Focus on Business and Communications
Matthew McCarty, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE, the senior project manager of the marine division of the McLaren Engineering Group, discusses some of the nontechnical aspects of management: client relations, business...
Strategies for Building and Sustaining a Successful Engineering and Consulting Company
This third article in the Business of Geotechnics series addresses stragegies for building and sustaining an engineering and consulting (E&C) company that employs geoprofessionals....
Good Clients, Good Procurements, and the Importance of Quality Work
This fourth article in the Business of Geotechnics series addresses a number of topics related to engineering and consulting (E&C) firm clients and obtaining work from them. The...
How to Work Effectively with Consulting Engineers
Getting the Best Project at the Right Price for Your Public Constituents
This manual is a comprehensive revision of the previous edition that addresses the procurement of engineering services for a quality project. It outlines the functions of the consulting...
Progress Report: ASCE Task Committee on State of the Practice in Curve Number Hydrology
In response to a growing awareness of the role of the Curve Number method in engineering and environmental impact applications, and its limitations, the Committee was formed in late 1997,...
Preparing for a Slowdown
The economy may not be heading for a downturn, but it is likely to slow in 2001 if early results are any indication. Smaller businesses are often hardest hit by slower growth, but there...
Team Development Through Feedback
Groups and teams need to be effective in whatever they're doing; they need to achieve their mission or purpose. Just as important, every team or group needs to be seen as...
Designing a Web Site
With the advent of prepackaged software programs that practically set up a Web site by themselves, small engineering firms may assume that designing and operating a Web site is a snap....
Ethics: A Design Responsibility
The design/build method of project delivery, because it largely removes the client from the quality control and assurance process, can lend itself to unethical behavior on the part of...
Return of the Master Builder
As projects become more complex and clients demand streamlined design and construction approaches, more consulting companies are attempting to add hard-dollar construction to their scope....
Small Firms Check In
Competence or Collapse
Gottshall, the winner of ASCE's Daniel W. Mead Prize for a paper on ethics by younger members, refers to the large-scale damage from recent earthquakes in Turkey as well as...
Branching Out
For small engineering firm owners who are interested in enlarging their businesses, adding a new service of specialty is a good way to satisfy clients and keep up with the competition....
Risky Business
Labor, clients, project conditions and information flow are all potential risks that small design firms face when deciding to agree to a fixed price. If you're in charge of...
Casting Their 'Net
Small engineering firms are exploring new markets, winning clients and bringing in fresh talent�all through their company web pages. Executives from small firms around the country talk...
Growing Pains
Most small firms want to increase their business, but there are hidden dangers that can dampen even the most encouraging outlook. Small engineering firm executives and business consultants...
Big-Firm Marketing Ideas That Can Work For You
Access to a large advertising and marketing budget may make it easier to attract clients, but bringing in new business doesn't have to be expensive. Marketing professionals...
Basin Response Time: Potential Hydrologic Basin Handprint
Hydrologic lead time is an important factor in many water resources engineering applications. The determination of the response time of a watershed to runoff-producing rainfall is the...
Warming Up to Cold Calling
Calling a prospective client to arrange an initial meeting can unnerve even the most experienced marketer. But it is a useful tool, especially for small firms on a tight marketing budget....
Newsletters That Deliver
A newsletter consultant and business manager for a small engineering firm explains how to create an effective newsletter for new and potential clients. Among the necessary steps are establishing...
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