Jun 07

Auspicium to host 2 day training class in San Francisco.

 

http://www.auspicium.com/Training/courses.html

 

www.constructionaudittraining.com

 

On November 14 and 15, 2013, Auspicium will be hosting a two day (16 hours NASB CPE) training course – Successful Construction Audit and Transition Management at the Union Square Hilton, San Francisco, CA.

 

The cost of attendance is  $1095 per person and includes breakfast and lunch, cocktail reception on first night and all training material.  Students who register before September 1 will receive $100 off. 

 

In this exciting two day course, students will learn how to audit major capital projects involving construction and transition management.  Historically, it has been determined that auditing a project will discover approximately 1-3% of total contract spend – a significant savings that should not be ignored.  Even companies using project managers can take advantage of the techniques taught in this course.  Students will learn industry proven approaches to:

 

  • Calendar and plan a successful construction audit
  • Understand the risk of capital construction projects, including an introduction to Auspicium’s CARE (Construction Audit Risk Evaluation) Methodology
  • Suggest successful transition on a post project basis
  • Apply new COSO Guidelines for deterring fraud specifically as it relates to construction/renovation programs
  • Understand the roles and tools of internal or external project management and how interaction with audit can be enhanced
  • Using construction contracts to mitigate risk. BONUS Session: 17 things to include in quality construction contracts
  • Manage Change orders
  • Detect typical areas of fraud and abuse
  • Identify resources available to assist in construction audit
  • Effectively use the Internet and electronic testing to perform construction audits.

 

Courses are eligible for NASBA credits as granted by NASBA GL# 109467.

 

About Auspicium:  

 

Auspicium, LLC is a management-consulting firm that specializes in construction audit and facilities management.  We strive to provide services that exceed customer quality and value expectations for each engagement, in our areas of expertise. While the industry average for construction audit recovery ranges from 1-3%, we pride ourselves on our CARE™ methodology and experience that has helped our clients recover as much as 12% of construction spend.  Just as important is the rigor with which CARE™ focuses on the identification of project governance and other issues that can impact the success of construction projects.  CARE™  provides an efficient structure for assessing risks and controls through all phases of your project.

We have created our CARE™ methodology, to facilitate the identification of construction and industry issues and risks, however, we believe each engagement is unique and deserves to be considered as such. We tailor our approach to meet your needs.  The pillars of our methodology are focused around six critical areas of project success:  cost, quality, scope, function, timing, and safety

With typically over twenty years of audit experience, our professionals are recognized leaders in Construction Audit and Risk Management. They are comfortable working on projects of all sizes and have experience in projects with multi-billion dollar projects.  Additionally, our construction audit work has involved many areas of exposure to fraud, affording our associates with comfort around fraud prevention controls, fraud awareness initiatives, and fraud investigation skills.  Our associates have worked with local authorities, where necessary, to assist in prosecution and provide evidentiary support for legal and criminal actions.

Our experience extends beyond just construction audit and includes expertise in records management, disaster recovery, business continuity, procurement, corporate advertising, and real estate management and audit.

At Auspicium we pride ourselves on the work we do and we strive to meet and exceed customer expectations every step of the way.  Additionally Auspicium does not work directly with or for any contractors or subcontractors, ensuring that we can maintain independence and our clients do not have to be concerned about perceived or actual conflicts of interests.

About the Instructors:  

Denise Cicchella, Executive Director, CCA, CIA, CFE, PMP

Denise is a Certified Construction Auditor, Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner and Project Management Professional.  Denise is the author of the IIA Handbook:  Construction Audit Guide:  Monitoring, Overview and Auditing.   She is also the co-author of Essentials of Construction Management (a co-author work published by Informa.)  She is considered a leading source in the construction audit field and has presented at many professional organization including the Institute of Internal Auditing and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  Denise spoke at the 2010 International Conferences for both organizations.  She also represented Marcus Evans to deliver Construction Audit Training in Qatar.  She is the founding president of the New York/New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Construction Auditors.  Denise is an instructor for the MIS Training Institute and Compliance on-line.         

Stuart Gardner, Executive Director CCA, CIPFA, CISA, CISSP

Stuart is a Certified Construction Auditor, Chartered Public Financial Accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional.   Stuart and Denise are co-authors of Auditing for Corporates – A special publication by the Qatar Finance Agency.

Stuart has performed many construction audits, in addition he brings significant IT, facility management, security, emergency management and business continuity planning experience.

  Stuart is the current president of the NY/NJ Chapter of the National Association of Construction Auditors.

 

Mar 03

Nominations for Officers

 

 

 

March 3, 2013

Dear Members,

The New York/New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Construction Auditors was formed in October 2010.  We proudly hold the position of being the first chapter formed by National.

Shortly after formation, the executive board consisting of myself, Bob Cecere Jr,, Aamir Marvi, and Salvatore Cascone took office.  We have worked hard creating the formation of the chapter, recruiting new members, creating our social media presence and hosting our first successful open house this August.  At this time we are looking for volunteers who are interested in taking the chapter to the next level.

We are seeking nominations for the Executive Board of 2013 and 2014.  If you are interested, the following positions are available:

  • President
  • Vice – president
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

Anyone who is a member and in good standing as of March 1, 2013  is eligible to run for any of these positions.  Please advise me of your interest by March 15, 2013 by sending a message to denise.cicchella@auspiciumco.com.  Even if you are not interested, please note that I will be asking for you to vote for your officers for the upcoming term on March 18, 2013.  Please stay tuned for ballet information and voting instructions.

