Session 9 – Purchasing Best Practices The second greatest risk for electrical and mechanical contractors is the ability to positively affect the supply chain for materials. In this session, we will discuss concepts behind effective material planning strategies, enterprise level purchasing methodologies, and managing the service levels of our material vendors. Attendees to include field leaders, project administrators, project engineers, project managers, project executives, group/branch executives, financial managers, owners. Learning Objectives:
• How to properly leverage preconstruction planning to drive a proactive purchasing strategy
• How to align risk management between labor and material in order to produce valuable project insight
• Vendor partnership agreement and vendor managed inventory structures and their proper deployment

Session 9 – Key Performance Indicators This session will focus on helping contractors identify issues sooner to improve margin and mitigate risk. The pandemic has necessitated new ways to monitor performance at the company, business unit and employee level. Properly established KPIs are more critical today than ever before. Contractors will be able to readily identify pertinent metrics for their organization and have practical tools and tips to operationalize the use of the KPIs. Learning Objectives
• Evaluate and present KPIs for all functional areas (Business Development, Estimating, Prefabrication, Purchasing, Operations, Equipment and Financial Controls / Job Cost)
• Review options to operationalize the KPIs
• Understand implications and proper use of the KPIs
• Linking business strategy and desired outcomes to KPI driven compensation options

Session 10 – Change Order Management Effective change order management can dramatically reduce a subcontractor’s risk and increase profitability. This four-hour interactive course explores the change order process from a subcontractor’s view point and provides participants with hands on training in recognizing, scoping, pricing, and negotiating change orders. This course culminates in a mock negotiation where participants can immediately practice the skills that they have learned. Learning Objectives:

• How to properly notify owners and general contractors of changed conditions to reserve your rights
• How to scope, price and sell a change order
• Negotiation strategies to maximize outcomes

Session 10 – Negotiating Basics and Change Order Negotiation Exercise During this session, we will learn how to develop and effectively plan a strategy for any negotiation; improve persuasion skills; and learn tools, techniques and practical strategies for negotiation success. Compromise is a no‐win situation for either party in a negotiation, yet is the most commonly used methodology. We will utilize a mock change order negotiation in order to prove the theory of collaboration versus confrontation. Learning Objectives:
• Discuss the emotional challenges that prevent or hinder successful negotiations
• Outline the steps necessary to achieve collaborative outcomes
• Define the communication skills necessary to de-escalation conflict to achieve a buildable space
• Display the difference between compromise and collaboration

Session 11 – Leadership Tools for Success Project managers are also project leaders. We will explore both management and leadership behaviors and explain how they are different. We will discuss what effective leadership looks like and how to lead more effectively.

Session 11 – Estimating with More Data and Less Gut With the technology available to the industry, it is entirely possible to price work utilizing data in lieu of estimating software with the “hope” that it contains the right information to help land the job AND not lose profit. During this session, we will discuss the life cycle of estimating and the critical path of information that must be shared through the get work, do work, and keep score functions to allow for this critical information to be gathered, extracted, and utilized. Learning Objectives:
• Define bid selection criteria - not all opportunities are good ones
• Discuss the utilization of data and data mining in bid strategy
• Outline the link of consistency required between estimating and work breakdown structure
• Show the critical role of the estimator in the essential preconstruction planning process
• List the lessons learned needed to close the information loop. This is the most valuable information that is so seldom shared

Session 12 –Goal Setting and Action Planning At the conclusion of the level 100 program participants will have a basic understanding of a broad range of topics critical to contractor success. We will provide participants with the opportunity to set goals and develop personalized action plans for their development. The purpose of this session is two-fold. We are seeking to help participants make the learning stick by defining and committing to make changes when they return to the office. Secondly, we strive to encourage goal setting behavior by teaching how to set goals and develop plans to achieve those goals.

Session 12 – Goal Setting and Action Planning At the conclusion of the Level 200 program, participants should have a much broader perspective on not only the industry, but the practices successful contractors follow and their role in contributing to that success. We will provide participants with the opportunity to set goals and develop personalized action plans for their development. The purpose of this session is two-fold. We are seeking to help participants make the learning stick by defining and committing to make changes when they return to the office. Secondly, we strive to encourage goal setting behavior by teaching how to set goals and develop plans to achieve those goals.