On April 2, we reported that Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois had issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Labor from enforcing certain provisions of Executive Orders 14173 and 14151, both of which limit or prohibit federal grants or programs relating to “illegal,” “unlawful,”
he year 2025 is shaping up to be quite the challenging year for the construction industry. From the President’s executive order nos. 14151 and 14174 (signed January 20 and 21, 2025, respectively) seeking to end DEI-related programs in federal contracts (including construction), to the tariffs that have been instituted on construction materials such as steel
The Federal Government’s recent imposition of tariffs appears designed largely to bring manufacturing back inside the United States. News reports indicate the Government understands that tariffs may initially cause pain but accepts that trade-off to press investment in future growth of U.S. manufacturing. As such, there may be increased opportunities for construction companies who build
On March 14, 2025, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted the government’s request to stay a nationwide preliminary injunction that blocked enforcement of elements of President Trump’s Executive Order 14173 (signed January 21, 2025) ending DEI programs within federal grant and contract processes, and his similar Executive Order 14151 (signed January
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14173 titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” (the “Order”). As was noted in our February 10, 2025, article, the Order amounted to an initial step by the Trump administration to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) as well as diversity, equity, inclusion
Artificial Intelligence will impact construction in ways that are both predictable and unexpected. Similar to technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and GPS, the use of AI hopes to make construction safer, less prone to error, find issues earlier, and reduce delay and costs. However, AI (like a human) is only as good as
Prefabrication is nothing new to the construction industry. And, over the past several years, we have seen a rather significant increase in the utilization of prefabrication. With this increase, however, it has revealed some vulnerabilities that, if not properly managed, lead to undesirable results. Let us take a closer look…
Prefabrication is the assembly of
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) has roared into the discourse of the new economy. While the construction industry has lagged behind in its implementation, there is no doubt that AI has become an inescapable reality. Opportunity for improvements in efficiency make the construction industry primed for a boom in the expansion of construction-related AI applications. The Stanford
As many contractors know, whenever doing federal projects there might be a nagging feeling in the back of your mind. What exactly does my contract say? What type of plan do I need to address environmental concerns? You might even wonder, what are my environmental concerns? In an attempt to ease your mind, you flip
On January 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“Department”) Office of Solicitor (“SOL”) published its FY2023 Enforcement Report (“Enforcement Report”). The report provides an insight into the Department’s labor and workplace safety initiatives and enforcement focus. The messaging in the Enforcement Report is consistent to what Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP has seen and