“Proposal Calls – The Rules”

We’ve all read poorly written RFP’s, EOI’s, RFQ’s and wondered how to appropriately respond. Often the authors of such calls are unfamiliar with purchasing professional services. The Architectural Institute of B.C. in its bulletin 64 is trying to clear up how professionals can responsibly provide a proposal. Using actual examples of both good & disastrous RFP’s, Michael will discuss what essential information is needed from potential clients before responding to a request for a fee proposal.

Original Seminar Date

11:30 A.M. – 2 P.M. October 6th, 2005

Seminar Location

Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard ST, Vancouver

Speakers

Michael Ernest

Director of Professional Services: A.I.B.C.

“Managing a Professional Services Firm”

We all have two choices – the way we have always done it OR “listening” to your financial statements and “hearing” what they have to tell us.

Our Presenter for this seminar has a long standing interest in profitability managing a Professional Services Firm and what makes them “tick”. He has agreed to speak to PSMA about many aspects of Professional Services Firms but most importantly about the information available to us in our financial statements:

• Leverage
• Realization
• Utilization
• Billing Rates
• Margin
• Contribution

…and many other topics.

MOST IMPORTANT of all, Mike has agreed to lead PSMA in a follow-up survey of the profession (separately – Architecture and Engineering) which will analyse aspects of the financial statements of participating firms to determine Vancouver Industry benchmarks for many of the key indicators which will illustrate how “we are doing” compared to other firms in the City / Province.

This comparative analysis will be offered free of charge to all firms which attend this seminar. The goal is to establish a data base which will be built on year to year.

The key benchmarks will include a comparative analysis of approximately fifteen elements of a typical Architect or Engineering firm’s annual financial statements which illustrate how the firm operates, financially, in today’s market place.

The analysis will be set up such that any information will be anonymous and not available to other survey participants. PSMA feels that this comparative analysis will be very valuable in the long term planning for individual Architectural and Engineering offices.

Original Seminar Date

11:30 A.M. – 2 P.M. November 18th, 2004

Seminar Location

Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard ST, Vancouver

Speakers

Mike Berris is the Senior Partner of a forty person chartered accountant firm – BME+Partners. Mike has recently completed a Harvard refresher course in the financial aspects, (the leading indicators and the trailing indicators), of our business. He will pass on to us the insights he has learned from the perspective of providing accounting services to Architectural and Engineering service firms in Vancouver for many years.