How do the most successful architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms do business? What are they doing that you’re not? Find out with the 2006-2007 Successful Firm Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms. This new publication covers every area of management for leaders of design and environmental firms.

Whether you want answers to questions on financial performance, marketing, information technology, project management, compensation, billing practices, or other issues, you’ll find it all in this one report. Statistics are shown for fast-growth firms and high-profit firms separately from the overall sample so you can benchmark your firm against the most successful firms in the design and environmental consulting industry.

The 2006-2007 Successful Firm Survey will help you:

• Benchmark your firm against the most successful firms in the design and environmental industry to see how your firm stacks up
• Find out how the most successful firms operate in every area of firm management—from project management to ownership to compensation
• Make sure your firm is aiming for higher than the industry averages when setting goals for growth in 2007 and beyond
• Find out how much the fastest-growing and most-profitable firms are spending on marketing, information technology, compensation, and more
• Get the secrets on how the most-profitable firms handle billing, personnel policies & procedures, branch offices, and other areas of management
• Make sure your firm is setting high standards and not settling to be just "average!"

How do the most successful architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms do business? What are they doing that you’re not? Find out with the 2006-2007 Successful Firm Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms. This new publication will tell you everything you need to know about how firms just like yours are growing and turning a profit.

The Successful Firm Survey is a compilation of all the major management topics covered in 12 of ZweigWhite’s survey reports conducted throughout 2006. In addition to compiling survey data from other reports, we also broke data down by the overall sample compared to the fastest-growing firms and the most-profitable firms. The survey defines a fast-growth firm as one that had average annual revenue and staff growth of 20% or more for the last three years, and a high-profit firm as one with average annual net pre-tax, pre-bonus profit on net service revenue of 15% or more for the last three years. Whether you’re a firm president, CEO, vice president, principal, or division or department director or manager, you’re going to want to see these survey results!

Topics covered include:

Financial performance: How does your firm stand up to your competition? Get hard data on revenue per employee, profit margins, multipliers, average collection period, and more for the top firms in the industry. You’ll find out where you’re ahead, and where you’re behind.

Marketing: How much do fast-growth and high-profit firms spend on marketing? What kind of hit rates do they get on their proposals? How do they use web sites, newsletters, press releases, and other marketing tools? Find out how the top firms in the industry handle these issues and make sure your firm is on track for marketing success!

Billing practices: How much should you be charging for your employees’ time? Compare fast-growth and high-profit firms’ billing rates for every level of employee—from clerks and design/technical staff to project managers, associates, and principals—to your firm’s rates. Should you be charging more?

Information technology: IT can be a costly expense for many firms. But how much is really necessary to invest? Where’s the boundary between investments that will improve productivity down the line and those that just break the bank? Find out if high-profit and fast-growth firms typically spend more or less on IT than average firms. Data on hardware and software systems, project web sites, and IT staff are also included.

Compensation: Are you paying your top managers enough? Too much? Find out how much financial managers, HR directors, IT managers, marketing directors, project managers, branch office managers, and principals are earning in the most successful design and environmental firms. Make sure you’re paying enough to attract the best people—people that will help your firm achieve success!

Also included are data on multi-office firm management; mergers & acquisitions; project management; principals and owners; training and development; personnel policies, procedures and benefits; and incentive compensation.

Don’t miss out on this comprehensive report! You won’t find another book that covers every area of design and environmental firm management AND shows the breakdown of average firms versus the most successful ones. See how fast-growth and high-profit firms handle business and set your firm up for success in 2007 and beyond!

Chapter 1 - About the Survey
Introduction • Data collection • Definitions • Data sources

Chapter 2 - Financial Performance
Profit/loss • EBITDA margins • Net service revenue per employee • Returns on equity and assets • Debt to equity ratios • Contribution rate (gross profit margin) • Overhead rates • Current and quick ratios • Average collection period and average payment period • Multipliers, chargeability, revenue factor • Staff ratio and turnover rates • Bonus costs

Chapter 3 - Policies, Procedures & Benefits
Human resources staff • Human resources director • Recruiting/human resources budget • Job market • Telecommuting • Work-related travel • Performance appraisals • Compensation policies • Overtime pay • 401(k) plans • Medical/dental insurance • Paid time off • Sick leave • Disability insurance and maternity/paternity leave • Tuition reimbursement • Professional registration • Feedback on benefits

Chapter 4 - Principals, Partners & Owners
Ownership • Company cars and auto allowances • Perks • Work habits • Personal digital assistants (PDAs) • Background • Age, race & gender • Attitudes toward fellow principals

Chapter 5 - Billing Practices
Hourly billing rates • Updating billing rates • Policies on subconsultants • Reimbursable expenses • Setting fees • Contracts and retainers • Invoices • Collection procedures

Chapter 6 - Information Technology
Operating systems • Wide area networks (WANs) • Internet connections and web sites • Project web sites • E-mail • Videoconferencing • Remote network access • IT management and training • Disaster recovery • Software licensing • IT staff • Opinions about IT • IT spending

Chapter 7 - Multi-Office Firms
Company policies • Accounting methods • Corporate overhead allocations • Labor multiplier and utilization rate • Most successful branch offices • Division leaders and regional managers • Branch office profitability • Branch office sales, revenue, and costs

Chapter 8 - Marketing
Marketing staff • Marketing director responsibilities • New versus repeat clients • Web sites • CRM databases • Marketing material distribution • Press releases • Marketing newsletters • Proposals • Marketing budgets and spending

Chapter 9 - Project Management
Project team organization • Principal-in-charge • Project budgets and schedules • Job numbers • Out-of-scope requests • Project management updates • Project performance appraisals • Soliciting client feedback • Scheduling systems • Project management software • Project manager training • Quality assurance • Project manager work habits

Chapter 10 - Training & Development
Total training expenses • Training structure • Design/technical training and CADD training • IT, marketing, and HR training • Management and leadership training

Chapter 11 - Management Compensation
Project managers • Financial managers • IT managers • HR directors • Marketing directors • Branch office managers • Principals

Chapter 12 - Incentive Compensation
Incentive compensation spending • Future incentive compensation spending • Most successful incentive compensation plans • Profit sharing • Hiring bonuses • Performance-based bonuses • Project bonuses & sales commissions

Chapter 13 - Mergers & Acquisitions
Recent M&A activity • Merger & acquisition details • Overall merger & acquisition success • Future M&A plans • Projected firm sale prices