ConstructionAdvisorToday

Must Job Site Safety Responsibility Impose Unbearable Liability Exposure?

Maintaining job site safety is an extremely important function. It is also a role no one wants. Assignment of that responsibility under the contract documents is viewed – and rightly so – as a lightning rod for litigation. Someone needs to coordinate safety on the overall project, but at what cost in liability exposure?

National Fenestration Rating Council Expects Implementation of Its Independent Verification Program Document to Begin in January

Implementation of the document that will administer the National Fenestration Rating Council’s new (NFRC) Independent Verification Program (IVP) is set for next January. The program, which is designed to fulfill U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements for certification bodies, is intended to verify that Energy Star-qualified and NFRC-rated fenestration products sold in the marketplace are consistent with information listed in NFRC’s Certified Products Directory.

Expert Offers Plan for Minimizing Construction Inefficiency Problems

A slew of steps can be taken to minimize problems associated with inefficiency in construction projects, Trauner Consulting Services Inc. Director Brian Furniss told professionals attending a webinar that WPL Publishing held last week. During the event, entitled “A Case Study: Documenting and Evaluating Inefficiency,” he offered a target audience of contractors, public and private owners, subcontractors, construction managers, owners’ representatives, architects, and others the following advice for addressing inefficiency:

Is Working Without Written Change Orders Sometimes Justified?

Construction contracts almost invariably state that changed or additional work can be authorized only by a written change order signed by the project owner’s designated representative. Contractors know they act at their peril if they perform extra work without written change orders. Yet it happens all the time. Sometimes there are logical explanations.

Third Public-Comment Period for LEED 2012 Extended; Questions About Organization’s New Green Schools Initiative Addressed

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has extended the third public-comment period for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 2012, the next version of the organization’s green building rating program. Originally scheduled to close March 20, the deadline was moved to next Tuesday morning, and at least one organization is urging professionals to submit last-minute comments. Additionally, a USGBC official has addressed several questions about a new certificate initiative that is intended to make schools greener. 

Will Legal Issues Impede Building Information Modeling’s Growth?

Will legal issues impede the advancement of building information modeling (BIM)? “They certainly will,” Michael Vardaro, a partner at Zetlin & De Chiara LLP, told construction professionals attending a webinar that WPL Publishing held March 14. “I say that only because lawyers are very skeptical about doing something new. Lawyers, I think, are certainly one of the obstacles to the implementation of BIM. But, as with everybody else, lawyers will come around, and I know that there are a bunch of lawyers out there who are doing a great job in really pushing BIM, and I think that at some point we will get past the obstacles that are holding back BIM -- one of them [being] that building departments typically don’t accept submissions -- and once we do that, I think BIM will be off to the races.”

Challenging Arbitrator Impartiality

It is a common scenario. A party to a construction contract agrees to binding arbitration of disputes. There is a dispute, and it is submitted to arbitration. The party is unhappy with the result and suddenly wishes it was not binding.

During WPL Publishing Webinar, Green Building Expert Offers Advice on Integrative Project Management

One of the key components of a successful integrative project management (IPM) approach to sustainable construction is ongoing training, Triple Green Building Group Principal Kelly Gearhart told a group of construction professionals attending a webinar that WPL Publishing recently held. When executing this ongoing-training component, it is important to mitigate risk and ensure transparency, she said, addressing a target audience of public and private owners, developers, construction managers, contractors, subcontractors, consultants, architects, engineers, and facility and property managers.

AGC Reports Huge Increase in BIM Use

Use of building information modeling (BIM) has skyrocketed among those construction professionals that Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has been surveying. Firms reported using BIM technology in 35 percent of their projects last year, up from 8 percent in 2010. More than 1,300 firms, primarily from among the 20,000 general contractor or specialty subcontractor members of AGC, completed the most recent survey, which Computer Guidance Corp. helped conduct over the final three weeks of 2011.

Do Project Owners Ignore Design Professionals During Construction?

Construction contract forms published by professional associations, notably the American Institute of Architects and the American Society of Civil Engineers, detail the project administration duties of the design professional. These responsibilities range from monitoring work for compliance with the drawings and specifications to approving contractor payment applications. On paper, at least, the design professional’s role in the construction process is comprehensive.