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| Preface | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| An Overview of the Landscape Industry | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Definition of the Landscape Industry | |
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| Participants in the Landscape Industry | |
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| Small Residential Landscape Projects versus Large Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Landscape Projects | |
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| Stages in a Landscape Installation Project | |
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| Distinction between Operations of Large and Small Landscape Contractors | |
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| Principles of Management of Landscape Contractors' Operations | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Preparation of Contracts | |
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| Basic Construction Law | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Sources of Law in the United States | |
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| The U.S. Judicial System | |
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| Important Common Law Obligations and Contract Formation | |
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| How to Prepare a Contract | |
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| Contracts Interpretation | |
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| Oral Contracts | |
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| Contract Termination | |
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| Quantum Meruit | |
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| Subcontracts | |
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| Agency Agreements | |
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| Privity of Contract | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| The Bidding Process | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Preparation of Bid Documents for Projects in Which the Landscape Contractor Is a Subcontractor | |
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| Offer and Acceptance Form of Contract | |
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| Bid Documents and Project Manuals | |
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| The Bidding, Selection, and Contracting Process for a Large Project | |
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| Bids to the Owner Directly, with Bid Documents Prepared by a Landscape Architect or Designer | |
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| Bids to the Owner Directly When No Landscape Architect or Designer Is Involved | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Standard Forms of Construction Contracts | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Sources of Standard Forms of Construction Contracts | |
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| The AIA Standard Forms of Construction Contracts Generally | |
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| Stipulated Sum Construction Contract (AIA Document A101-1997) | |
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| Important Terms of the Agreement | |
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| General Conditions (AIA Document A201-1997) | |
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| Supplementary Conditions | |
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| Specifications and Drawings | |
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| Cost Plus a Fee Construction Contract (AIA Document A111-1997) | |
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| Differences between the Cost Plus a Fee Contract and the Stipulated Sum Contract | |
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| Abbreviated Forms of AIA Owner-Contractor Construction Contracts for Small Projects | |
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| Comparison of AIA Standard Form Construction Contracts and Other Standard Form Construction Contracts | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Contracts for Landscape Design and Related Services | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Nature of Contracts for Landscape Design and Related Services | |
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| Differences between Landscape Design Services Contracts for Landscape Architects and Designers | |
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| Landscape Design Contract between the Landscape Architect and the Owner or Developer | |
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| Important Provisions of the Owner-Architect Abbreviated Standard Form Agreement (AIA Document B151-1997) | |
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| Subconsultancy Agreement between the Building Architect and Landscape Architect | |
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| Medium-Sized Project Landscape Architect or Designer Design Services Contract | |
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| Short Form Letter Agreement for the Provision of Design Services | |
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| Clauses Omitted from the Letter Agreement in Appendix C and Figure 5-3 | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Landscape Maintenance Contracts | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Nature of Landscape Maintenance Work | |
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| Reasons for a Written Landscape Maintenance Contract | |
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| Essentials of a Landscape Maintenance Contract | |
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| Specific Matters to Be Considered | |
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| Forms of Landscape Maintenance Contracts | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Landscape Installation Contracts | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Distinction between Contracts for Large and Small Landscape Projects | |
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| Landscape Installation Contract Directly with the Owner or Developer for a Large Landscape Project | |
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| Simple Forms of Landscape Installation Contracts | |
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| Short Form of Letter Agreement | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Specifications | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Relationship of Specifications to Other Contract Documents | |
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| Nature of Specifications | |
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| Relationship between Drawings and Specifications | |
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| Development of a Standard Form for the Organization of Specifications | |
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| Form of the MasterFormat | |
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| Specification Writing | |
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| Specification Language | |
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| Practical Experience | |
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| Drafting of Specifications | |
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| Open and Closed Specifications | |
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| Use of Simple Specifications for Landscape Work | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Breaches of Contract and Remedies | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Breach of Contract Defined | |
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| Common Breaches under Landscape Contracts | |
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| Remedies for Breaches of Contract | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Estimating and Bidding | |
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| Overview of the Estimating Process | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| The Landscape Estimating Process | |
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| Components of Costs and Profits of Landscape Contractors | |
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| Cost Estimating: A Combination of Measurement, Calculation, and Exercise of Judgment | |
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| Steps in Estimating a Job | |
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| Bidding | |
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| Further Use of Estimate by the Successful Bidder | |
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| Use of Recorded Costs on Completion of a Job | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Preliminary Bidding and Estimating Considerations | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Sources of Information About New Projects | |
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| Deciding Whether to Bid | |
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| Bid and Job Schedule | |
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| Background Information for Bidding | |
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| Bid Information Sheet | |
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| Hints for Making Estimating Costs and Bidding Easier | |
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| Types of Landscape Installation Estimates | |
