Construction Project Management Horror Stories

• Overview
• Credits

Know the steps that can be taken to reduce the possibility of time and cost impacts and also methods to address problems in real time.All project participants start off with the best of intentions. Owners want a project that meets their expectations and is completed on time and within budget. The design professional wants a project that can add to its portfolio of accomplishments that also makes a profit. Contractors, likewise, want to provide a fine work product that speaks to their capabilities, develops new relationships for future work, and of course, makes a profit. Once the work starts, however, and sometimes even before that, the wheels go off the rails. The magnitude of these problems can mean later claims for compensation greater than the original project value. Understanding that this is construction, and the more unique or complex the project, the more likely issues will arise that test the mettle of all project participants. There are steps that can be taken to reduce the possibility of time and cost impacts, and also methods to address problems in real time as well as to preserve positions in cases in which resolution cannot be achieved. This topic will address what can be done and when is the time to do it.

Authors

James F. Gallagher, Resolution Management Consultants, Inc. Jeffrey B. Kozek, Resolution Management Consultants, Inc.

Agenda

Know Your Risks up Front

• Most Important Provisions From a Time and Cost Perspective

• Measuring Risk

• How to Address Them During the Work

Subcontractor Selection

• Proper Vetting of Subs

• Consistent Contract Terms

• Schedule Coordination

Why the Schedule Is Your Friend

• Most Scheduling Provisions Are Not Well Written

• How to Use the Schedule During the Work to Your Benefit

• How to Use the Schedule After-The-Fact to Your Benefit

How to Document Your Position

• Say What You Mean; Mean What You Say

• How to Frame the Issue in a Contemporaneous Manner

• Documentation From a Claims Perspective

What Can You Really Recover?

• Tracking Actual Costs Associated With Changes

• What Loss of Productivity Calculations Can Pass Muster

• Liquidated Damages Points of Contention