Perspectives on the Construction Industry

Spring 2008

Sureties Want to See Strong Balance Sheets

Irrespective of how good or bad the construction market may be, you can be sure of one thing -- your surety provider will want to take a close look at your numbers before it will issue bonding. What it finds on your balance sheet will influence whether you’ll get competitively priced bonding or not.

Ideally, the facts presented in your financial statement will show that your firm is in good financial health. Here are some measures that are commonly used to assess the strength of the balance sheet. Read more...

Managing Your Company's Cash Flow

It’s no secret: Inadequate cash flow is a leading cause of financial failure. In a tough economic environment, it’s more important than ever to focus on cash flow. Adopting some of the following “best practices” can help you manage -- and enhance -- your contracting firm’s cash flow. Read more...

Safety Self-Inspections Make Sense for Contractors

Recent estimates place the business costs associated with occupational injuries at close to $170 billion annually. Many contractors are taking the initiative and conducting their own safety inspections at every work site where they are active, as well as at the storage, maintenance, and office facilities they operate. By being proactive, contractors are also sending a clear message that employee safety is a priority. Read more...

Federal Water Resources Development Act of 2007

The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA), regarded as the largest civil works bill in the nation’s history, was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. The new law mandates federal budget authorizations of $23 billion in funding for more than 900 projects overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read more...

Spring 2008 Developments in Tax and Business