Experience Matters

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 a power company, analyzed labor productivity costs associated with repair of damaged electrical transmission lines following Hurricane Rita.

Prepared an expert report regarding disputed change orders, delay, and project management performance on an expansion of a county jail.

Performed a schedule risk assessment on an oil refinery in the Middle East that was undergoing a major expansion and upgrade to increase its capacity. The EPC contractor's work was significantly behind schedule, and the parties were contractually obligated to have an independent schedule risk assessment. Our scope of work included an assessment of the quality of the three EPC contractors' schedules, an evaluation of trends in progress and schedule data, and a Monte Carlo schedule risk analysis to predict when the EPC contractor would achieve startup of the various units of the refinery.

Assisted with the preparation of a contractor’s delay claim for late delivery of owner-supplied piping and equipment; extensive rework on improperly fabricated superheat panels; unrealistic, overzealous, and extra contractual inspections and QA/QC demands by owner personnel; extensive additional work associated with the electrical scope; late and incomplete submittal of necessary design information; and excessive changes to design data subsequent to Issue for Construction drawings particularly for the electrical work.

On behalf of a subway improvement project, assisted with as-built schedule delay analysis using AACE International MIP 3.9 protocols in support and development of six as-built calculation schedules for as-built but-for calculations for determining contractor compensation delay.

On behalf of a purchaser of LNG from an LNG production facility, evaluated potential causes of an explosion and fire that delayed LNG production and loading of LNG to tankers.

On behalf of interested underwriters, performed cost and data analysis and prepared an expert report for an insurance adjuster. The claim related to a fire loss that was the result of a line failure that caused an oil-based thinning agent to leak at a bitumen upgrader settling basin. The loss occurred for one of the largest operators in the Canadian oil sands industry and its joint venture companies. The facility is an embankment dam that was, by volume of construction material, the largest earth structure in the world in 2001.

On behalf of an EPC contractor, analyzed delays and time extension entitlement on a $75 million claim by the mechanical subcontractor involving the procurement materials and installation of process plant equipment and piping on a major petrochemical plant.

On behalf of an owner, evaluated a contractor’s expert report and €18 million delay and disruption claim concerning the replacement of emergency diesel generators on a nuclear power plant in Finland. Assessed the expert’s time extension analysis, which was found to lack an assessment of the critical path of the work. The claim was ultimately rejected.