Hosted by R. L. Townsend & Associates, LLC
and
Construction Audit and Cost Control Institute, Inc.
March 2, 2026 8:00am - 4:45pm
March 3 , 2026 8:00am - 12:30pm
This day and a half interactive Best Practices Conference is for experienced Owner construction management professionals and/or experienced construction audit professionals looking to gain additional insight into the latest best practice trends for managing and auditing construction contract activity.
Featured Guest Presenters
Dallas Independent School District
Brent Alfred is the Chief Construction Officer. He is an accomplished leader with a proven record of management and oversight of large capital projects for school districts. He is a registered architect and certified construction manager. Brent graduated from Southern University’s School of Architecture in Baton Rouge, LA. With more than 20 years of experience in the design and construction industry, the last 12 focused exclusively on K-12 schools and the learning environment.
Brent Alfred, AIA, CCM
Chief Construction Officer
San Jacinto College
Chuck Smith
Associate Vice Chancellor, Fiscal Initiatives & Construction
Experienced Facilities professional with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. During the past fifteen years, Mr. Smith has supervised the planning and construction of approximately $1 billion in higher education facilities of all types. Knowledgeable about a wide variety of higher education support topics, he has held senior facilities positions with San Jacinto College, Houston Community College, Texas Woman’s University, and Texas State Technical College. He has been active on advisory panels with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Education, and the Association of Texas College and University Facilities Professionals.
SiteTraxx, LLC
Chris Wolbrink
Founder & President
Chris has over 20 years of experience in construction, and construction financial control advisory, auditing and claims management. In 2015, Chris embarked on a new venture to develop SiteTraxx, and bring a new solution to the construction industry to help provide valuable data collection in one platform to stakeholders of all levels on construction projects.
SMU Southern Methodist University
Michael Molina, AIA, NCARB
Vice President - Facilities, Planning and Management
During his eight years at SMU, Molina's leadership has both recrafted and ensured the success of the Office of Facilities Planning & Management. He has a career portfolio of over $8.3 billion in planning, design, construction, and operations for various sectors including private, public and higher education. In 2020, SMU's student government voted Molina to receive the SMU Hilltop Outstanding Administrator award. His alma mater, Texas Tech University College of Architecture awarded him the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021.
Texas Tech University
Chris Curbo
Sr. Director of Budget & Finance
Chris Curbo is the Senior Director of Budget & Finance in the Office of Facilities Planning & Construction at the Texas Tech University System, joining the department in 2012. In his role, Curbo serves as the fiscal controller for Facilities Planning & Construction. He provides leadership and oversight in budget management, inventory management, Tier 1 and Tier 2 construction audit summaries, financial ‘real-time’ and annual reporting, procurement services and project management support. Curbo also works with the Executive Associate to the Vice Chancellor as a human resources liaison for the department. Before joining the Facilities Planning & Construction team, Curbo worked for 17 years as a financial professional in banking, insurance, and collections.
University of Texas at Dallas
Vince Yauger
Associate Vice President - Engineering, Construction & Planning
Facilities Management
Mr. Yauger has 41-years of experience in the construction industry, working as a program and project manager for both private industry and the government sector. His construction experience covers a broad spectrum of building types, ranging from small residences to multi-million-dollar high-rise projects, airport terminals, correctional facilities, and higher education projects of all types. Mr. Yauger earned a Master of Science in Leadership & Management from Western Governors University, a Bachelor of Environmental Design (Architecture) from Texas A&M University, and served as an armor officer in the Texas Army National Guard. He also holds multiple professional certifications: Project Management Professional (2011), CMAA – Certified Construction Manager (2017), LEED Accredited Professional (2004), and Registered Architect (1999 – Texas).
R. L. Townsend & Associates Hosts and Moderators
Rich Townsend, CPA, CIA, CFE, CCA
Co-Owner
Rich Townsend is Co-Owner of the consulting firm, R. L. Townsend & Associates, LLC. The firm provides construction audit and construction cost control advisory services to a wide variety of organizations throughout the United States. He currently serves on the advisory board for The National Association of Construction Auditors.​ He is also President of Construction Audit & Cost Control Institute, Inc.​ and an instructor for public offering and in-house professional development seminars related to construction auditing and construction cost control.
Debbie Townsend, CPA, CIA, CFE, CCA
Co-Owner & President
Debbie Townsend is the Co-Owner and President of R. L. Townsend & Associates and is responsible for the majority of the construction audit engagements currently performed by the firm. She provides supervision, training, and project oversight for audit staff. She is often invited by owners to conduct workshops and/or provide assistance on contract language and establishing efficient construction audit processes. Debbie has served as a construction audit expert by providing testimony relating to construction contracts and audit issues in legal disputes.
