Running a successful A&E firm is like a recipe for a great meal – you need the right ingredients and the right quantities to achieve the desired outcome. But, for A&E firms, what are those ingredients and who determines the perfect balance or quantities for each ingredient?

In a perfect world, the average collection period for accounts receivables would be zero, every employee would be 100 percent utilized, overhead rates would be next to nothing and firms would have a 100 percent win rate – the recipe for a perfectly successful A&E firm.

Since we don’t live in a perfect world, A&E firm leaders are always trying to find the right balance that leads to profitability, growth and success. The Deltek Clarity Architecture & Engineering Industry Study gives leaders critical benchmarks to see how they measure up in the industry and where there are opportunities for improvement.

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In the engineering world, we often use the term “single point of failure” to refer to an area that, if it fails, will stop the entire system from working.

When you think about your relationships with your clients, is there a single point of failure?

Some of us may have learned this lesson the hard way – when critical contacts have left clients or reorganizations have resulted in your project changing hands.

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Each year, there is that one trade show that management flags as a top priority. It costs $50,000 to sponsor and participate. And each year, when asked how much business your A&E firm drives from that event, you have no idea.

Sound familiar? We’ve all been there.

But what if you could show that participation generated more than $1 million in work? Or conclusively prove that your firm loses money on the show and would be better off investing in other marketing efforts? It is possible.

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Project Data – Implementation of Delayed Coke Units and Regenerative Caustic Treatment at Abreu e Lima Refinery in Ipojuca-PE / Brazil. Considered by Petrobras the most modern refinery built in national territory, with capacity to process 240 thousand oil barrels per day.

 Photo 01: Aerial View of the Project

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