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Engineers Club of Philadelphia Honors Gov. Rendell, June 2013
Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia is pleased to present the George Washington Medal To Former Gov. Ed Rendell June 7, 2013 Please join the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia (ECP) in recognizing the contributions that former Gov. Ed Rendell has made to the engineering...
Benchmarking – The Early Path to Success
The benchmarking process is one where a project’s general scope using key metrics is compared to other similar projects. This general metric/scope includes such items as total gross square feet, net square feet, rentable square feet, net-to-gross ratio, number of occupants, the number of particular spaces (i.e. number of rooms in a hotel), general configuration (footprint and/or number of stories), location of project, and timeframe. If this initial comparison doesn’t illuminate a projects cost and/or schedule similarities or peculiarities, then one must delve deeper into the project scope to determine any or all differences. This means the stakeholders must understand the projects detailed scope parameters such as type of structure, assumed number of interior spaces, the level of finishes and specialties, the vertical transportation needs, the requirements of the mechanical and electrical systems, and site specific differences (roads, utilities, parking, etc.). Once this type of comparison is completed, a proposed facility should be fully benchmarked against its peers.
Shipyards: Dealing with Disruption Claims
Shipyards that are building or repairing ships operate in a very complicated marketplace where costs are carefully monitored. Often claims are submitted requesting additional costs above the stated contract amount because problems beyond the shipyard’s control resulted in disruption of their as-planned flow of work. All too often, the alleged problems follow a pattern that becomes apparent when analyzing such claims. Common allegations of disruption include excessive owner changes, delays in approving changes, late responses to inquiries and problems, defective design, late or defective information or equipment supplied by the owner, and over-inspection. Such allegations form the basis for requests for equitable adjustments, claims, and lawsuits. However, many claims overlook problems that may be the responsibility of the shipyard such as underbidding the costs, rework due to poor performance, management and planning inadequacies, detail design errors, procurement problems and labor difficulties.
Making Offshore Engineering Pay Off
Most manufacturers can easily tick off any number of practical reasons either for building new factories in China, India, Vietnam, and other low-cost nations or for buying parts from suppliers based in those countries. Simplified supply chains, better inventory management, and sharply reduced costs are among the obvious benefits. But the same group displays less enthusiasm for offshoring design and engineering.
Meet the Experts: Donald Keer, PE, Esq.
MDC Systems® Consulting Engineer Donald Keer has worked with MDC Systems®for over eight years providing project support and leadership. His career includes over 25 years of process design, construction and operations experience in multiple industries. His unique...
Time Impact Analysis Rosetta Stone for CPM
In this edition: Time Impact Analysis (TIA®) The Rosetta Stone for CPM Schedule Analysis Robert C. McCue, P.E., Consulting Engineer Mark D. Steele, P.E., Consulting Engineer Critical Path Method (CPM) schedules and formalized methods of analyzing schedule impacts...