LibGuides: Construction Management Guide: Federal Websites, Associations, Standards, Codes, Sweets and ARCAT

How to Find Reliable Websites

Questions to Ask When Determining the Crediblity of Sources/Identifying Credible Sources
Handout with questions and a chart to help you determine the credibility of your sources.

Find Reliable Websites
Also known as Finding Credible Websites: Evaluating Internet Resources (7 min.)

Federal Websites, Associations, Standards, Codes, Sweets and ARCAT

Use the questions on the Questions to Ask When Determining Credibility of Sources handout to help you determine the credibility of websites and videos. Check the information by comparing several sites or videos on the same topic. Take a few facts from one article and confirm or disprove them with another credible source (Stebbins, 2015, pp. 22-23). Use the fact-checking websites in this Guide on the OneSearch for Construction Management Information page under News.

Useful tip: Government and military websites, whose URLs end in .gov, .mil, .state.us, or .state.gov, can be credible sources of information. For more tips about using information from websites, watch the short NAU video in the left column.

Stebbins, L.F. (2015). Finding Reliable Information Online. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Bidding on Federal Construction Projects
From the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) website.
Construction Industry
This Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website was designed to assist those in the construction industry to identify, reduce, and eliminate construction-related hazards. (OSHA is part of the U.S. Department of Labor.)
United States Small Business Administration (SBA)
Government advocacy group for small businesses, also provide loans & support for small businesses, and more
United States Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Guide
Plan, launch, manage, and grow your business
United States Census Bureau - Construction Spending
This site, "Value of Construction Put in Place at a Glance," provides monthly estimates of the total dollar value of construction work done in the United States. View the most current release and historical releases.

American Builders and Contractors (ABC)
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association with 69 chapters representing more than 21,000 members. ABC's members represent all specialties in the construction industry and are primarily firms that perform work in the industrial and commerical sectors.
Associated General Contractors (AGC)
Based in Washington, D.C., the Associated General Contractors of America, with members in building construction, federal/heavy construction, highway and transportation construction, and utility construction, has over 27,000 member firms.
American Institute of Contractors (AIC)
This society of construction professionals offers online courses, conferences, webinars, and certification exams.
American Subcontractors Association (ASA)
Members include subcontractors, specialty contractors and suppliers.
Construction Management Association of American (CMAA)
CMAA offers professional development, education, training and networking, business development, advocacy, and professional resources to its members.
Mechanical Service Contractors of American (MCAA)
Members of MCAA include approximately 2,600 firms involved in heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, piping, and mechnical service.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
USGBC runs the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program for sustainable design and construction ("green building" certification).

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
The ANSI oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of norms and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector: f rom acoustical devices to construction equipment, from dairy and livestock production to energy distribution, and many more.
IEEE Standards Association
IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization, has over 400,000 members. It publishes nearly one-third of the world's technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics, and is the leading developer of international standards in telecommunications, information technology and power-generation products and services.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 162 national standards bodies.It develops and publishes International Standards - standards are formulas that describe "the best way of doing something" - from "making a product, managing a process, to delivering a service or supplying materials... ."
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
THE NFPA provides free online access to its codes and standards, its journal publications from 1907 to the present, and its Applied Research reports.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Founded in 1901, NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, and one of the nation's oldest physical science laboratories. Its mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve the quality of life.

The best method of finding local building codes and ordinances is by searching a city's official website for a link to its municipal code. You also may search the websites below for local government codes and ordinances.

American Legal Publishing Corp.
Links to city and county codes in all 50 states.
CPC Code Library
25 states, 10 tribal governments, and 1 Candian province
General Code's E-codes
Choose the state, then select a municipality.
Municipal Code Corp.
On this "Library" page, choose a State or "Tribes and Tribal Nations." Next, choose the tribe or city. Search by keyword or browse by title.

Sweets Catalog
Library of product catalogs from building manufacturers, lists of manufacturers, CAD drawings and details, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and 3-Part Specifications.
ARCAT
Free Building Product CAD Drawings, BIM Files, Specifications, and architectural building product certifications.