Members of the same corporation, please note, multiple members can apply to hold positions but our bylaws state that only one member per corporation is allowed.

It has been my pleasure to serve as your president and I look forward to future success for the chapter.

Yours truly,

 

 

 

Denise Cicchella

NY/NJ NACA President

(877) 550-6802

(201) 835-4069

2-07 Berdan Avenue

Fair Lawn, NJ  07410

denise.cicchella@auspiciumco.com

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 21

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

Dear Colleague,

 

The Executive Board of the New York/New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Construction Auditors invites you to our FALL PROGRAM

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

5:30 – 8:30 pm

General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York

20 West 44th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenues , New York, NY  10036

This is a non-food service location/event

You are invited to attend and participate in our Fall 2012 Meeting.  We plan on having two (2) 50 minute CPE sessions, beginning at 6pm.  Half-hour networking time will commence at 5:30 pm and 8pm.  Please come meet your industry peers and share and learn about controlling construction.

 

The chapter was founded to advance the visibility of construction auditing in the NY/NJ metro area, provide a forum to discuss current issues in the profession, and provide networking opportunities to optimize communication and support of those in the field.

 

The association is open to all professionals associated with the construction industry.  Some of the disciplines that are currently represented in the Association are: accountants, attorneys, insurance professionals, engineers, cost control professionals, architects and construction auditors.

 

The cost of the program is $30 for NACA Members, $40 for non-members ($35 for NACA Members and $45 for non-members at the door)

 

Checks can be made out to: National Association of Construction Auditors

 

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

 

Oct 03

Need help on a NJ law….

Is anyone familiar with a NJ ruling that the state of NJ will only authorize one person per architectural firm to be licensed so that they control who signs off on drawings?     This is what I was just told as reason for having non-licensed professionals as architects on the project I am auditing.  I would like to be able to cite this better and verify the accuracy.  Any help would be great.  Please comment or send a message to:

 

denise.cicchella@auspiciumco.com

Aug 23

Open House a Success

Open House was a great success!  There were over 37 attendees and some excellent speakers, great questions, new ideas, new friends, and a lot of networking.

 

Stay tuned for photos and comments from attendees!

Aug 21

NACA Open House Tomorrow


August 22, 2012

Construction Audit: Adding Value

Agenda

12:00 – 12:25                                                          Networking

 

12:25 – 12:30                                                          Welcome and Opening Remarks:  Construction Audit Principles and Adding Value

Denise Cicchella, President

 

12:30 – 1:30                                                             Lunch

 

12:30 – 12:50                                                          Meet the Officers

Salvatore Cascone, Treasurer

                                                                                                            Aamir Marvi, Secretary

                                                                                                            Bob Cecere, Jr., Vice President

                                                                                                            Denise Cicchella, President

 

12:50 – 1:00                                                             National Association of Construction Auditors Chairman and President,  Brian Felix

 

1:00 – 1:30                                                                Larry Bartelmucci, Anderson Kill  & Olick – Get what you think you are paying for: adding value through insurance specifications, procurement, claim quantification and valuation.

 

1:30 – 2:00                                                                Finley Harckham, Anderson Kill & Olick – Case Study: After the Insurance Claim

 

2:00 – 2:15                                                                Networking Break

 

2:15 – 2:45                                                                Bob Cecere, Jr., Thacher Associates – First, Secure the Site

 

2:45 – 3:15                                                                Denise Cicchella, Auspicium – Managing and Building your Construction Audit Team

 

3:15 – 3:45                                                                Panel Discussion:  Ask the Experts

Nick DiMola, Quality Plus and Associates

                                                                                                            Paul Flora, Quality Plus and Associates

Brian Felix,  BDF & Associates – Chairman of National Association of Construction Auditors

3:45 – 4:00                                                                Closing Remarks – Upcoming Events – Call for Officers

Denise Cicchella

                                                                                                            Bob Cecere, Jr.

 

 

The board would like to thank you for your attendance and we hope to see you at future events!

 

 

 

Aug 15

NY/NJ NACA open house discussion panel members announced!

Attendees to the NY/NJ Naca open house will be able to talk to the experts and gain valuable insight from industry leaders such as Brian Felix, Paul Flora, Nick DiMola, and Mike D’Angio.  Sign up now before it’s too late!

Other areas of interest:  Bob Cecere Jr. will be talking about Site Safety and Denise Cicchella will be discussing How to Develop and Manage  a Solid Construction Audit Team.

Turn around is growing so opportunities to network are numerous!

RSVP to training@nynjnaca.org.

 

Aug 13

NACA National Conference coming soon!

NACA National Conference coming soon!

 

http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2012/08/13/its-time-dont-miss-out-national-association-of-construction-auditors-2nd-annual-conference-in-las-vegas-nevada-september-17-19-2012/

 

Aug 10

Check your labor rates!

An interesting read on how even in a tightly managed project, overcharges can result.  This audit was performed by National’s Brian Felix.  Great catch Brian!

 

www.chicoer.com/news/ci_21280946/chico-state-audit-finds-overcharges-sutter-hall-project

Aug 10

Discussion Panel

If you could ask a panel of experts anything about construction controls or construction audit, what would it be?

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