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Ashley Humphries, CIA, CFE, CCA
Senior Construction Auditor
Ashley Humphries joined R. L. Townsend & Associates, LLC in 2015. Ashley is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and a Certified Construction Auditor (CCA). She has extensive experience working on construction audits of major construction projects for private and public universities, university healthcare organizations, public school districts, industrial, and real estate development with GMP’s ranging from $10 million to $1 billion. She has been part of the instructor team conducting professional development training for the Construction Audit & Cost Control Institute for the last several years, as well as public speaking for industry conferences around the country.
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Hotel Venue
Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Center
Plano, Texas
Room Rate: $259.00 per night + taxes and fees
Rates available March 1 - 3, 2026​
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Link for Reservations:
https://book.passkey.com/e/51171684
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Discounted Rates available through 2/13/2026
​Address:​
Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Center
7121 Bishop Rd
Plano, TX 75024
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Breakfast will be provided each morning of the seminar
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Mid-Morning and Mid-Afternoon refreshment breaks
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Lunch will be provided on Monday
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Networking Reception Monday following the meeting – appetizers and hosted refreshments
Registration Fees
Regular and Discounted Conference Registration Fees:
$1,195 is the Regular Registration Fee to Attend this Conference for anyone registering after 1-31-2026
$1,095 is the $100 Discounted Early Registration Fee for anyone registering between 1-1-2026 and 1-31-2026.
$ 995 is the $200 Discounted Early Registration Fee for anyone registering by 12-31-2025.
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When registering, you can pay by credit card, Apple pay, PayPal or you will have the option to choose to receive an invoice and pay later by check or credit card.
Monday, March 02, 2026: 8:00 am – 4:45 pm
Networking Reception: Monday following the Conference
Tuesday, March 03, 2026: 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Program fee includes instruction, all program materials, first evening reception, breakfast, lunch, and refreshment breaks.
Cancellation Policy
If you register and pay for one of our seminar or conference events and are unable to attend, please notify us by email or phone and we will apply your credit toward any future training or issue a refund. If you need to cancel please contact either of the following:
Ashley Humphries (214) 551-4942 ashley.humphries@rltownsend.com
Rich Townsend (972) 679-6762 rltownsend@rltownsend.com
Learning Objectives
Earn up to12 CPE Credits
Course Level - Intermediate
In this conference, we will be exploring the pros and cons of different construction contract language concepts, procurement approaches, project cost controls, and construction audit techniques. Learning points will be provided with examples.
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Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with our featured guest presenters and other participants on a wide variety of construction cost control and audit best practices such as the following:
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The current best practice solutions for dealing with possible material cost escalation and de-escalation resulting from any new tariffs being added and/or subsequently lifted on imported materials.
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How Owners, Contractors, and Construction Auditors “partner” to achieve common goals for project success.
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How to adequately address potential “hidden fees” when requesting proposals and/or negotiating contract terms.
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How to work with your contractors so that both parties are treated fairly during contract negotiations.
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How to develop fair and balanced contracting practices to help get the best value for amounts spent on construction.
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How to audit contractor records to prevent, detect and/or resolve potential overcharges on labor, materials, equipment, insurance, and subcontracts
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Learning Objectives Include Best Practices for Auditing and Contracting For:
(a) conventional insurance.
(b) self-insurance.
(c) captive insurance.
(d) contractor-controlled insurance (CCIP).
(e) subcontractor default insurance (SDI).
(f) contractor self-performed work.
(g) contractor costs of pension plans.
(h) costs of employee stock pension/bonus plans.
(i) costs of conventional health insurance.
(j) costs of high-deductible insurance policies.
(k) contractor owned equipment charges.
(l) trade subcontracts and trade subcontract change orders.
(m) contractor and subcontractor charges from affiliated companies.
(n) contractor and subcontractor labor charges.
(o) trade contractor shop fabrication and shop overhead charges.
(p) contractor and subcontractor charges for IT hardware and software.
(q) pros and cons of converting cost-plus fee with GMP contracts to Lump Sum.
Our Guest Presenters will be making short presentations followed by time for interactive Q&A.
In addition, we are planning to intersperse facilitated roundtable open discussions on other questions and topics on our agenda.
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Who Will Benefit From This Program:
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Architects
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Attorneys
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CFO’s and Controllers
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Construction Audit Consultants
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Construction and Engineering Department Representatives
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Contract Administrators
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Cost Engineers
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Facilities Management Department Representatives
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Internal Audit Professionals
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Procurement Department Representatives
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Program Managers
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Participants Will:
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Learn the latest best practices in use for construction audit and cost control
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Obtain an update on the trends in tools and techniques used for construction audit and cost control
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Explore specific case example results of current best practice construction audits
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Get your questions answered during Q&A sessions at the conclusion of each presentation​​
Construction Audit & Cost Control Institute (CAACCI) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org