The Strategy of Bidding for Profit
The ultimate goal of any contractor engaged in competitive bidding is to achieve the maximum profits possible on the jobs he bids, under the prevailing competitive conditions. By systematically...
Dealing with Construction People (The People Side of Construction Profits)
The people side of producing construction job profits is usually tied to quantitative measures of craft productivity, morale and quests for quality. At the same time that people usually...
Construction Communications?What the Contractor Has to Write: And How
Only zero defects in scheduling, cost control, and specification compliance can maximize construction business profits. You can never produce a perfect project, but by clear, uncomplicated,...
Marina Financial Management Strategies in the 90's
The majority of U.S. marinas presently in place, were funded historically with highly leveraged debt. The paper discusses the question what impact recent U.S. economic and financial source...
The Economic factors of Ground Leasing at Marina del Rey
Begun in 1957, Marina del Rey is the largest single marina under unified management in the United States. Situated on more than 804 acres, the Marina has 56 major leaseholds and over 300...
Public/Private Partnerships: Recent Trends in France
The revival of liberal ideas provided rich soil in France for the growth of private/public partnerships in financing urban mobility services. This partnership is based on one of the following...
Buying Tomorrow's Water
Cities are finding that selling future access rights to sewer and water treatment plants can get them needed expansion capital. Although the access rights system is similar to development...
They're Coming to America
Foreign firms have been involved in the U.S. construction market for decades but their role has been small. Foreign contractors lacked information and communication skills and they believed...
Commercial Exploitation of Space Resources Under the `Moon Treaty'
The advancement of space technology over the last few decades has aroused in private enterprise an interest in exploiting space resources. The necessary legal structure regulating space...
Building Around a Building
Many, maybe most, construction disasters occur as the result of the failure of temporary structures. Despite the fact that temporary structures have a critical effect on the speed, safety...
Operational Planning in a Consulting Firm
What becomes of a firm that strives concurrently to meet the changing needs of the marketplace, remain up-to-date in technology and technique, and achieve a comfortable profit margin?...
Contractor, Businessman
The management side of running a construction firm is as important to its survival and growth as the technical activities. This article tells how a Cincinnati geotechnical contractor,...
How to Make Automated Transportation Profitable!
The paper discusses an approach to analyzing why past systems attracted investors. It suggests, first; remember why the auto and truck have captured the bulk of the market. Second; accept...
The Owner as Resident Engineer: A Cost-Effctive Method of Project Management
Owners have recognized that corporate profitability depends not only on the professional skills applied to plant operations but also on the cost effectiveness of plant construction and...
Micro-CAD: Can It Pay for Itself
A simple financial analysis is presented that forecasts the payback period on an investment in a microcomputer drafting system. The payback period is calculated in months using productivity...
Managing Overhead in Consulting Engineering Firms
One of the ways an engineering firm can maintain - or increase - profitability is through judicious management of overhead. Yet various industry studies suggest that the typical engineering...
The Individual Attitude: Its Impact on Financial Success
Individual engineers often have personalities and interests substantially different from those traits that support the financial success of a project. An engineer's inherent...
Managing Finances
Managing finances is becoming increasingly complex for the engineering manager. How the engineering manager assesses the impacts of an individual's attitude can have a pronounced...
Specialization Vs. Diversification ? Relevant Considerations
The health, well-being, and growth of consulting engineering firms demand a successful strategy covering specialization vs. diversification. A discussion of the pros and cons and some...
Using CADD for Fun and Profit
American Bridge Engineers, a Pittsburgh full service engineering, architecture and planning firm, is still exploring the full capabilities of its CADD (computer aided design and drafting)...
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