Experience Matters

Provided a claims prevention training seminar for the National Gas Company.

On behalf of the owner, performed an independent review of the contractor’s delay claim related to curtain wall design, procurement, and construction for a high-end residential tower project. Prepared an expert report presenting findings and conclusions regarding the delay issues for the civil claim before the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Provided CPM scheduling on the Molton section of the $800 million San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor project in Irvine. This project had over 100 new CIP bridge structures, miles of driven piles, retaining walls, and storm drains, in addition to over 1 million CY of cut/fill earthwork. The Molton Section “Working Schedule” included 1,544 activities.

Performed a prudency audit of a large nuclear power plant including the evaluation of the justification and causes for scope and cost growth as well as the origin, components and reasonableness of $1.3 billion of start-up and commissioning cost overruns.

On behalf of a pressure vessel manufacturer, analyzed the scheduling issues, delay claims, and damages that a contractor incurred on an oil refinery project. Evaluated the contractor’s failure to properly/fully compensate the pressure vessel manufacturer for two pressure vessels that were fabricated and supplied to the project. Also evaluated the contractor’s disruption claims, performance, productivity, and claim for the repair of alleged faulty work related to the internals of the pressure vessels that our client provided.

On behalf of a contractor, evaluated defective design and project management performance problems associated with an offshore underwater gas extraction facility, offshore pipelines, and an onshore gas processing plant. The contractor was a joint venture of the design firm and the underwater pipeline installation company. Under a lump sum turnkey contract, the contractor was responsible for carrying out project design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning. The owner terminated the contractor and sought damages recovery.

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

On behalf of an owner, provided schedule quality assurance services regarding a gas supply expansion project. Evaluated schedule metrics and appropriateness of the critical path of the baseline schedule.

Provided dispute resolution services in support of a chemical company that was defending against $150 million in impact claims made by a European EPC contractor on several polyethylene terephthalate plants. Participated in the document discovery, research, organization, and coding of over 500,000 project records into an Internet-based document repository. Assisted in answering interrogatories and prepared questions for fact witness depositions. Scrutinized the entitlement of alleged critical path schedule delays due to late and continuous changes, technology changes, late turnover package approvals, weather impacts, and slow agency reviews potentially affecting 15,000 schedule activities. Developed a comprehensive delay allocation model used to quantify and document critical path and concurrent delays affecting the schedules. Correlated issues to schedule activities. Employed a retrospective CPM schedule delay analysis methodology to correctly calculate entitlement for compensable delay costs and evaluate concurrent delays due to approved change orders, fact-based project issues, and weather impacts as supported by project records. Based on the findings, the contractor’s claims were grossly overstated and unsupported; the owner enjoyed a favorable settlement at a small fraction of the total dispute. Performed extensive schedule quality assurance review studies of the contractor’s contemporaneous EPC project schedules to determine if these schedules were fit for delay analysis including identification and resolution of open-end activities, overuse of constraints, incorrect as-built dates, missing as-built dates, missing original scope, and missing logic.

On behalf of an owner, evaluated its claims against an engineering and construction contractor for defects in its installations and late completion of the work. Prepared an expert report, but the case settled before the arbitration hearing.