1st Edition

Construction Business for the 21st Century Managing Risk and Improving Profits

By Thomas C. Schleifer Copyright 2026
212 Pages 40 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

212 Pages 40 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

212 Pages 40 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Construction Business for the 21st Century: Managing Risk and Improving Profits covers the business side of construction contracting. This book provides 21st-century processes, procedures, and practices that will advance the construction industry into the future. The industry that built the United States suffers from diminishing profit margins, causing it to have the second highest failure... Read more

1. The Low Bid System Makes No Sense.  2. Project Selection Is Too Often Driven by Ego.  3. Accounting for Work in Progress Is Almost a Joke.  4. The Industry Has Abandoned Cost Control.  5. Getting Paid for Your Work.  6. Accuracy of Performance Data.  7. Prior Financial Statements: Active Management Tool.  8. Industry Business Competence Is Weak.  9. Understanding Financial-Operational Capacity Is Critical.  10. Limits to Growth.  11. Profit Trumps Volume (Managerial Maturity).  12. Management Succession Is Treacherous.  13. Joint Ventures, Always Risky.  14. Equipment Costs More than You Think.  15. Dangers of Known and Hidden Risks.  16. Industry Market Cycles.  17. The Value of Seeking Advice.  

Biography

Thomas C. Schleifer entered the construction industry at age 16 and has more than 60 years of contracting and consulting experience—from Field Superintendent, to contractor, to nationally known consultant, author, and lecturer. His blog and newsletter, Contractor’s Weekly Construction Message, has an audience of over 20,000 readers. His previous books include The Secrets to Construction Business Success (Routledge 2022).