Panel of Leading CEOs to Address Industry Challenges During Convention

Robert Uhler Chairman and CEO MWH Global Len Rodman Chairman, President & CEO Black and Veatch George Pierson CEO Parsons Brinckerhoff

As part of the ACEC Convention’s central focus on helping Member Firms boost their bottom lines, leaders of three of the nation’s largest engineering firms will discuss challenges and opportunities for the industry at a special General Session on Monday, April 26, at 9:00 a.m. Featured are: Robert Uhler, chairman and CEO of MWH Global; Len Rodman, chairman, president, and CEO of Black and Veatch; and George Pierson, CEO of Parsons Brinckerhoff. Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear from and engage in discussions with these key industry leaders.

Negotiate Win-Win Contracts, Spot 'Red-Flags;' Register by April 26 & $ave Closing the Deal With A/E/C Contracts: Recognize Pitfalls, Negotiate Winners May 20-21, San Francisco Identify and demystify “red-flag contract provisions,” acquire the skills and principles of toe-to-toe negotiating to maintain professional standards and protect your business. Learn the differences between custom contracts and model contracts, the pitfalls, and how to negotiate win-win agreements. Closing the Deal With A/E/C Contracts: Recognize Pitfalls, Negotiate Winners is an in-depth course designed to meet the contract needs of engineers, architects, contractors, project managers, contracting officers, specifiers, and those responsible for procuring construction or design services. Presented by a faculty of experts with years of industry experience, the course will update attendees’ knowledge in critical contract areas, including: Controversial contract provisions, from every angle The elements of good negotiating and errors to avoid The latest revisions to the most-used contracts Recent court rulings involving construction contracts Protecting the bottom-line: how profits can be won or lost in negotiations To view the course brochure, faculty bios and agenda, click here. Register before April 26 for early-bird best price. Click here for details.

Capitalize on Expertise, Gain Skills to Qualify as Expert Witness, June 10-11 Applying Expertise as an Engineering Expert Witness June 10-11, Denver, CO Adding new services that capitalize on your firm’s existing expertise is a solid business strategy, and though your key staff may well be qualified, only the court-savvy engineer should take on potentially lucrative assignments as an expert witness in legal proceedings. Applying Expertise as an Engineering Expert Witness, ACEC’s unique 1½-day course, will be presented June 10-11 in Denver, CO, to prepare participants for legal service with recognition and a certificate of course completion. The course is designed for professional engineers, architects and surveyors interested in earning credentials for legal service engagements professionally or as an added client service. Discussion will include deposition behavior, permissible out-of-court statements, ethics, pre-courtroom testimony preparation, courtroom demeanor, how to maintain credibility, the differences between a fact witness and an expert witness, plus the agreement and compensation for taking on an assignment. Attendees completing this course who wish to further enhance their professional credentials will have taken important first steps towards applying for the professional designation of Engineer Expert Witness (EXWSM). For details and to register, click here.

New, Next-Level BIM Course Targets 'Increased ROI,' June 21-22, Orlando Realizing BIM Potential for A/E Firms: Leveraging the Building Information Modeling Process for Increased ROI June 21-22, Orlando, FL ACEC’s new 2010 BIM course—Realizing BIM Potential for A/E Firms: Leveraging the Building Information Modeling Process for Increased ROI—is a focused, next-level exploration of the BIM process, presented by experienced practitioners, software experts, and A/E industry innovators. A/E company principals, project managers, COOs, IT managers and business development professionals of firms already using or familiar with BIM will get an inside look at where and how to maximize bottom-line benefits incorporating BIM into firm culture and services. Attendees of the June 21-22 course in Orlando, will hear from industry innovators who are successfully transforming BIM projects into bottom-line success and marketplace advantage. Key perspectives and sample topics include: Design engineer: A more efficient procurement process, plus reduced RFIs means fee savings Engineering firm technology leader: Assessing your investment and moving forward; adding value without breaking budgets Software developer: Interoperability and streamlining Owner: Expectations and possibilities M/E/P technology strategist: Taking a BIM model from design to construction to maintenance; software M/E/P ‘tips and tricks’ A/E risk management, legal expert: Contracts and data licensing agreements; short history for legal ‘lessons learned’ For full course agenda highlights, faculty and to register, click here.

New Trends in A/E Key Leaders' Compensation/Performance Standards Executive Compensation in the New Economy: Back to Basics May 4, 1:30-3 p.m. In an increasingly challenging A/E economic environment, progressive firms are throwing out old assumptions about how executives have traditionally been paid. To set performance expectations and compensation for key leaders, companies are becoming more creative—looking back to their core values to determine what’s important, revisiting their vision of where the firm is going, and assessing shorter-term goals and strategies of how to reach them. Presented by Kathryn Sprankle, Sprankle Leadership, A/E Advisors, the seminar will raise—and consider—the questions participants should ask themselves and their leaders about basic performance and reward principles that will best suit their own firm. This presentation includes anonymous case studies as examples of “promising” new performance/compensation trends. For details and to register, click here.

Learn How to Manage Liabilities Beyond 'Reasonable' in A/E Contracts Make-or-Break Indemnification Provisions: Managing the Risk May 11, 1:30-3 p.m. Indemnification provisions in engineering services contracts may create contractual liabilities beyond those reasonably contemplated by the engineer, and beyond those that are insurable under a professional liability policy. Kent Holland, Esq., ConstructionRisk.com LLC, examines the lessons to be taken from recent industry court decisions, including those with A/E industry implications, and offers practical ideas for managing the risk of indemnification. For details and to register, click here.

 

The American Council of Engineering Companies 1015 15th St., NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20005-2605 Phone: 202-347-7474 - Fax: 202-898-0068 www.acec.org - E-mail:acec@acec.org Alan D. Crockett, Director, PR Gerry Donohue, Editor/Designer