Managing a Construction Firm on Just 24 Hours a Day

Overview

This detailed overview of the construction contracting business delivers an invaluable collection of best practices, forms, templates, and checklists designed to reduce risks and increase profits. Contractors will learn everything they need to know about the make-or-break areas of estimating, pricing, bidding, project management, and financial management.

• The author is well-known in the industry, with a weekly newsletter, website, online digest, regular column for Contractor magazine, and 70-plus seminar bookings for 2006
• Extensive examples and illustrations help readers apply the insights offered

Table of contents

Foreword
Chapter 1. The Business of Contracting
Chapter 2. The Acquire Work Process
Chapter 3. The Build Work Process
Chapter 4. The Keep Track Process
Chapter 5. People
Chapter 6. Best Practices
Chapter 7. Your Last Management Act
Chapter 8. Conclusions
Appendix: Chapter Exercises
Index

Biographical note

Matt Stevens is the president of his own construction consulting firm, Stevens Construction Institute, Inc. He has been working with contractors as a management consultant since 1994. He has more than 30 years of experience overall, including as a specialty contractor and general contractor. Stevens has worked with dozens of clients and conducted hundreds of seminars across the country. He worked as a management consultant with FMI Corporation from 1997-2002. He earned an undergraduate degree in construction management and an MBA. Stevens writes a monthly newsletter for his Web site (www.stevensci.com); his blog, the Construction Contractor's Digest, contains 150 articles (www.contractorsblog.com); and he has a regular column in Contractor magazine. His e-learning Web site is www.contructioncbt.com.

Back cover copy

Run your construction firm more efficiently, with less risk and increased profitability

Industry expert Matt Stevens reveals dozens of behind-the-scenes secrets to managing your firm better than your competitors, explaining everything you need to know about the make-or-break areas of estimating, pricing, bidding, and project management.

This in-depth, hands-on guide to the day-to-day business of contracting delivers an invaluable collection of best practices, time-saving business tactics, forms to help you stay organized, and real-world examples of effective reports and other vital management information. From acquiring work and keeping projects on track to managing your people and dealing with common problems, Stevens draws upon his extensive experience and industry observations to show you the smarter way to run your construction business in today's competitive markets.

Your 24-hour tools for success
130+ best practices for improving and expanding your contracting business
25+ time- and cost-saving forms, templates, and checklists for estimating, pricing, bidding, marketing, preconstruction planning, scheduling, budgeting, short interval planning, close out, financial management, accounting, administration, and more
100+ illustrations and examples to help you apply the insights