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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: August 23, 2024
The Cost of the Coast Guard’s Polar Security Cutter
(Congressional Budget Office) On April 23, 2019, the Coast Guard awarded a contract to VT Halter Marine to build the first of a class of new heavy polar icebreakers, called the Polar Security Cutter (PSC). The service plans to name the first ship the Polar Sentinel. On December 29, 2021, the Coast Guard exercised an option under that contract to have Halter Marine build the second ship of the class. Halter Marine was subsequently purchased by Bollinger Shipyards in November 2022 and renamed Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding. Read More
DOE Advances AI Tool Development to Speed Up Federal Reviews of Historical Environmental Documents
(Executive Gov) The Department of Energy is investing nearly $20 million in a project that seeks to develop and test artificial intelligence-based tools designed to help government employees expedite the permitting process and accelerate the construction of clean energy infrastructure, Nextgov/FCW reported Tuesday. The DOE-backed Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is working on a project, PolicyAI, to build AI-powered software to improve federal assessments of proposed projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Read More
How engineers use climate data to design coastal flood defences
(New Civil Engineer) Coastal flood defence design requires engineers to analyse multiple layers of data, including global climate data and local geographic information, from various sources. From Norfolk in England to Ayrshire in Scotland, tens of millions of pounds are being spent on hard engineering solutions to keep the waves away from people and properties. Civil engineers play a critical role in designing those defences to withstand storms under predicted sea level rise scenarios. Read More
Meals/Incidentals, Standard Lodging Rates Increasing for Federal Travelers
(FedWeek) GSA has announced the per diem rates for federal employees traveling on official business in fiscal year 2025, starting October 1, including an increase from $107 to $110 per day in the standard lodging rate for destinations without specific rates. The range of the meals and incidental expenses portion will increase from between $59 and $79 per day to between $68 and $92 per day. The lowest figure acts as the standard “M&IE” rate for destinations without specific lodgings rates. Read More
ICEAA’s NewsBrief is a collection of articles relevant to the cost estimating and analysis community that is delivered weekly to current ICEAA members. To advertise in NewsBrief, contact iceaa@iceaaonline.org.