About the Author

The author is a construction “mud-shoe” whose adventure in building commenced in the nineteen-fifties. That half-century of experience was interrupted by four years in the US Military followed by four years at college. His resume includes many commercial office buildings, hospitals, educational facilities, and two transportation projects.

 The past ten years have included consulting assignments for the University of California, general contractors, and a large school district. As a forth generation American builder, who has witnessed the changes undergone by one of the largest traditional industries on the planet, in Construction Budget Management the author speaks out and offers solutions to problems.

Summary

Providing the answers to an ENR Editorial (large prestigious McGraw-Hill construction periodical) call to “reinvent” the construction industry, this new book outlines a paradigm-shift, is irreverent, and challenges the establishment status-quote.

Interestingly enough, the Editors of ENR instantly published the author’s magazine article, however, the book is too HOT for their professional book publishing division. The title is: Construction Budget Management – Not the politically correct version, rather an unvarnished reality-based look at problems and solutions.

The focus is school building construction, however, for a complete analysis the industry should not be viewed in a vacuum. Therefore, the social environment, such as illegal aliens, teachers unions, and whistle blowers are topics. The desire is to overcome the complacency inherent in the bureaucracy, encouraging administrators to implement the changes necessary to accomplish the paradigm-shift as outlined in the book.

As a critic of the elites control over a growing bureaucracy, which in too many cases has culminated in an abusive process, the author refused to be indoctrinated into the “modern” illusions, and subsequent legal hysteria. The book provides a guide to the procurement process for a new building, plus the social and political issues related to facilities production.

This new construction book has a wide market among; facility owner representatives, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, attorneys, K-12 school building officials, university campus construction managers, and academics (plus students) in those scholarly disciplines. Plus anyone else involved in a building project.

The book reports on the tyrannical rule currently dispensed by illogical bureaucrats. The goal is to point out the problems and propose pragmatic solutions to reduce unnecessary litigation in the construction industry. Others have described the style as caustic, and the content is controversial, educational, and entertaining.

Reviews

“CBM rips the top off the scary world of school construction and other public works and exposes the truth about the bureaucratic bungling that wastes tons of money annually.  School districts that aspire to rise above the usual predatory and adversarial approach to construction projects need to make Richard Lingenjo’s book required reading for all administrators and board members!”

Patricia Kokinos, author of ANGEL PARK,
a novel about changing the schools: www.ChangeTheSchools.com

"I think you will find, as I did, that the information contained in (the book) will make the points you so vigorously make with your opinions... I found that your book has some really fascinating points…what you cover is sorely lacking."

The author chose to keep some of the book's peer reviewers anonymous, due unfortunately to probable retribution from people within the politically charged public works construction environment.

"As an architect, past (University of California) facility owner’s representative, I could relate to a lot of what was written.  Most of it seems obvious at this point in my career" ..."I think your suggestions offer a way to improve team dynamics, working relationships, and understandings that will improve the construction process."