ABSTRACT

Engineering means thrifty use of resources (labour, power, and materials). Money is the common measure for these however engineers are rarely taught how the realities of finance and economics will impact on the engineering decisions they make. Financial Fundamentals for Engineers sets out to show how finance interacts with engineering and why it matters.

Basic financial concepts – money, profit, cash-flow - are explained using real-life examples. Key steps in the engineering cycle, like winning tenders, managing projects and getting paid are all explained in the context of becoming profitable and staying solvent.

In the same accessible style that has been so popular with his students, George Solt tells engineers how finance can keep the wheels of engineering turning – and equally how it can cause those wheels to come off with calamitous results.

chapter 15|6 pages

COMPETITIVETENDERING

Tendering

chapter 16|4 pages

How things can go wrong – 3

chapter 17|1 pages

OTHER TYPES OF CONTRACT

Traditional contracts

chapter |8 pages

Reimbursable Contracts

chapter 18|1 pages

TERMS OF PAYMENT

chapter |1 pages

Ownership

chapter |3 pages

Delivery

chapter 19|3 pages

How things can go wrong – 4

chapter 20|6 pages

PLANNING CONTRACT EXECUTION

chapter 21|5 pages

PROCUREMENT AND MONITORING

chapter 22|1 pages

PAYING AND GETTING PAID

What’s the problem?

chapter |3 pages

The Contract

chapter |2 pages

Bad payers

chapter 23|3 pages

CONSULTANTS

chapter |1 pages

Consultant engineers

chapter |2 pages

Big consultants

chapter |4 pages

Small consultants

chapter 24|2 pages

AWKWARD ASPECTS OF DESIGNING ANYTHING

Choices

chapter |2 pages

Optimisation

chapter 25|1 pages

MORE AWKWARD FACTORS IN ENGINEERING DESIGN

chapter |2 pages

Utilisation

chapter |2 pages

Reliability

chapter 26|1 pages

HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF DESIGN

Engineering and risk

chapter |1 pages

Accidents will happen

chapter |2 pages

Safety law

chapter |2 pages

Risk assessment

chapter 27|1 pages

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

What’s the difference?

chapter |1 pages

The challenge of R&D

chapter |3 pages

Backing the right runner

chapter 28|1 pages

SOME FINALWORDS

chapter |4 pages

APPENDIX 1 – FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS

chapter |2 pages

Profit and Loss

chapter |1 pages

APPENDIX 2 – CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS

What’s a Critical Path?

chapter |3 pages

Activity list

chapter |1 pages

Time value of money

chapter |2 pages

Rate of Return