Practice Management Guide

This web-only guide addresses basic issues with an impact on the ability of a professional firm to function in the competitive and litigious world of construction-related services. Schinnerer's Practice Management Guide can help a firm achieve its strategic goals, attain financial success and maintain stability.

As with all Schinnerer publications, policyholders have a license to reproduce and distribute this information within their firms for employee educational purposes.

Communication

• Introduction
• Internal, Intra-Office
• Communicate the Contract
• Communicate With the Client
• Information Your Client Should Receive
• Contractor
• Suppliers and Manufacturers
• Partnering
• Records
• Retain Records
• Overselling Capabilities
• Communication at Feasibility Study Stage
• Dangers of Inappropriate Communication
• Gratuitous Advice

Design Practice

• Client Selection
• Importance of Proposal Stage
• Project Planning
• Disclaimer of Responsibility to Third Parties
• Bidding or Negotiation Phase
• Design Review
• Submittals
• Field Services
• Certification
• Changes
• Substitutions
• Project Recordation
• CADD Issues
• Electronic Communication
• Innovative Design and Materials
• Other Issues-Moonlighting

Contracts

• Introduction
• Good Contracts Are Good Business
• Insurance Exclusions
• Contract Versus Tort
• Design-build
• Vicarious Liability
• Construction Phase Services
• Risk Allocation Clauses
• Suspension of Service
• Resolution of Claims
• Additional Insured
• Standard Language
• Consistency

Claims

• Introduction
• Professional Liability
• When a Claim Occurs or Is Expected
• Warning Signs of Potential Claims
• Sources of Claims
• Cost of Claims
• Planning for Problems
• Resolution During Project Delivery
• Settling Claims-What Actually Happens
• Notification
• Simple Demand
• Statement of Claim
• Roles in the Claim Process

Design-Build

• Project Delivery Methods
• Design-build
• Design Professional's Insurance Under Design-build
• Insurance and Bonding Needs
• Roles and Risk Transfer in Design-build
• Roles the Designer Can Assume
• Proposals
• How to Evaluate a Design-build Project
• Alternative Methods
• Design Growth

Checklists

• Client Evaluation
• Project Evaluation
• Contracts
• Agreements with Subconsultants
• Project Cost Management/Change Orders
• Written Records
• Specifications
• Construction Phase Office and Field Services
• Working Drawings
• Claims