Mark Curtis Speaking at FEW 2026

ADF Engineering’s Mark Curtis will be presenting at this year’s International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo.

His presentation, From Concept to Construction: Modernizing Capital Cost Estimating for Ethanol Facilities, provides a detailed, technology and process-focused comparison between traditional estimating practices and the modern, structured approaches that today’s industrial engineering teams use to generate more dependable cost forecasts.

Participants will learn:

• How bid-based estimating, percentage-based modeling, conceptual estimating, and cost-based engineering estimates differ in rigor, accuracy, data requirements, and intended use.
  
• How modern cost-modeling tools, benchmark datasets, and engineered quantities significantly improve accuracy compared to legacy rule-of-thumb approaches.
  
• How estimate accuracy evolves from feasibility to final design—and how contingencies can be narrowed through transparent, traceable cost buildups.
  
• Where outdated estimating practices introduce risk, how those risks manifest in ethanol projects, and what updated methods facilities can adopt immediately.

If you’re attending FEW 2026, be sure to add Mark’s presentation to your agenda. This is a must-attend session for anyone managing capital costs.