Mark D. Steele
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General Experience
Chronological Experience
Quintain Project Solutions, Exton, PA, 2016 – Present, Principal
- Project leader for a medical device start-up company for two years. Led project team including contract manufacturing to successful Gen1 device development, testing, and FDA approval; Gen2 design, development and testing; and major milestones such as First-in-Human and external clinical evaluations. Designed and implemented project schedule, budget, and scope controls.
- Worked with client PMO to develop and train for a new project earned value management system being implemented across a $7 billion project construction portfolio. Designed new process and conducted initial team training on the process prior to implementation.
- Performed cost assessment for new corporate offices constructed in Manhattan. Evaluated project costs, scope deviations, contract issues, and potential delays.
- Developed issue analyses for critical design-related construction issues on a $4 billion infrastructure project in the northeast.
Proactive, Cleveland, OH, 2014 – 2016, Director
- Expert analyses for contract defaults for over ten projects. Worked closely as intermediary between contractors and surety to identify default causation, delay responsibilities, and costs/ damages incurred.
Resolution Management Consultants, Marlton, NJ 2012-2014, Senior Managing Consultant
- Expert analyses and/or designated witness for over 10 construction projects ranging in size from $25 million to $800 million including schedule delays, labor productivity, design errors and omissions, contract defaults, and costs/damages.
Berkeley Research Group, Philadelphia, PA 2011-2012, Senior Managing Consultant Responsible for providing construction litigation and risk advisory services for clients across a range of industries.
- Designed a contract risk assessment strategy and led its implementation as part of an engagement with a global mining and manufacturing firm building a $400 million manufacturing facility.
- Developed multiple project analyses related to the construction of a new multi-billion dollar power plant.
Ernst & Young, Philadelphia, PA 2004-2011, Senior Manager
- Managed multiple concurrent engagement teams varying from 2-10 personnel providing project advisory services for clients across a range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, power, energy, and infrastructure. Developed and assisted in the implementation of project policies and project management manuals covering over $10 billion in projects. Served as the primary subject matter expert for risk management and project process development and improvement. Responsibilities included engagement execution, management and development (repeatedly received peer recognition as an OTJ coach) and thought leadership. Sample engagements included:
- Power utility client (portfolio > $5 billion): Provided project risk management, policies/ procedures development, project controls process improvement, contract risk, and cost management (evaluations of contractor costs and performance as well as an independent evaluation of the estimate-at-completion process) services. Team received a superior rating from client executives on each project when interviewed independently by E&Y quality assurance personnel.
- Client with $2 billion capital project: Conducted project risk assessment including overall organizational design and readiness, contracting strategy, procurement planning, and project controls. Provided ongoing process evaluations and improvements covering areas as diverse as schedule management, engineering management, change review and management, invoice and payment procedures, engineering management, health and safety, QA/ QC, and procurement.
- Global project portfolio of over 40 projects in US, South America, UK, Middle East, Asia, and Australia: Provided expert analysis to evaluate the status of overall project governance, project controls, cost estimating, risk management, and scheduling to identify key project risks and weaknesses. Provided subject matter expert opinions critical to the overall statement of project financial P/L, impacts of change orders, process and controls weaknesses, and trends such as earned value indicators.
- Port Authority (Northeastern US), $25 billion planned capital program: Performed a strategic review of contracting approaches employed across project portfolio including project risk sharing, cost management, procurement effectiveness, and market conditions/ risks.
- Healthcare system (North Carolina), $200M+ mixed new construction/ renovation expansion program: Acted as key advisor to senior management to assist in the turnaround of a project troubled by significant cost and schedule issues. Identified key project risks, process weaknesses, and improvement strategies to make the project successful.
MDCSystems, Inc., Berwyn, PA 1999-2004, Vice President
- Led and supported project analyses for multiple engagements for projects across a range of industries including power and utilities, oil and gas, water and wastewater, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. Designated expert witness for cases involving schedule delay, labor productivity, design errors and omissions, change orders and cost overruns, etc. Responsible for technical analysis, work oversight, and thought leadership.
Adler Associates., Berlin, NJ 1998-1999, Senior Associate
- Project manager responsible for sales and execution of projects.
Unisys Corporation, Paoli, PA 1994-1998, Manager, Engineering & Construction
- Managed construction and engineering activities and contracts for all sites on east coast and Puerto Rico.
ERM-EnviroClean, Exton, PA 1992-1994, Project Engineer/ Manager
- Project engineering and management for EPC and design/build contractor in the environmental, water and wastewater treatment industries.
Testimony Experience
- Washington Group International, Inc. F/K/A/ Raytheon Environmental Constructors vs. Indiana Harbor Coke Company, L.P.
- Indiana Harbor Coke Co. vs. Hartford Steam Boiler, Inspection, and Insurance Co.
- Morris Kreitz vs. Wohlson Construction, Crowe Construction, et al
Select Thought Leadership/Publications
- Projects on Purpose 2.0, book, Old Elm Tree Press, 2018
- The Project Risk Tightrope: How Savvy Owners Prevail While Others Fail, white paper, 2016
- <span”>Piecing Together the Project Puzzle, white paper, 2016
- Passing the Starting Line: Nuclear Construction Risk, published by E&Y’s Global Power and Utilities Center, October 2010
- Capital Project Delivery, Manual of Water Supply Practices, M47. American Water Works Association, 2010 (member of committee that prepared this revised manual)
- “Surviving the Perfect Storm: How will Utilities Manage the Huge Risks Facing Capital Projects?”, Utilities Unbundled, Issue 4, E&Y, 2008
- “Detecting Hidden Fee in a GMP” (w/ Peter Shannon). Paper for the 49th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE), New Orleans, LA, 2005.
- “Transforming Project Organizations Through Systems Thinking”, Paper for the 3rd International Conference on Systems Thinking in Management, Philadelphia, PA, 2004
- “Exploring Data to Detect Project Problems” (w/ William Huber). Paper for the 48th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE), Washington, DC, June 2004.
- “Margins Count: Systems Thinking and Cost”. 2003. AACE International
Education
- Villanova University, MS, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, 1996
- U.S. Military Academy, West Point, BS, Philosophy/General Engineering 1988
Military Experience
- United States Army, 1988-1992, Captain, Infantry
- Combat veteran – Desert Shield/Storm – Multiple commendations
Professional Affiliations
- Philadelphia University – Former Adjunct Professor of graduate level courses in Construction Risk Management in the Construction Management program.
- Penn State University (Great Valley) – Former Professor of graduate level courses in Project Management.
Registration
- Professional Engineer: Pennsylvania (PE – 058733E)
MDCSystems®: Your Trusted Partner for Project Issue Resolution and Expert Testimony
MDCSystems® determines and verifies facts to facilitate problem resolution during the life of a troubled project. We review and organize all available pertinent data to document technical issues, schedule performance and project management, and assist clients with document discovery, document management and strategy development for all elements of the litigation process. MDCSystems® licensed senior professionals prepare expert reports and will testify as expert witnesses in depositions, arbitrations and trials with state-of-the-art demonstrative evidence.