TOP 10 Resources List for 2022
GBA provides hundreds of highly effective resources developed to satisfy the unique needs of geoprofessionals, giving members essential tools for achieving success. However, we also know that it can be overwhelming to sort through them all. To help, we have compiled a list of the top 10 GBA resources by numbers ordered in 2022. This is a great place to start your exploration of GBA’s resources, or to get acquainted with a publication loved by your peers and “new to you”. 
The list below is the top 10 GBA resources, in order by popularity. Topics cover a wide range of geoprofessional business issues, so there is certain to be something on this list that could help your business succeed. Select a title to learn more and order it today.
GBA BEST PRACTICES: TABOO WORDS
This is the updated version of previously published Practice Alert on establishing a mentoring program in your firm.
This Best Practices document, defines mentoring, identifies the many benefits of mentoring, for the firm, for mentors, and for protégés; discusses types of mentoring programs; provides a program overview and addresses the five basic program phases; offers guidance on program leadership and leadership levels and how these vary based on firm size; speaks to an array of program issues, introduced as questions; advises about keeping the program current; and identifies resources.
GBA BEST PRACTICES AVOIDING ABSOLUTES
Absolutes are words that connote an extreme condition; e.g., absolutely no exceptions. They are most commonly thought of as modifiers – adjectives and adverbs – but also occur as nouns, pronouns, and verbs. In common or colloquial parlance, they usually are harmless. However, when they are used by professionals within an instrument of professional service, correspondence, or other written communication (electronic or otherwise), or when they are spoken by professionals while acting in a professional capacity, absolutes are almost always inappropriate.
GBA BUSINESS BRIEF FINANCIAL SURVEY: FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021 FINANCIAL-PERFORMANCE-SURVEY
The newest GBA Business Brief — available only to members and free of charge – comprises the GBA Business Practices Committee’s 2020-2021 Financial-Performance Survey report, covering key financial-performance issues surveyed firms reported. These include pre-distribution profit, discretionary-profit distribution, net multiplier, utilization rate, pre-distribution overhead, marketing costs, group insurance, collections, and fee backlog.
GBA BEST PRACTICES: PROJECT RECORDS RETENTION
This is the updated version of previously published Practice Alert on Project-Records Retention. Accurate records are critically important for resolving a dispute or defending a lawsuit. Not having the information you need when you need it can be disastrous. But sometimes retaining too much information can be disastrous, too. This revised publication gives recommendations on what project records you should keep and what not to keep. It also gives recommendations on how long and where those records should be kept. It is a guideline for the firms, but this will be also depend on the company policies.
GBA BEST PRACTICES: ESTABLISHING A MENTORING PROGRAM
This is the updated version of previously published Practice Alert on establishing a mentoring program in your firm.
This Best Practices document, defines mentoring, identifies the many benefits of mentoring, for the firm, for mentors, and for protégés; discusses types of mentoring programs; provides a program overview and addresses the five basic program phases; offers guidance on program leadership and leadership levels and how these vary based on firm size; speaks to an array of program issues, introduced as questions; advises about keeping the program current; and identifies resources.
GBA BEST PRACTICES: GO NO GO CHECKLIST
There are very good reasons why we would choose not to spend time and effort pursuing a client or a project. GBA’s Business Practices Committee has prepared a comprehensive, simple to use, Go/No-Go checklist for your use. The goal of the go/no go check list is to evaluate opportunities to see if they are the ones which will be beneficial for the firm currently and in the future. This checklist may be a tool you use to evaluate opportunities in new sectors, new clients, or a new line of service for your firm.
GBA GUIDE TO THE IN-HOUSE REVIEW OF GEOPROFESSIONAL REPORTS
The publication provides step-by-step instructions – as well as overarching concepts – for report writers and reviewers. Organized into three principal content areas to help reviewers consider major issues and to give report writers a clear framework for preparing reports and considering reviewers’ comments, the guide addresses a report’s ability to satisfy the contractual obligations it was intended to fulfill; the quality of its technical and risk-management content; and the clarity of presentation. Supplemental materials include a report-control log, copies of GBA’s widely used report-insert sheets (geotechnical, environmental, and construction-materials engineering and testing), and three best-practices monographs covering “taboo” words, absolutes, and “slipshod synonyms.”
CONSTRUCTION RISKS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: MESSAGE TO DESIGN PROFESSIONALS
This publication lists the risks civil and structural engineers assume when they develop geotechnical-engineering scopes of service and solicit proposals or bids. Guidance is given on techniques for reducing the design team’s liability exposure, principally through reliance on qualifications-based selection (QBS).
FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS FOR PROJECT MANAGERS:
Effective Project Managers are key to the success of all geoprofessional businesses. GBA recognizes development of highly effective Project Managers requires training, experience, and mentorship in numerous areas. GBA has developed, with support of member-firm volunteers, a Project Manager essential skills training course to support and augment training available by member-firms.
The foundation of this 11 module Project Manager course has been generously donated by a GBA member firm. While the slides have been rebranded by GBA, there may be content or concepts that are specific to this GBA member firm and may require slight modifications to make presentations appropriate for your firm. This course will help you introduce and discuss the essential skills needed as a Project Manager.
The PowerPoint format of this course has been developed so that it can be given in a group setting by a leader in your organization or used as a self-teaching tool by an individual. The course can be delivered all at once in an 8-hour day, or a module at a time as time permits. Each module contains a short quiz at the end to confirm clarity on the topics presented. Each module also includes a printable completion certificate. Module 11 includes a printable and frameable Course Completion Certificate for those that have completed all the modules of this course.
