Blog

America’s federal highway system–once a source of great national pride–is disintegrating. Why? For one thing, it’s been 20 years since the Federal Gas Tax was last raised. President Ronald Reagan increased the tax to just over 18 cents a gallon, reminding the American people that the federal highway system required an ongoing source of income for maintenance. The […]

Many design firms attend risk management training sessions and implement certain practices based on an industry trend or project claim. Other firms may only concentrate on contracts and insurance coverage’s as a risk management strategy, which only addresses a portion of an effective risk management program. As they say – “you cannot manage something that […]

We’re excited to see some a/e ProNet clients among the winners at the recent 2015 Indiana Design Awards. ONE 10 STUDIO Architects Honor Award – New Construction (Project cost greater than $1 million) Project Name: 5855 Irvington Lofts (Indianapolis, IN) Jury Comments: This project uses economical materials judiciously and successfully. The minimalist language makes for […]

Design firms may not seem like prime targets for hackers, many of whom are after sensitive, personal information, etc., but this assumption can be dangerous for architects and engineers. Intellectual property must be kept secure, and the threat can come from outside hackers, as well as from employees. As detailed in Schinnerer’s most recent issue of […]

Undoubtedly one of the most dramatic homes in the American Southwest, the so-called Scorpion House has recently been put up for sale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Designed by a/e ProNet client Eddie Jones of Jones Studio in 2001, the 4,700-square foot Scorpion House blends “poured concrete, glass and oxidized titanium panels into a curvilinear plan that […]

The appropriate classification of employees is a frequent source of confusion for design firms, usually coming up around the renewal of a firm’s Workers’ Compensation policy. It is an issue ripe with risk on an Employment Practices level. Recent court rulings in Arizona and Utah have resulted in construction firms paying hundreds of thousands of […]

Design firms depend on a set of very important people to keep their businesses running smoothly: office administrators. These folks “manage, market, advance, streamline, protect, and regulate firms in the A/E/C industry,” according to Natalie Newman, current President of the Society for Design Administrators (SDA). At the SDA’s upcoming national meeting in Golden, Colorado–EdSymposium15 (October 8-10, […]

In the world of claims-related contract clauses for design professional agreements, the indemnity and defense clauses get all the attention.  However, lurking in the shadow of the indemnity clause is a menacing cousin with potentially even greater and more frequent impact and risk:  the prevailing party attorneys’ fee clause.  Both clauses share the common risk […]

When it comes to the world of construction contracts, there is no one-size-fits-all solution regarding insurance. The Design Professional’s insurance policies cannot and should not anticipate the needs and risks of a General Contractor, for example. This comes up all the time at the beginning of contract negotiations. You can sidestep disputes further down the road if […]