Sector Expertise. Client-First Delivery.
Craze, Monroe & Associates (CMA) applies a consistent, client-first methodology across sectors, tailoring governance, risk controls, and compliance requirements to the specific environment your program operates in.
Every Sector Has Unique Risks. We Know Them All.
Construction contracts differ from IT vendor agreements. Education capital programs operate under different accountability standards than federal procurement. CMA's team has worked across all four of our core markets and we bring sector-specific fluency to every engagement.
Construction
Contractors executing construction projects face a persistent challenge: owners and agencies have specialists managing every dollar of their contracts. Most contractors don't have equivalent contract management resources on their side. That imbalance leads to underpaid applications, improperly withheld change orders, and disputes that could have been resolved with the right documentation and advocacy in place.
CMA acts as your contractor-side representative, managing contract compliance, documenting change order entitlements, and protecting your financial interests from procurement through closeout. We speak the language of construction contracts, understand how disputes are won and lost, and keep your payment position defensible at every stage.
- Contractor-side representation
- Payment recovery
- Claims documentation
Construction clients finish projects with recovered payments, resolved claims, and documentation that supports their position in audits and legal proceedings.
Sample Engagements
General Contractor — Municipal Public Works Expansion
A general contractor completes a public works facility expansion for a mid-sized city. At closeout, the city withholds $1.1M in disputed change order costs, claiming the work was outside the original scope. The contractor's project team managed the work but didn't maintain the documentation trail needed to defend the charges.
CMA conducts a line-by-line review of the disputed change orders against the original contract drawings, site conditions, and project correspondence. We rebuild the entitlement record, connecting each charge to a specific contractual basis, and prepare a written claims package the contractor's legal counsel can rely on. CMA manages negotiations directly with the city's representative and supports mediation preparation.
The contractor recovers $890K of the $1.1M in disputed costs. The remaining balance is resolved through a negotiated settlement. The contractor closes the project with a documented record that protects against any future audit challenge.
Education
K-12 districts and higher education institutions are navigating complex enterprise system implementations: student information systems, ERP platforms, and CRM rollouts that touch every department, every business process, and every stakeholder group. These programs carry significant scope, schedule, and vendor risk, and most institutions don't have the internal oversight infrastructure to manage them effectively.
CMA helps education clients establish the governance structure, reporting cadences, and contract controls that turn complex implementations into accountable, well-documented programs. Whether the work is a campus capital project or an enterprise-wide SIS or ERP implementation, we understand the compliance environment, the public trust that comes with it, and how to hold vendors to their commitments.
- Enterprise software implementations
- Stakeholder management
- Program governance
Education clients deliver enterprise initiatives on time and on budget, with the reporting infrastructure to communicate clearly to boards, auditors, and the communities they serve.
Sample Engagements
University System — Student Information System Modernization
A university system is replacing its legacy student information system with a modern SIS platform across four campuses. The $6.2M implementation was scoped for 24 months. Fourteen months in, the functional lead has submitted eight change requests, two go-live milestones have been pushed, and academic affairs leadership has lost confidence that the system will be ready before fall enrollment opens.
CMA conducts a rapid program health assessment and delivers a written analysis of the project's current state, including which change requests have contractual basis and which don't. We take over meeting facilitation, establish a milestone accountability framework, and produce a biweekly executive dashboard with realistic schedule and budget projections for the Provost's Office. Five of the eight change requests are denied or renegotiated based on the original statement of work. CMA coordinates directly with the core implementation team to rebuild a credible go-live plan.
The SIS goes live on schedule for fall enrollment. The university enters post-go-live support with a functioning governance model, documented scope decisions, and the internal alignment across departments that makes the system stick. The Provost's Office has a replicable oversight framework for future enterprise system implementations.
Government
Public sector programs operate under strict procurement rules, regulatory requirements, and audit expectations that most PM professionals aren't trained to navigate. Non-compliance can trigger funding clawbacks, legal exposure, and public scrutiny, all of which are avoidable with the right controls in place.
CMA supports government clients with audit-ready documentation, procurement-aware oversight, and controls that satisfy both federal and local regulatory requirements. Our team understands the intersection of project delivery and public accountability.
- Procurement alignment
- Regulatory compliance
- Audit-ready controls
Government clients close programs with complete documentation, clean audit findings, and governance records that demonstrate responsible stewardship of public funds.
Sample Engagements
County Capital Improvement Program — Multi-Year
A county government is managing a $45M, five-year capital improvement program covering road infrastructure, public safety facilities, and parks. The county has adequate procurement staff but lacks the project controls infrastructure to track costs, schedule, and contract performance across 12 simultaneous projects.
CMA designs and implements a centralized project controls system for the program, standardizing budget tracking, schedule reporting, and change order management across all 12 projects. We train county staff on the new system, produce a monthly program dashboard for county commissioners, and serve as the point of escalation for contract disputes. When one contractor files a delay claim on a road project, CMA manages the analysis and county response.
After two years, the county has full visibility into program cost and schedule status for the first time. The delay claim is resolved at 40 cents on the dollar. County commissioners receive consistent, reliable reporting that supports public budget communications.
Information Technology
IT vendors and contractors executing complex technology programs are particularly vulnerable to scope disputes, withheld milestone payments, and unresolved change requests, especially when the client organization uses ambiguous contract language to avoid paying for work that was clearly performed. By the time the financial exposure is fully understood, significant underpayment has already accumulated.
CMA brings project governance and vendor oversight discipline to complex technology initiatives, installing the decision frameworks, reporting cadences, and contract controls that give executives real visibility and hold vendors to their commitments.
- Program governance
- Vendor management
- Milestone assurance
IT clients regain control of programs that have drifted, with clear vendor accountability, decision-ready reporting, and milestone tracking that reflects reality, not optimism.
Sample Engagements
Enterprise ERP Implementation — Mid-Market Organization
A regional healthcare organization is 14 months into an ERP implementation that was originally scoped for 18 months and $4.2M. The technical team has submitted six scope change requests totaling $1.1M in additional fees, go-live has been pushed twice, and internal stakeholders are losing confidence. Leadership doesn't have visibility into whether the project can be saved.
CMA conducts a rapid project health assessment and delivers an honest, written assessment of the project's current state, including which change requests are contractually supportable and which aren't. We take over meeting facilitation, install a milestone accountability framework, and establish an executive dashboard with realistic schedule and budget projections. Two of the six change requests are denied based on contractual analysis; two more are renegotiated.
The ERP goes live five months after CMA engagement, $680K under the revised budget. The organization enters hypercare with a functioning governance model and a vendor relationship that is managed, not managed around.
How We Engage Across Every Sector
Contract Management
Enforce every contract obligation and protect your financial interests from award through closeout.
Project Management
Client-first project leadership that keeps schedule, budget, and accountability in check, with your priorities guiding every decision.
Specialized Training
PDU-eligible training that builds the internal capabilities your team needs to sustain project performance.
Leadership Coaching
CliftonStrengths-based coaching that develops leaders who drive better project and program outcomes.