Experience Matters

Analyzed a major fire at an upgrader in Alberta that processed synthetic crude oil from an oil sands facility. The client, a major construction company and its insurer, was defending against liability for property damage and business interruption damages totaling $1 billion.

On behalf of an owner, analyzed a Russian and Turkish contractor’s claim for change orders, delay, and loss of productivity, and the owner’s counterclaims for default due to inadequate project management performance and substandard installations of a residential community project. Developed a document database, inspected the site, reviewed contractual entitlements, and provided the owner with a basis for negotiating a settlement with the contractor.

Lead cost and schedule consultant retained by a group of insurance companies to evaluate the reasonableness of a $200 million cost estimate and cost/schedule risks associated with the repair of fire damage to four electrostatic precipitators and enclosures in a large oil sands plant in Alberta. The engagement involved site visits, interviews, and the evaluation of rebuild cost and schedule estimates and supporting documentation, with particular emphasis on assumptions, construction means and methods, labor costs and productivity, field indirect costs, contingency, and expediting and delay costs. Final work products included written reports, which addressed the bases for and reasonableness of the repair schedule and cost estimate, and the cost impact of several expedited repair schedule alternatives, and oral presentations to loss adjusters and insurance company representatives.

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.

Prepared a contractor’s baseline schedule and schedule updates for the construction of a $5 million church and related site work.

On behalf of an electrical contractor, reviewed the CPM schedule prepared for the construction of the electrical work on the new Denver Broncos Stadium

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.

On behalf of an owner, evaluated delayed engineering that affected the timely delivery of construction work packages to the construction contractors on the pipeline and gas recovery facilities associated with an LNG facility.

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.

Prepared damages analyses on a dispute on a steel mill expansion project. Responsible for a unit price variance analysis and estimating costs for civil, concrete, mechanical, and electric work.