Forensic Analysis of a $500MM Construction Project

Overview

Hartman Strong Hartman has just finalized their forensic analysis of a recently completed $500M high-tech ground-up construction project.  It was an extremely fast-track design-build project, constructed for a very sophisticated and savvy owner.  With over one-million square feet, the building incorporates a significant semiconductor manufacturing, a large data center, a complex campus-scale utilities plant, and a seven story office tower; each floor being 100,000 square feet.  The building programming and design is an extraordinarily complex.  This type of project required a global-scale construction company to coordinate the complex design, manage the construction project risks, and provide the financial capacity to complete the project in less than 18 months.  The project was substantially complete approximately seven weeks later than originally scheduled.  Even so, the successful completion of this project is a remarkable achievement and has earned the trust and respect of the largest semiconductor company in the world.

Problem

Hartman Strong Hartman was contracted by the General Contractor to perform an analysis of the project; focusing on the reasons for the delays and subsequent cost impacts.  Specifically, to evaluate each of their prime subcontractor performance.  The goal was to provide the client with the causations of project impact and the subsequent recommendations for contract equitable adjustments.

Solution

Hartman Strong Hartman reviewed ten (10) months of extensive project documentation; emails, meeting minutes, subcontractor field reports, failed inspections & non-compliance reports, and any other pertinent project communication as required for our determination.

Furthermore Hartman Strong Hartman performed a time-impact analysis of the project’s 9,000-activity project schedule.  This project schedule had upwards of twenty (20) contractual milestones; each with their own critical path.  The task was to segregate the schedule into fragments that appropriately confirmed these project delays.  The subsequent analysis demonstrated which of the subcontractors’ lack of performance was the causation attributable to the project delays and impacts.
With this review of the applicable project documentation, and the determinations of schedule impact and their relevant attributable causation, Hartman Strong Hartman provided their client with our proportional recommendations for equitable adjustments to their subcontractor contracts.