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Frequently Asked
Questions
Hire a consultant early and minimize your risk.
Get an out side view of your procedures and
Projects.
Q:
I've been issued a change order request but the work may result in other costs
that I can't determine at this point in the project. Should I sign it and worry
about the other costs later?
A: Do not sign any change order that may
result in other added costs or impacts to your contract without reserving your
rights to pursue those costs at a later time. Carefully consider ALL costs that
any change order may result in before signing away your rights to
compensation.
Q:
When should I consider hiring a consultant?
A: It is advisable to
contact a consultant at the first sign that your project is not proceeding "as
planned" and your company is potentially going to incur a loss due to
actions/inactions of others on the project. A consultant can review the
situation and provide you with a plan of action to possibly minimize the
potential losses, reserve your rights to pursue any impacts/damages and advise
you how to proceed with the remainder of the contract work while minimizing
your risk. If called in early enough, it may not be necessary for the
consultant to perform any further services than this initial review.
Q:
Is my Project Tracking sufficient?
A: Your tracking system or cost
codes should be set in a manner that will allow you to document the added cost
of a change or track a specific area of work in order to compare it with a more
productive area.
Q:
How important is the project schedule?
A: A project schedule is the
map which all trades agree to follow in order to build the Project in the most
efficient manner. Changes to this schedule should be agreed to in writing with
all compensation included within the change or with a reservation of rights to
pursue any unforeseeable costs which may result from the changes. There are
also avoidable risks from delays that can result in backcharges. The majority
of contractors do not proactively manage this tool to their detriment.
Q:
My company has already incurred losses. Aren't consultants costly?
A:
While you may have incurred financial losses on the project, you may be
entitled to recover those losses as well as compensation for the required
services of a consultant. We will meet with your management team, assess the
project and assist you in determining if it would be cost effective to pursue
your changes or damages.
Q:
Doesn't a consultant perform the same services as an attorney?
A: A
consultant is a preventative measure to assist you before you incur the
sometime staggering costs of attorneys. We can assist you in compiling
documentation and other evidentiary support that may be required by the
attorneys at a portion of the legal team's costs.
Q:
What other assistance can a consultant offer my firm?
A: We can offer
risk management training for your management team, assist your staff to ensure
that the occurrences or "Changes" on a project are being adequately documented
in order to be compensated, and review "bad" projects to assist you in
determining if you are entitled to any recovery for impacts and
damages.
Q:
We never seem to be paid sufficiently to cover our real costs and/or the
disruptions of changes. What can we do to remain whole?
A: Many times
an outside perspective can assist in preventing and/or identifying all of the
costs including impacts that changes may result in.
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