Sign Last, Win First: Spot Hidden Risks, Win Before You Sign, and Protect Profit on Major Projects—No Law Degree Required (Project Success Series)

The real cost overrun on your project was locked in before anyone broke ground — and it happened at a table, not in the field.
Most capital project execution doesn’t fail because of bad weather, bad luck, or a bad crew. It fails because somebody signed a contract they only read once — as the engineer who had to build it, never as the person who’d have to fight over it. By the time the claims start and the change orders pile up, your leverage is already gone. You’re not negotiating anymore. You’re managing what you agreed to.
Most books on EPC contract negotiation are written by lawyers, for lawyers — dense, expensive, built for someone billing by the hour. This one isn’t. It’s written by someone who’s sat at the table on megaproject contracts worth billions, and watched the same mistakes sink job after job before a single shovel hit dirt.
Inside, you’ll discover: The one question that should sit underneath every clause you negotiate — and why almost nobody asks it before they sign Why your pricing structure might be the biggest risk-transfer decision in the deal, made before you’ve even sat down How to allocate risk so it doesn’t quietly turn into a claim eighteen months later The notice clause that’s killed more legitimate claims than any other piece of language in construction A change-order process that prevents disputes instead of inviting a standoff every time scope moves What to check before you sign with any contractor, so their financial trouble never becomes yours The closeout mistake that costs contractors six figures, signed away in under five minutes Sign Last, Win First is a practical playbook for project managers, engineers, owners, and contractors who negotiate EPC contracts, manage capital projects, and want to avoid cost overruns, schedule delays, and claims before they happen.
Your leverage is highest the day before you sign. Use it while you still have it.