Doing Business with Us

Sound business practices are consistent with providing quality professional services. The following paragraphs present our approach to several key business issues.

Contracts

We require written contracts for our projects. For each project, you will receive a written proposal from us that defines our scope of services. The proposal also will include contractual terms and conditions for you to accept as part of the executed contract.

Project Fees

Our approach to structuring project fees depends on client preferences, the nature of the project, and the ability to define and control the various project tasks. Our typical fee basis is unit rates with an initial retainer based on an estimated project fee. In other cases, we will accept project assignments with different fee structures.

Insurance

We maintain high-quality insurance coverage for both general and professional liability. If necessary, you can receive certificates of insurance from us after you award a project to us.

Quality Management and Loss Prevention

Lourie Consultants and its personnel are proud to be active members of many technical and professional organizations. Individual memberships include ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), AGP (Academy of Geo-Professionals), and NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers). Firm memberships include ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies), ACEC/L (American Council of Engineering Companies/Louisiana), and ASFE/The Geoprofessional Business Association (ASFE/GBA).

For "Best Management Practice" (BMP) guidance, we often rely on ASFE/GBA. ASFE/GBA is the leading professional association for firms practicing in the geoprofessions, i.e., the geotechnical, environmental, and earth science fields. ASFE/GBA has identified profession-wide standards of care for business practices, including risk management, loss prevention, quality control (QC), and quality assurance (QA).

To assess and improve the quality of our practice, Lourie Consultants voluntarily participates in the ASFE/GBA Peer Review Program; in October 1999, Engineering News-Record (ENR) lauded ASFE/GBA Peer Review as one of the 125 most significant construction industry innovations of the prior 125 years. A principal of an ASFE/GBA member firm who is trained as a qualified Peer Reviewer examines our firm’s quality management policies and procedures as they apply to: business management; facilities and technical resources; human resources management; professional development; project management; financial management; and marketing. Peer Review demonstrates the firm’s efforts to improve the quality of services provided to clients and to enhance its professional practice. In addition to being a Peer-Reviewed firm, the firm's CEO, David E. Lourie, P.E., D.GE., serves on Peer Review teams as a captain (leader) and as a team member.