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HONORS & AWARDS

BUSINESS NEWS COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY COMPLETES NEW GREEN PARKING INITIATIVE Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO) announced the completion of its latest green parking ini- tiative as part of its vision to remain the greenest university in the U.S. The installation of a sensor-based parking guidance system from INDECT USA enhances the LEED certified garage, which has also been designated a Green Garage Demonstrator by the Green Parking Council. “CSU is committed to sustainability and the INDECT sensor program will make a vital contribution to our efforts to make our campus greener,” said Doug Mayhew, associate director of parking and transportation for the university. “By guiding parkers directly to open spaces, the parking guidance system minimizes the amount of time spent search- ing for parking. The program will also dramatically decrease the amount of vehicle exhaust emitted in the structure, and reduce the amount of unnessasary fuel wastage.” Colorado State University has been named the 2015 America’s Greenest University by BestColleges.com and is the first school in the world to receive the platinum star rating by AASHE STARS program. The new parking guidance system features the installation of parking sensors in each of the 645 covered spaces and monitors all 870 spaces in the university’s only parking structure. A space indicator light is installed on a dropper at the front of the parking space offering drivers a clear view of where open spaces can be found and what type of parking is permitted in an individual space. Different colors indicate each space’s status and user group: green for available, red for occupied, blue for handicapped parking, and purple for electric vehicle charging stations. The lights are clearly visible to drivers when they enter each level so they can quickly determine if a space is available on that floor. A monument style sign is installed at each of the garage entries to advise custom- ers of real time parking availability as they approach the garage. The sensors collect data about length of stay, occupancy and usage for each of the different user groups at the garage, which the university will use to enhance its parking policies and procedures.

CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATING SOFTWARE DEVELOPER AWARDS $25K IN SCHOLARSHIPS Construction estimat- ing software developer HCSS (Sugar Land, TX) has awarded $25,000 in scholarships in its Construction Intern Awards. The firm awarded a total of six scholar- ships to interns in construction-related fields. The grand prize winner and recipient of a $10,000 scholarship was Chase Ekstam, who is interning with APAC-Missouri and is a student at Missouri State University majoring inconstruction management. “During my involvements with APAC as an intern, I’m reminded daily of how a good, solid work ethic and a want to learn something new every day can fulfill many positive aspects in my life,” said Chase. “I have been able to acquire a skillset that is invaluable for myself in my future career and have had the opportunity to work side-by-side with some of the most reputable men and women in the industry.” “Everybody that Chase has interacted with inside and outside of our company has high praise for Chase’s abili- ty to grasp the safety and quality culture of our company, the ideas and theories behind what needs to happen to make the work flow, and the ability to work together as a team to get the tasks and projects done,” said Doug Fronick, estimating manager and Ekstam’s supervisor at APAC-Missouri.

TED MAZIEJKA, from page 9

of your contracts can have large impacts on the way your firm predicts cash flow. A critical component to this review is the transparency of contract information flowing between the project manage- ment team and the financial management team. The more everyone is accessing the same information, the more accu- rate the predictable cash flow model. Expense review-payroll. The largest event on your firm’s cash flow model, and also the largest concern of the principals and financial staff to insure coverage, payroll is the largest line item to cover in your predictable cash flow model. Expense review-fixed and variable costs. Fixed expenses like rent, lease payments, insurance payments, etc. fall into this category. The firm’s line of credit repayment might also be captured here, or it may have its own section on the cash flow model. Variable expenses can be estimated and should align to the firm’s budget that was planned at the beginning of the year. Predictability. By aligning the information into a 12 week model and reviewing weekly, the firm can move its decision making predictively out into the future by tuning the infor- mation that is in front of them. This predictive look, if applied with rigor, would allow for year-end cash planning and decisions to be addressed as an ongoing exercise. The dynamic elements involved with running a professional service practice demands a continuous review of the cash flow model. Why wait until the last quarter of the year when you can know the flow routinely during the year? TED MAZIEJKA is a Zweig Group financial and management consultant. Contact him at tmaziejka@zweiggroup.com.

Revenue forecasts have to be reviewed in light of your client contract terms, as planning when the work will be accom- plished can be dramatically different than when your firm invoices and collects their accounts receivable. The backlog report. How well does your firm incorporate a monthly review of the backlog of contract values remaining? Are those values incorporated into the cash flow modeling, as they represent the most accurate forecast of revenue and ul- timately cash inflows of the firm. The more accurate the back- log reporting due to project managers utilizing your system and planning the projects, the greater predictability the firm will experience on its review of cash flow modeling. Historical information. The accuracy of cash flow modeling is typically dependent on what the client’s payment cycles have been in the past. Although this assists in driving the cash flow model, past performance with current economic conditions should not be a predictor of future performance. Clients who have been used to paying outside of contract terms have to be gently brought around to the idea that the past ways and the costs of capital don’t allow for protracted payments. The more the firm can move clients to adhere to contract terms, the more predictable the ability of your financial staff and project managers to accurately assess how cash will flow into the firm. If the mix of clients has changed over the last few years, con- sider looking at what the new payment streams are. A shift from private to public sector, and the reverse, could have im- pacts to the way your firm models their cash flow. Changes in the types of clients, sub to prime agreements, and the terms

THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 4, 2016, ISSUE 1133

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