Experience Matters

Provided project management and control services for a contractor providing fire alarm and voice paging systems work on Concourses A, B, and C, the airport office building, and the terminal complex at the Denver International Airport. Assisted client in cost control monitoring, schedule interfaces, change negotiations, and problem resolutions on a $12 million contract. Prepared financial and schedule analyses for the project and interfaced with the project management team for monthly pay applications and resolution of issues. Assisted in the client’s successful settlement of $6 million of outstanding changes with the owner due to unexpected changed conditions and third party contractor interference.

The mechanical subcontractor executed a contract with a power contractor to complete outage work and repowering of CFB Unit #1. The power contractor caused project delays and interferences that delayed the required work to a period outside of the specified outage period and resulted in a shortage of manpower. The mechanical subcontractor accelerated work to maintain the work planned for the outage period. This required additional coordination of utilities and steam blows and functional tests of fuel system, oil-fired burners, CFB boiler, air ducts, flue gas system and stack, feed water systems, etc. Engaged to provide claims review services. Evaluated owner and contractor claims, including a review of the CPM schedule submittals. Produced a schedule delay and productivity analysis to determine responsibility for project delays. The claims team found that power contractor delays and interferences were primarily responsible for the acceleration effort and difficulties experienced by the mechanical subcontractor during the mechanical completion and operational testing phases of work.

Assisted a general contractor in a $2 million dispute with the owner of a 200 MW power plant in New Brunswick. Issues involved increased labor costs associated with late delivery of owner-supplied equipment, late design information, and defective design information. The case was settled during negotiation on terms favorable to the client.

On behalf of the public owner and its attorney, provided analysis of material and construction deficiencies that were performed by the construction contractor that replaced a sanitary sewer pipeline in Utah. The contractor was required to design its installation to keep groundwater from intrusion into the pipe after completion of its work, which it failed to do, alleging changed conditions. The owner issued multiple notices of defects to the contractor in a timely manner. The contractor abandoned the project. Work to date has included an expert report and deposition. Testimony not yet scheduled.

On behalf of an owner, evaluated a contractor’s claim on a new airport terminal building project.

Performed a schedule quality assurance review. Reviewed and critiqued a consortium partner’s detailed fabrication schedules. Ascertained the suitability of the schedule to be used as a tool to analyze concurrent delays by maintaining CPM schedule logic to properly understand the client’s, and the consortium partner’s liability for delay, disruption, and impact damages, and any relationship between proceeding activities being the responsibility of other parties. Provided guidance on “best practice” recommendations for on-site schedule control, progress reporting, schedule development, and labor productivity. Recommended suitable effective documentation and record keeping to aid in the support or defense of possible future claims and integration of schedule activities with available cost details to accurately establish the cause and effect relationship among problems, issues, events, schedule impacts, productivity losses, and cost overruns and/or the need for acceleration/mitigation recovery countermeasures.

On behalf of an owner, performed an assessment of a Change Order Request for Labor Productivity Impacts and Extended General Conditions Cost. The assessment revealed that the contractor did not follow the MCAA instructions on the use of MCAA’s Labor Factors found in MCAA Management Methods Manual Bulletin No. PD2 (Revised 2011). The assessment also identified that the claim for General Conditions Cost was not supported by any schedule analysis and was a total cost claim even though there were numerous executed change orders, which included a 14 percent markup for supervision, quality control, and safety.

Provided a claims prevention training seminar for a contractor that manufactures and installs heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) on power plant projects.

The project involved disputes among an owner, main contractor, and joint venture power island equipment supplier regarding damage to the combustion turbine (CT) caused by through projectiles in the power stream. The multi-party dispute involved both contract and insurance claims for delay, disruption, liquidated damages, and direct damage reparation works to the CT start-up operations. Managed claims team that was engaged to consult on both the contract and the insurance claims for the main contractor, which involved delay, disruption, and damages analyses for a series of settlement negotiations and mediation. Ultimately, the completion of the damaged CT works had to be factored into the process and the plant restored to full operational capability. Settlement talks ultimately succeeded, and formal litigations proceedings were avoided.

Assisted with the development of a project management controls unit for a natural gas company. Prepared written findings and recommendations for establishing a project management controls unit and developing a project management methodology using a stage gate process.