparation, serving others, and being willing to pay the price of leadership by carrying the weight of each decision. First, Best affirms the next generation of Black men and women by showing, through story and example, their power and potential in a world that doesn't always root for them.