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The Associated General Contractors’ Oregon-Columbia chapter‘s board of directors on Friday voted unanimously to broaden its core policy positions on workforce training and public contracting methods.

The position shift will impact how the organization will advocate for those positions at the Oregon Legislature, said Steve Malany, president of the chapter’s board.

The definition of workforce training, Malany’s top priority this year, is being expanded beyond vocational high school pilot programs to include all career technical education, he said.

“We’re not just worried about high school,” he said. “We are supporting everything that surrounds career and technical education.”

Now, more support could be given to pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, Malany said.

Additionally, the board approved a broader definition of public contracting to include not only construction manager-general contractor procurement models, but also design-build models and public-private partnerships, among others.

“This one, we’re expanding it to the main alternative contracting methods,” Malany said.

The alternative methods would be considered when the “public benefits have been verified and all contractors are able to compete on a level playing field,” according to the amended bylaws.

AGC earlier this year advocated strongly at the Oregon Legislature for a public-private contracting model that would not reduce the number of contractors who could bid on a project.

“We are updating our core policies to fit the changing landscape of the Legislature,” Malany said. “We are not reacting to an unlevel playing field. We are just trying to be proactive.”

The board of directors will review other core policy positions that may need refinement at its next meeting in June, Malany said. More information is available at .