GBA GUIDE TO THIRD PARTY RELIANCE
Developed by GBA’s Legal Affairs Committee, the GBA Guide to Third-Party Reliance provides comprehensive discussion of both authorized and unauthorized reliance. Contents include:
Third-Party Reliance Defined
Who or what are third parties?
What is authorized reliance?
What is unauthorized reliance?
Dealing with Reliance Requests
Should we charge a fee for third-party reliance?
To whom should we grant reliance?
How do we document a grant of reliance?
Some clients ask us to include third-party reliance language in the report itself. How do we handle that?
How do we deal with (or, preferably, prevent) last-minute reliance requests?
What about the form letters that some third parties – lenders in particular – more or less require us to imprint our own letterhead?
Dealing with the Potential of Unauthorized Third-Party Reliance
How can we protect ourselves when contractors use our reports to develop bids?
Should we include advisory letters in our contracts and reports?
This Guide also include several sample letters.
CONTRACT REFERENCE GUIDE, FOURTH EDITION
This new edition not only provides significant updates from the prior editions, but also includes important new topics, such as Climate Change, Indemnities and Hold Harmless Provisions in Favor of the Consultant, and Instruments of Professional Service.
Since contracts that reflect a fair and balanced allocation of risk and reward are essential to any risk management program, we hope that this Guide will help to promote the success of your firm. The Guide includes sample recommended language, supported by explanations of the legal issues involved in each, and suggested negotiation strategies. The Guide was designed to foster good risk management while maintaining and enhancing client relationships.
A great tool for project managers and others!
GBA’s Contract Reference Guide, Fourth Edition, now is available to our members in e-book version, available in Mobi File (PC version) or EPub file (Apple products) as well as a PDF and in a hard copy version. The searchable, flip-book allows you to take the Guide with you on any device for quick reference at your fingertips.
GBA BEST PRACTICES: COMMENTARY MODEL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The “Model Request for Proposal” document outlines many virtues of a well-planned out proposal request for geoprofessional activities for a project. The document discusses exploration approaches, the need for clarity in the planned construction and site configuration, and offers discussion points for owners and their design team for consideration. Cost is contrasted with the complexity of the project, anticipated site conditions, timing of geoprofessional work, specifically exploration, and the required deliverable requirements. The request for proposal commentary can be disseminated to owners, architects, structural and civil engineers in an effort to build a consistent RFP for distribution. Further, the document can be used amongst geotechnical engineers and geologists in a firm as a training basis on the baseline requirements for a solid proposal.
Member Firm to assess subsurface conditions at the proposed location for a new campus structure. Initial exploratory borings suggested the area contained adverse geologic conditions consisting of shallow basalt bedrock containing large voids. The preferred location for the structure was judged to be “un-buildable.” The school district hired a GBA-Member Firm for a second opinion. The Member Firm suggested a new approach and teamed with another GBA Member that specializes in geophysics.
self-awareness specialist who coaches CEO’s, teams and individuals in day-to-day communications, dynamic presentations as well as leadership excellence. He has led award winning workshops for leaders and sales teams all over the world and is a much sought-after personal coach. His client base ranges from insurance producers to construction managers, doctors to bankers, actors to politicians. As a professional theater and film director, Michael’s keen sense of observation enables him to immediately provide his clients with practical tools to fortify their strengths and refine their weaknesses.
main challenges of many organizations. There are several known benefits to an increase in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) including more profits. Yet, even with increased attention and resources around DEI, achieving workplace diversity can be a complicated and challenging undertaking, leaving some firms and employees frustrated and questioning DEI initiatives.
positions. The document also covers the barriers the firms face in implementing more diversity within their firms and gives suggestions to overcome these challenges.
learned through its popular GBA Case History series. Member Firms can also learn from one another on projects that turned out successfully. Higher Ground is intended to inspire GBA Member Firms to reduce risk and improve performance through case histories with a positive outcome.
attorney with over twenty years ofexperience providing creative business solutions to clients and executives. Over the last two decades, she has successfully negotiated over 11,000agreements and counting.
Brookline High and was a co-captain of the football and indoor-outdoor high school track teams. He was named to the Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic football teams and the national high school All-American Football Team. David also received the Stanley M. Livingston Cup Award and the Joseph P. Helpern Memorial Trophy Award. Mr. Thompson was awarded the Bennett Memorial Scholarship for Academics and Athletics and furthered his education by attending Tufts University in Boston. While at Tufts, he was elected co-captain of the football team and was named a member of the ECAC All East Football Team for two years.
in support of the 4thFriday40 Leadership Series. John will share with us how forward-thinking and future-focused leaders today are aggressively pursuing new ideas, new approaches, and new methods – to accelerate their success into the Fast Future world ahead. Please join us for a high intensity, engaging, and entertaining, look at how these new, innovative approaches to strategic planning, leadership development, and operational execution can lift your firm beyond well the good – and blast off to extraordinary!
for a mining client drilling two holes to characterize the subsurface and install instrumentation. After installation, the instrumentation was found to be partially
read the cases, then discuss what went wrong, what could have been done to mediate the problems, how issues that arose may be like issues in ongoing projects, and how to avoid similar issues in the future.
geoprofessionals and for our 2022 photo contest we asked Members to share: “How do you depict the day in the life of a Geoprofessional?”
stability for private homes. At least 5 feet of bedrock must be dug through, here we are reaching a complete depth averaging 42 feet. The drill creates 18-inch diameter holes that are later filled with rebar and cement
foundation, a new footing and tower was being constructed to replace the failing one. CTL|Thompson performed a rebar inspection for the footing and tested the concrete during placement. The photo represents the staging area during concrete placement operations.
(coal combustion residuals, or CCR).
