General Info:
About Dredging Contractors of America The Dredging Contractors of America, formerly the National Association of Dredging Contractors ( NADC ), is a non-profit trade association that has represented the interests of the U.S. dredging and marine construction industry and its members for over thirty years. The present membership includes twelve large companies, fifteen small companies and five associate members that operate on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, the Great Lakes, the inland rivers, and in Hawaii and Alaska. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the Federal agency responsible for the majority of dredging activities in the United States, controlling the permitting process for all projects, as well as planning and design, feasibility analysis, policy, funding and contract administration. The Corps is the industry's primary customer. Its actions determine the scope, shape and health of the U.S. dredging industry. Changes in the Corps' water resources policy, environ-mental restrictions, procurement pro-cedures, funding and legislation impact the viability and profitability of U.S. dredging contractors. Proactive planning is required to assure that the industry is able to meet all the Corps' dredging needs but also to counteract actions or trends that would have a negative effect on the market. The Corps' contracting policy affords equal opportunity and equal access to information for all contractors. Accordingly, it is difficult for individual contractors to bring policy issues of importance to the Corps in a way that can affect change. The DCA's chief role, therefore, is to be the instrument by which dredging contractors may have an effective dialogue with their major client. The resulting collective voice provides weight to the issues that affect the industry in general and helps to affect changes that would simply be impossible for individual companies to achieve. The DCA has been at the forefront of efforts that include establishment of formal partnering at the highest levels of the Corps and other government entities on issues such as over-depth dredging, emergency response, funding, contractual policy issues, project estimating, and the environment. The DCA has earned the respect of the Corps and other maritime groups for its ability to bring a broad base of industry decision-makers to the table for open and frank discussions of policy issues important to all stakeholders. The DCA also serves as a resource of dredging expertise for other maritime industry groups, both in Washington and elsewhere around the country. These groups frequently consult the DCA and its members on mutually important issues, while at other times DCA members are requested to provide input on technical and commercial issues that affect their projects.