6/21/2018· Construction
Court Determines Sanitary District Can Use Its Own Employees for Construction Projects
By: Darryl Horowitt
The Public Contracts Code generally provides that contracts for certain dollar amounts, generally exceeding $15,000 to $25,000, must be sent out for bid and let to the lowest responsible bidder after appropriate notice is given. Public Contracts Code § 20803, which governs sanitary districts, contains such a requirement for any contract exceeding $15,000.
5/11/2018· Construction
Construction Alert: Bidding On Public Works Projects
By: Darryl Horowitt
The courts have been busy dealing with issues relating to bidding on public works projects. Two recent decisions have been issued: Great Western Contractors, Inc. v. Irvine Unified School District (2010) 2010 DJDAR 13815 and Schram Construction Inc. v. The Regents of the University of California (Southland Industries) (2010) 2010 DJDAR 13398.
4/16/2018· Construction
Why the Construction Establishment Resists Construction Management Agency as a Delivery Methodology
By: Sanford C. Loy
The construction industry is gigantic.....it has been around for centuries in this country alone....an industry with that much inertia does not embrace change easily. Introducing new processes and methodology is much like trying to turn an aircraft carrier with a boat oar. You can get beat up pretty good and not even effect the ship!
3/12/2018· Construction
Proving the Cause-Effect Linkage
Contractor’s claim submittals and expert reports are often deficient in proving causation, i.e., the cause-effect linkage. These claims generally outline the owner-caused impacts and separately calculate quantum; however, the two are often not linked in any meaningful way. Most claims are settled prior to a decision by a panel, court, or board, and therefore these deficiencies are not made apparent. Yet, a well-prepared claim document which includes a persuasive and accurate causeeffect analysis can greatly improve the contractor’s chances of a successful recovery, either through negotiations or in arbitration/litigation. This analysis is difficult and often costly to prepare, and is therefore not performed in many disputes, which may be the reason why the claims fail.
11/13/2017· Construction
Acceleration Claims on Engineering and Construction Projects
Time is money especially on engineering and construction projects. Because delays in the completion of the project usually result in increased owner, engineer, and contractor costs, the overall time of performance is vital to the financial success of the project. The importance of time is evidenced by the significant role played by CPM schedules, completion dates, and milestones in the bidding and awarding of engineering and construction contracts. The desire to minimize costs and the time of performance often causes the occurrence of acceleration.
10/4/2017· Construction
A Reasonable Method to Estimate Loss of Labor Productivity Due to Overtime
In the construction industry, it is largely agreed that overtime work adversely affects labor productivity. However, there is no universally accepted method for estimating the resulting loss of productivity, and many of the studies commonly used to estimate such losses have been subject to criticism by industry experts and the courts.
9/11/2017· Construction
Common Sense Strategies for Avoiding Construction Litigation
ln our current climate of economic prosperity and rising real estate values, the prevalence and usefulness of construction litigation may be on the wane. Much of the litigation and expert opinion in recent years has resulted in unrealistic repair schemes for the sole purpose of producing a settlement among parties to the litigation. When a plaintiff expert recommends a "remove and replace in its entirety"1 scenario (for example, arguing that all exterior stucco must be demolished and reinstalled due to a lack of expansion joints), the defense expert frequently advocates a more modest "fix what's broken" scheme to provide a minimum repair at the lowest cost. This process consumes considerable time and resources, and creates a difficult environment in which to craft a settlement. More often than not, neither party is pleased with the outcome; unreasonable plaintiff positions often result in settlement amounts ranging between 15 to 25 percent of the claim amount.
8/2/2017· Construction
The Collapsed As-Built Windows Schedule Analysis Method
The Collapsed As-Built Windows Schedule Analysis (AACE® International Recommended Practice 29R-03, Method Implementation Protocol 3.9) is a modeled, subtractive, multiple-base method. It is a retrospective CPM schedule analysis which is typically used to prove entitlement for compensable delay and assess concurrency of delay within a window of time. The analysis simulates the as-built conditions within a schedule window and then delays are removed from the CPM model. If the forecasted project finish date “collapses” but-for or absent compensable delays, then entitlement for compensable time-related costs can be demonstrated. This article addresses the usage of the Collapsed As-Built Windows protocol and the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology.
10/26/2016· Construction
Independent Safety Professionals, Or "It's All Good, I Can Handle It!"
By: Greg Gerganoff
During a recent conversation with a friend who had purchased a small construction company he mentioned in passing that one of his employees had injured his ankle on the job but didn't report it to his work comp carrier as it was a minor incident, no days off work, didn't want his rates to go up, why bother. All is good. Right?
6/15/2016· Construction
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Crane Installation In a New Building: Following the Specs May Cost You
You have a shiny new building with a shiny new crane and everything looks great. For some reason, though, the crane won't clear the building columns, even though the contractor and the crane manufacturer are saying everything is to spec and it's not their problem. Common sense says somebody is wrong and that somebody should have to pay (because it's going to cost a bundle).
by Weston Anson
by Gene Farmer, AIA, NCARB, LEED-AP
by By Richard N. Anderson (Editor) & Richard W. Mclay (Editor)