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| Landscape Maintenance Estimating | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Estimating Labor Costs | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Importance of Labor Costs | |
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| Task Breakdown | |
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| Quantities | |
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| Time Required for Tasks | |
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| Hourly Labor Rate | |
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| Crew Average Labor Rate | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Estimating Equipment Costs | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Recovery of Equipment Costs | |
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| Distinction between Direct and Indirect Job Equipment Costs | |
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| Rental Equipment Costs | |
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| Company-Owned Equipment Job Costs | |
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| Company-Owned Equipment Overhead Costs | |
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| Calculating Costs of Other Equipment | |
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| Checking Costs | |
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| Cost of Used Equipment | |
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| Renting versus Owning | |
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| Leasing versus Buying | |
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| Small Tools and Nonmotorized Equipment | |
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| Importance of Calculation of Job Equipment Costs | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Estimating Materials and Subcontracting Costs | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Procedure for Estimating Materials and Subcontracting Costs | |
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| Pricing Plant Materials | |
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| Pricing Hard Landscape Materials | |
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| Subcontracts | |
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| Confirmation of Telephone Quotations | |
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| Guarantees | |
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| Mark-ups | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Overhead Expenses | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Nature of Overhead Expenses | |
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| Direct Job Overhead Expenses | |
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| Indirect, or General and Administrative, Overhead Expenses | |
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| Allocation of General and Administrative Overhead Expenses | |
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| Generally Accepted Method of Allocating Overhead | |
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| Double-Dipping | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Recapitulation of Costs, Contingencies, and Profit | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Contingencies | |
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| Profit | |
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| Recapitulation Sheet | |
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| Bidding and Negotiating the Contract Price | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Job Administration | |
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| Scheduling | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Preliminary Schedule | |
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| Final Schedule | |
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| Forms of Schedules | |
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| Ongoing Use of the Final Work Schedule | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Financial and Cost Accounting Processes | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Accounts and Financial Statements for Landscape Contractors | |
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| Estimating and the Accounting Processes | |
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| The Financial Accounting Process | |
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| The Cost Accounting Process | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| The Cash Flow Accounting Process | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| The Importance of Predicting Cash Flow | |
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| Preparing an Annual Cash Flow Statement | |
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| Preparing a Job Cash Flow Statement | |
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| Contract Payment Schedules | |
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| Remedies for Projected Cash Flow Deficiencies | |
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| Relationship of Cash Flow Accounting to Financial Accounting and Cost Accounting | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Mechanics' Liens | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Origins of Mechanics' Liens | |
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| Creation and Termination of Mechanics' Liens | |
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| Effectiveness of Filing a Mechanics' Lien Claim | |
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| Mechanics' Lien Retainage | |
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| Trust Provisions | |
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| Enforcement of a Mechanics' Lien Claim | |
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| Rights to Information | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Insurance and Bonding | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Contractual Nature of Insurance | |
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| Financial Basis for Insurance | |
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| Usual Obligations of Landscape Architects, Designers, Owners, and Contractors, to Insure | |
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| Insurance Obligations Under Subcontracts | |
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| Utmost Good Faith | |
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| Insurable Interest | |
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| Coinsurance | |
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| Subrogation | |
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| Insurance for Landscape Contractors | |
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| Contractual Nature of Bonds | |
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| Financial Basis for Bonds | |
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| Types of Bonds | |
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| Release of Bonding Company Obligations Resulting from Contract Amendments | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Management of Landscape Contracting Businesses and Preparation of the Business Plan | |
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| Purpose of This Chapter | |
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| Competition in the Landscape Contracting Industry | |
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| Attributes of Good Managers | |
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| The Business Plan | |
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| Preparation of the Business Plan for a Landscape Contractor | |
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| Concentration of Effort | |
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| Further Help for Landscape Contractors | |
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| Summary | |
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| Chapter Review Questions | |
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| Appendices | |
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| Typical Instructions to Bidders | |
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| Additional Comments on AIA Document 201-1997 (General Conditions of the Contract for Construction) | |
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| Proposal for the Provision of Landscape Design and Related Services | |
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| Landscape Maintenance Contract | |
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| Short Form of Contracting for Grading and Landscaping | |
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| Site Grading Specifications | |
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| Short Form Masterformat Specification | |
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| Mr. U.R. Owner Estimate Worksheets | |
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| Weekly Job Cost Report | |
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| Form of Preliminary Information Sheet for Project Bid | |
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| Cash Flow Projection Statement | |
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| Checklist for a Business Plan for a Small Landscape Contracting Business | |
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| Suggested Further Reading | |