Avoiding Death by a Thousand Cuts
Cost and Schedule Issues
You are a month and a half into construction of a planned one year project. It’s a new client and if you do well, you are in line to construct his future projects. However, the Engineers’ drawings don’t quite match the existing site conditions; there is already an inordinate amount of Requests for Information (RFIs), and the Client is very involved with your construction means and methods. No change orders have been written because 1: You “worked-around” the site layout problems; 2: There is still time to resolve the unanswered RFIs and 3: The finish milestone on the project has not been affected because you used float in the schedule. In any event, you don’t want to “nickel and dime” the new client.
Sustainability – Un-Definable Success in a Defined World
E. Mitchell Swann, P.E.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer
This paper was originally presented at the CIBSE/ASHRAE International Conference on Building Sustainability, Value and Profit, held in Edinburgh. It has been updated slightly since that presentation.
Modeling of a Residential Photovoltaic System and Model Validation Using Measured Data
Incident Solar Radiation The south facing roof gets the maximum exposure of sun during the day, so this is where the solar panels can be mounted. The incident solar radiation (KW/m2) that the roof will get changes with the time of the day and the month of the year and...
Time Impact Analysis (TIA®)
Robert C. McCue, P.E., Consulting Engineertia-graphic
Stephen M. Rymal, P.E., Esq., Consulting Engineer
MDC Systems®
Critical Path Method (CPM) schedules and formalized methods of analyzing schedule impacts started to enter mainstream construction management practice in the early 1980’s. At that time, the industry recognized a need to accurately and scientifically measure schedule delays and conversely the affects of acceleration in real time during construction and also retrospectively after the work was completed. The ability to determine which party ultimately bore responsibility for schedule delays became the main focus on many projects as the assessment of liquidated damages or granting compensable time extensions became critically important to both owners and contractors. Just as the Rosetta Stone provided scholars with a means to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics into Greek text, Time Impact Analysis (TIA®) provides users with the means to translate Critical Path Method (CPM) activities into understandable schedule impacts.
Risk Management: Insuring Continuity of Supply
Over the last several years, supply management professionals have been spending a majority of their time in creating, implementing and managing Business Continuity Planning (BCP) for critical products, materials and services. BCP is a strategic management process that focuses on insuring continuity of supply. The main objective is to identify and minimize or eliminate business interruptions in the event of a catastrophic event or major incidents occurring within the supply chain that can lead to adverse consequences for your business. Ten to twenty years ago, supply disruptions were caused by major snow storms, truck breakdowns, labor strikes, fire or explosions, electrical outages, machine breakdowns or even a truck driver making an unscheduled social visit.
More Than Just Counting Rainy Days: Documenting Weather Delays
by Michelle N. Delehanty, PE, PMP
MDC Systems® Consultant
According to the farmer’s almanac, this upcoming winter is predicted to be more severe than last year, which already seems as if it were one for the record books. For many regions throughout the United States, that means a multitude of storms, extreme cold, and potential closings to schools, offices, and, most problematic, construction sites. These closings of construction projects can lead to schedule delays, change order requests, and ultimately claims. In order for a contractor to justify to the owner that there is indeed a weather-related construction delay, they must demonstrate four specific things: (1) that the delay is within the terms of the contract (2) that the activity delayed had a direct effect on the project end date (was on the critical path), (3) the weather event occurred in excess of the “normal” weather for the season, and (4) there is documentation of which specific activities were delayed on each weather occurrence.
Primavera Scheduling
Robert C. McCue, P.E.
MDC Systems®
Consulting Engineer
Recently, MDC Systems® made the jump from Primavera P3 (version 3.1) to P6. However, the landing was a little rough- initially, erroneous information was received from a Primavera representative and then outside IT consultants had to be brought in to resolve issues with the server installation. If the installation experience is any indicator, it seems likely that P6 will require more IT overhead on an ongoing basis. This is in addition to the learning curve for the new features and capabilities of P6.
Complexity is Often the Culprit in Cost Overruns, Delays
Our long history and experience is that the failure rate for projects in general has remained high. Why haven’t the advances in project management science, computers technology and communications been effectively brought to bear on the engineering and construction business? What about the advertised beneficial impact of 3-D computer-aided design, computerized critical path methods schedules and building information modeling? Are today’s engineers not as good as those who built the mega project of yesteryear like the Panama Canal, Empire State Building or Hoover Dam?
The Standard of Care in a Design Build World
Design-Build Delivery can create new responsibilities for designers where they would not exist in traditional Design-Bid-Builddelivery situations and require new awareness on the part of contractors to the iterative and uncertain world of conceptual design. These new responsibilities require a paradigm shift for both Designers and Contractors as the realities of working together challenge the leadership of the organizations.
For designers the change requires them to abandon their traditionally “client only” focused advice and consent role and adopt a new paradigm of working for, or with, the contractor to deliver an acceptable and profitable product. For the contractor working with and supporting the designer changes the very nature of their previous working relationship. The contractor is now working with and for the people they are all too often at odds with concerning project delivery.
The Surety’s Completion Alternatives for Defaulted Contracts
When faced with a default on their projects, many owners have unrealistic expectations concerning the surety’s obligations under the performance bond. Owners feel frustrated when the surety does not aggressively step in to complete the work. However, under most performance bonds, if the contractor/principal is in default, the surety may discharge its obligations by any one of the following alternatives: (1) finance the contractor/principal to complete the work; (2) obtain a new contractor to complete the work under a direct contract with the owner/obligee; (3) complete the work with a new contractor under a contract with the surety; (4) permit or require the owner/obligee to obtain a new contractor; and…