Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009 - (Page I13)

mit, April 26–29, Washington, D.C. resulting higher fees and margins, healthy growth in the core A/E business, and a competitive profile that energizes employees and clients. This session outlines some of the ways growing firms are making such transitions. Additional Services Fee Recovery Training Tom Gramza, Bromin Solutions Inc. Whether a result of architectural revisions, owner decisions, value engineering, or other circumstances, additional work performed outside of a project’s contracted scope must result in fee recovery, not lost revenue. This highly interactive session will equip participants with the ability to identify and assign value to additional services, and provide the skills, motivation and confidence to effectively approach clients with additional services requests. And it all starts with changing engineers’ attitudes: their services are not a commodity; they must be compensated for all their work. replies; train others how to e-mail and respond to you; and e-mail etiquette that can cut volume in half. Risk Management & Contracts Finance & Economics Deal or No Deal: An Overview of M&A Activity in the A/E/C Industry Steve Gido, ZweigWhite The last five years have witnessed a record amount of M&A activity for the A/E/C industry, as firms of all shapes and sizes are joining forces and reshaping the competitive landscape for the future. Participants will learn how the slowing economy is impacting M&A activity, gain insight into what’s driving engineering activity for buyers and sellers, the “hot” markets and sectors, tips on firm valuation and deal structures, and the promises and pitfalls of integrating two engineering firms into one. Streamlining the Organization Towards Profit and Efficiency Robert vanArsdall, XL Design Professional As graduation rates for construction-related engineering disciplines continue to decline, firms must become more expert at doing more with less. This session presents techniques to identify activities that generate true profit, and those that drag profit down. Participants will learn to use owner objectives as the source for firm resource allocation, how to identify valueadded and value-detracting activities, and ways to uncover opportunities to outsource the latter while in-sourcing the value-added—enabling the company to thrive even in times with few new hires. Integrated Project Delivery: A Look at the Legal and Insurance Issues Affecting Consulting Engineers Katherine D. Enos, Esq.; James Lee, Esq., Lee & McShane PC The integration of design and construction is accelerating and new concepts and contracts for collaborative design are radically refabricating engineering practice. The many creative forms of integrated project delivery challenge well-founded legal principles and insurance coverage products, but for firms to prosper under future forms of collaboration and integrated practice, an understanding of these issues is vital. This session explores the contractual and other legal issues of integrated project delivery as well as insurance coverage developments responsive to new practice paradigms. can lead to claims, evaluate risk inherent in every practice and gain strategies for managing, transferring or avoiding risk. Making Construction Administration a Risk Management Tool Mark Blankenship and Dan Buelow, HRH Architects & Engineers Engineers have exposure to claims resulting from deviations from construction documents and jobsite accidents. While the presence of an engineer on the site favorably impacts project quality, engineers must proactively avoid being drawn into issues resulting from poor contractor performance. This interactive workshop discusses matching the scope of services to an owner’s expectations; documentation issues and what to do when there is an unsafe condition on the jobsite; and best-practices in shop drawing review, and pay application approvals—practical advice that will reduce exposure to claims and improve firm profitability. What Is Your Firm’s Liability Rating? Timothy J. Corbett, SmartRisk; Dana Hughes, Beazley; Greg D. Kumm, Prosurance/Redeker Group, Ltd All A/E firms, large and small, have liability exposures. This session will identify claim trends, root causes and key areas of risk, and liability exposures. Each participant will perform a Self-Risk Assessment, obtaining a “basic” Liability Rating, which indicates an awareness of the firm risk management practices. The methods, strategies and benefits used for an indesPrIng seMester 2009 Communications & Information Technology Stop the Madness: How to Manage E-Mail Overload Karen Susman, The Remarkable Toolbox™ E-mail: can’t live without it; can’t get anything done with it. E-mail overload wastes time and energy. This session will help participants get a handle on their own e-mail and train others in how to respond to, send, and control the “necessary monster.” Learn to curb your e-mail addiction; compose subject lines that get your e-mail read; write e-mails that are clear, brief, and get quick It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…Spooky Case Studies of Engineers’ Professional Liability Erick L. Singer, Esq., Ice Miller LLP; Karen Erger, Esq., Holmes Murphy & Associates Gather ‘round to hear three spooky cases of engineers’ professional liability—both real and alleged. This session will include discussion of factors that led to each crisis and how results might have been improved. Participants will have the opportunity to submit “horror stories” from their own practices for group discussion and analysis. They will acquire techniques to identify and evaluate risk factors associated with recurrent themes in liability claims, spot warning signs that I-13 http://www.acec.org/conferences/annual-09/index.cfm http://www.acec.org/conferences/annual-09/index.cfm http://www.acec.org/conferences/annual-09/index.cfm http://www.acec.org/conferences/annual-09/index.cfm http://www.acec.org/conferences/annual-09/index.cfm

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009

Table of Contents
Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009
From ACEC to You
News and Notes
Market Watch
Legislative Action
Exclusive Interview
RX to Ease Employer Health Care Pain
2009 Spring Course Catalog
That's Entertainment
2008 Professional Liability Insurance Survey of Carriers
Annual Convention Preview
Members in the News
Business Insights

Engineering Inc. - January/February 2009