Design Firm Management & Administration Report
Design Firm Management & Administration Report is a monthly newsletter providing practical, hands-on, timely information to design firm managers and administrators about the marketing and management aspects of operating a firm. Typical how-to stories cover such topics as office and project management, financial benchmarks, staff recruitment and retention, information technology, successful proposal writing, and effective use of websites. Several times a year the editors conduct reader surveys on timely topics and share the findings with their readers.
August 2010 - Table of Contents
“The one thing that surprised me in March 2009 when we were gathering data for our new survey was that engineers were holding some optimism because of federal stimulus work,” Jeffrey L. Beard, American Council for Engineering Companies vice president and director of its Institute for Business Management, tells DFMAR.
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting is a six-office full-service design firm that includes a land development services studio. Ever since Christopher Roberts, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited project engineer at Little’s headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., began using SITEOPS software two years ago, Little has been able to save land development clients a ton of money and a lot of time.
“A/E firms need to know how to design effective presentations since so many firms are competing for jobs these days,” Steve Wirtel, an experienced civil engineer who now heads his own business development firm, tells DFMAR.
“The key to getting through the recession is to engage your top talent,” Kimberly Douglas, who heads the strategic planning consultancy FireFly Facilitation Inc., tells DFMAR.
Every A/E/C professional responsible for design and construction needs to keep current with changing codes and standards. But studying them demands real concentration¡ªthe kind of effort required when studying for exams in college.
A/E/C Project Management, Seattle, Aug. 12-13; Washington, D.C., Sept. 16-17; Houston, Sept. 30-Oct. 1; Chicago, Oct. 7-8; San Francisco, Oct. 21-22. Contact: PSMJ Resources, Newton, Mass.; 800-537-7765; www.psmj.com
FIRMS PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE PROJECT DELIVERY FIND NEW MARKETS
Despite overall decreased revenues in the A/E/C industry in 2009, firms providing design-build services have been able to withstand the recession better than firms providing other types of project delivery, reported the June 7 Engineering News-Record.
For the first time in its history, the annual survey of the American Council of Engineering Companies included a chapter on sustainable design, which indicates the growing importance that topic has in the A/E/C industry. Here are some high-lights of those findings:
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