July 2008 Archives

In Construction Delay Analysis Methods, ForensisGroup expert witness Jamil Soucar writes:

Construction projects often suffer from delays due to a wide variety of reasons, which can have severe financial impact on the project. As a result, delay claims may be filed. The analysis of the delay impact with the causes and effects of the delaying activities is one of the most complicated types of claims analysis. It requires an expert with extensive knowledge of construction projects, means and methods, scheduling and the ability to develop a sound methodology to conduct the analysis. Most of these delay claims reach the expert after completion of the project. This results in a detailed intensive research of the documents to verify schedules, events, sequence of work, changes during construction and the delay impact. 

More to follow.

In When the Going Gets Tough – Analyzing Concurrent Delays, Thelen Reid's Andrew D. Ness writes that "Proving or disproving a construction delay claim is a substantial undertaking in the best of circumstances. But the analysis of construction delays takes a major leap in difficulty when there are multiple sources or causes of delay with interrelated effects." ForensisGroup can find the right expert witness for you including one who can opine on what Ness describes as:

One Activity – Multiple Delays

The most straightforward situation involving multiple sources of delay occurs when there are two separate causes of delay to a single work activity. For example, an owner-directed change may have caused a particular activity to be less efficient while at the same time the contractor may have used a smaller crew or less efficient equipment than planned to perform the work. How then is the extended duration of the activity to be apportioned between owner and contractor? Almost every impact claim contains issues of this nature. It may seem apparent that the owner-directed change had an adverse effect on the time to perform a particular activity, but whether the impact was substantial or insignificant is debatable, and it is a challenge for either side to quantify the effect specifically.

The expert witness referral service ForensisGroup strives to provide the best experts available for their clients and insure that the expert retention process is streamlined. As a result, they have developed a unique four-pronged approach to client services.

First and foremost, the people at ForensisGroup are always available to listen, provide feedback, and facilitate communication between clients and the experts / consultants. They work to ensure that the clients’ needs are met and to handle the paperwork matters which can otherwise distract the client and the consultant.

More to come regarding hiring an expert witness.

ForensisGroup, Inc. Director Mercy Steenwyk advises legal professionals to keep these things in mind when looking at expert resumes, curriculum vitae (CV’s), and profiles:

1) Many areas of expertise might be satisfied by a range of disciplines. 

Depending on the circumstance and the investigatory aims, fire cause and origin investigations may call for scientists, engineers, or skilled technicians in the building trades. Similarly, a given mold issue may be resolved by a medical toxicologist, general physician, environmental or occupational health expert, architectural engineer, or general contractor.

2) The only way to know for sure what areas of expertise an expert has is to speak with them.

No profile or resume is capable of summing up a lifetime’s professional experience. It is always beneficial to let us put you in touch with experts whose unique understanding and experience might favorably impact the outcome of your case by illuminating the technical issues involved.