Most contractors have a slightly different reimbursement policy for travel costs and/or allowance arrangement, but most fall outside of what is allowed under IRS rules and regulations. This presentation will address what is and is not allowed under the current tax code – including what policies are required to be considered an "Accountable Plan," the benefits to both the employer and employees under this type of arrangement, and how the use of standard per diems for out-of-town travel can reduce the substantiation burden on both the employer and employees. We will also address these rules as they relate to temporary work assignments for workers who are assigned to jobs away from home for long periods of time.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the various tax rules (in's and out's) of handling employee travel costs
• Be able to explain the requirements and the benefits of the company's policies to your employees
• Be able to assess your current company's policy's and procedures and be armed with the knowledge to update them
• Taxes

THIS SESSION DOES NOT HAVE AUDIO

This session will evaluate suggested tools and methods to understand the risks and rewards of managing subcontractor and supplier risk. It will also demonstrate how a robust risk management program can utilize both surety bonds and other means to successfully navigate risk and reward possibilities.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover how the total rewards and work-life programs contribute to making a contractor an employer of choice.
• Explore and identify construction pay trends applicable to your company and how your competitors pay practices will guide your planning in 2018 and beyond.
• Recognize that while base pay is the driver for recruitment and retention, the total compensation package must be considered.
• Compare best of class benefit practices to your company’s practices and take away 50 unique benefits other contractors reported in 2016.

Subcontractors are faced with numerous risks, including onerous clauses in the subcontract. Subcontractors must decide whether to insure against them, try to change the language, or pass on the job. This session will look at those objectionable clauses and identify those that can be insured against, those that can even the playing field by changing a word or two, or when it is wise to say thanks but no thanks.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize when the least risk is to pass on the project and the contractor.
• Identify Subcontract Clauses that pose the most risk for the Specialty Trade Subcontractor.
• Learn strategies to negotiate changes to those clauses.
• Identify clauses that we can insure for and which coverages we already have will apply.

Software for construction field operations, including mobile technology, is evolving rapidly and is critical to profitability. The faster a company has accurate information on what is happening in the field, the faster it can react to protect margins. Minimizing inefficiency, redundancy, and delays in this data capture and analysis process are parallel goals. This session will cover field operations software approaches, unifying field applications with accounting/ERP systems and other workflows, and strategies for successful deployment.

Learning Objectives:

• Approaches and considerations related to unifying field applications with applications for estimating and other operational workflows to maximize efficiency, accuracy and collaboration
• How expectations and demands for construction field operations are evolving, and how software applications – including mobile capabilities – create opportunities to reduce costs and
• How to sort through the extensive range of software options for field operations, evaluate the ROI potential and know when to move forward with a
• Real-world challenges of introducing software in a construction environment and the proven strategies to overcome them
• The advantages of connecting field operations applications with the accounting/ERP system to eliminate redundancy and leverage accurate, real-time data

Are you responsible for presenting financial information to your organization? If you’re a CEO, CFO, financial analyst, or a manager needing to communicate financial information in an impactful way, this session will give you the necessary tools to tell more effective stories with your financial data. Through a mix of financial data, visualization, storytelling theory, best practices, and practical application, attendees will learn how to bring financial information to life and use it to communicate a story with a focus on simplicity and ease of interpretation.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn new ways of making your financial presentation more powerful using PowerPoint.
• Translate accounting/financial language into plain English through similar and understandable context
• Demonstrate and explain why storytelling is an effective method of getting your recommendations and next-steps across to your audience
• Demonstrate the concept of "Less is More" when delivering financial information.

The Work in Progress (WIP) schedule presents many challenges, even to industry veterans. The WIP schedule contains a wealth of knowledge that impacts cash management, long-term strategy based on evident operational trends, the ability to assess the strength of the company’s project management processes, and the invaluable nuances that make estimating more precise and competitive. This interactive session will dissect the various elements of the WIP and analyze the information provided. Attendees will understand how to use the WIP for management decisions, forecasting, and as a tool to support company operations in a significant and measurable way.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand all of the components of the WIP Schedule how to use the information in managing current work and planning future strategy.
• Discover the “red flags” and how to use the information to benefit both the project and the company. Learn the direct relationship between WIP
• Realize how to identify and address job fade as early as possible and when there may still be time to do something about it.

Many reports and studies continue to indicate base pay as the number one driver in both attracting and retaining employees. But according to the Hay Group, when adjusted for inflation, U.S. salaries have decreased since September 2008. This reflects both the importance of base pay and lack of pay growth, which sets the stage for a large disconnect in the coming years. Combined with the severe workforce shortages expected to continue in construction, it seems likely that pay will expand to meet the goals of recruiting and retention of key people. Yet, there are signs that the pool of available applicants is shrinking, professional staff and management turnover rates continue to be low, benefit packages appear stagnant, and some contractors have begun reigning in pay practices. This session will address the impact of pay on contractor recruiting and retention efforts and provide options for contractors to improve their pay practices to attract and retain key employees in 2018 and beyond.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore and identify construction pay trends applicable to your company and how your competitors pay practices will guide your planning in 2018 and beyond
• Recognize that while base pay is the driver for recruitment and retention, the total compensation package must be considered
• Compare best in class benefit practices to your company’s practices and take away 50 unique benefits other contractors reported in 2016
• Discover how the total rewards and work-life programs contribute to making a contractor an employer of choice
• Tools to use to pre-qualify subcontractors / suppliers in lieu of surety bonding
• How to determine when to bond a partner versus taking unbonded payment and performance risk
• How to evaluate intangibles of pre-qualification outside of just financial performance

Based on the best-selling book It's About TIME, this highly interactive, content-rich presentation offers industry-specific examples and stories. Attendees will learn leadership lessons from some the biggest and brightest contractors from around the world.

Learning Objectives:

• Why building your Team is so important and what goes into that process?
• Understanding Leadership Lessons from Best Practices of some the biggest and brightest Contractors from around the world.
• What is rewarded and why? What is the Window and the Mirror?
• What do the best Leaders do and why? I have been in Contracting since 1976.
• Why every Leader needs to understand how important Sales and Marketing is to their business?

CFMs wear many hats, including that of contract negotiator. This session will present strategies to focus your attention on contract clauses requiring special consideration, address how to propose alternative solutions to specific issues, and explore various techniques to help you achieve your goals in the negotiation. This session will provide a special opportunity to learn from the past successes and failures of your peers and better prepare you to tackle contract negotiations.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn from the past successes and failures of your peers
• Identify those clauses that require your attention and careful consideration
• Arm yourself with alternative contract language and phrases to fairly allocate risks
• Explore some negotiation do’s and don’ts to achieve effective advocacy;

In today’s low-margin, high-volume industry, many contractors have strategically started or enhanced service businesses to increase their overall profit margins. Running a service operation is not the same as running a construction business since overhead, accounting, field personnel, project management, and IT systems must be customized to properly manage the service side of a business. Specialty trade contractors as well as contractors from other tracks may find some useful information in an environment where owners are looking to maintain and upgrade existing facilities and defer new construction to maximize current existing investments.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop strategic ideas to improve accounting, billing and revenue recognition
• Find new ways of integrating Service Operations with Construction.
• Review IT solutions that address specific needs of Service Organizations.
• Discuss innovative marketing techniques for service divisions.
• Discuss methods of scheduling, dispatching and manpower conflicts.