The Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural & Engineering Services (COFPAES) is pleased to present this regular e-newsletter with news and information of interest to those in public service, private practice and non-profit employment involved in design, construction, transportation, infrastructure and Federal facilities management - including architects, engineers, constructors, surveyors, mappers, facilities managers, and DC representatives of organizations of these professionals.

H.R. 3547- "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014" by Mr. Rogers (KY) - Amends the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-46) to extend through January 18, 2014, specified continuing appropriations for FY2014; For NRCS, appropriates $812,939,000 for among other activities classification and mapping of soil; for the flood hazard mapping and risk analysis program, appropriates $95,202,000, and such additional sums as may be provided by State and local governments or other political subdivisions for cost-shared mapping activities; for the national flood insurance fund, appropriates $154,300,000 for flood plain management and flood mapping, any additional fees collected pursuant to section 1308(d) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4015(d)) shall be credited as an offsetting collection to this account, to be available for flood plain management and flood mapping; for the USGS, appropriates $1,032,000,000 to covering activities including topography, geology, hydrology, biology, and the mineral and water resources of the United States, its territories and possessions, and other areas, and prohibits funding to pay more than one-half the cost of topographic mapping or water resources data collection and investigations carried on in cooperation with States and municipalities, and from within the amount appropriated for activities of the USGS such sums as are necessary shall be available for contracting for the furnishing of topographic maps and for the making of geophysical or other specialized surveys when it is administratively determined that such procedures are in the public interest; for Customs and Border Patrol, appropriates $805,068,000 for operations, maintenance, and procurement of marine vessels, aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems; for BLM, appropriates $956,875,000 for activities including cadastral surveying; for USACE, appropriates $2,861,000,000 for activities including the operation, maintenance, and care of existing river and harbor, flood and storm damage reduction, aquatic ecosystem restoration, and related projects authorized by law, providing security for infrastructure owned or operated by the Corps, including administrative buildings and laboratories, maintaining harbor channels provided by a State, municipality, or other public agency that serve essential navigation needs of general commerce, where authorized by law, surveying and charting northern and northwestern lakes and connecting waters, clearing and straightening channels, and removing obstructions to navigation, of which such sums as are necessary to cover the Federal share of eligible operation and maintenance costs for coastal harbors and channels, and for inland harbors shall be derived from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund; for USAID, prohibits funding to finance the construction (including architect and engineering services); for NIST, appropriates $56,000,000 for the construction of new research facilities, including architectural and engineering design, and for renovation and maintenance of existing facilities; for BIA, appropriates $110,124,000 for construction, repair, improvement, and maintenance of irrigation and power systems, buildings, utilities, and other facilities, including architectural and engineering services by contract; for EPA, appropriates $5,000,000 for architectural, engineering, planning, design, construction and related activities in connection with the construction of high priority water and wastewater facilities in the area of the United States-Mexico Border, after consultation with the appropriate border commission; for the Army, appropriates $64,575,000 for study, planning, design, architect and engineer services, and host nation support; for Navy and Marine Corps, appropriates $80,638,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for the Air Force, appropriates $11,314,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for military construction, DoD-wide, appropriates $205,185,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for the Army National Guard, appropriates $22,930,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for Air National Guard, appropriates $13,400,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for the Army Reserve, appropriates $14,212,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for the Navy Reserve, appropriates $2,540,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; for the Air Force Reserve, appropriates $2,229,000 for study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services; Section 111 of the Defense Title Section 111 prohibits funding for architect and engineer contracts estimated by the Government to exceed $500,000 for projects to be accomplished in Japan, in any North Atlantic Treaty Organization member country, or in countries bordering the Arabian Sea, unless such contracts are awarded to United States firms or United States firms in joint venture with host nation firms; for Medical Facilities related to the VA, appropriates $85,000,000 for necessary expenses for activities such as oversight, engineering, and architectural activities not charged to project costs; for Veterans Health Administration, appropriates  $342,130,000 for activities related to planning, architectural and engineering services, and construction management services; for Veterans Affairs, appropriates $714,870,000 for activities such as constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of the facilities, including parking projects, under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including planning and assessments of needs which may lead to capital investments, architectural and engineering services;