GBA Case History Series – Case History #65 - Treat a Big Deal Like a Big Deal

Summary

The city retained the Member Firm only for periodic bay-water-sampling services for its “showcase” brownfields project. Different out-of-town firms performed the Geo and Env services. A construction-contract specification made the Member Firm the city’s environmental inspector radically altering what the Member Firm had proposed. Unaware of this change to the “boilerplate” language, the Member Firm signed the contract and forged ahead. Problems during construction led to a suit that was settled through mediation which included monetary payments by all three consultants. The city paid nothing.

Our Hosts:

• Elizabeth Brown, PE - Principal Geotechnical Engineer/JLT Consultants

Elizabeth is the Principal Geotechnical Engineer at JLT Consultants in Boise, Idaho. Elizabeth has performed and/or assisted with numerous geotechnical investigations throughout Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming managing projects, providing geotechnical design, project quality control, cost and value engineering, and evaluating geotechnical constructability issues.

• Abi Corbett – Project Consultant/SME.

Abi is a Project Consultant at SME experienced in managing a variety of steel, concrete, coatings, and nondestructive testing projects. She specializes in managing projects related to DOT fabrication quality assurance reviews but also supports project managers throughout SME’s various service groups.

Lessons Learned:

• Beware of Contractual “Boilerplate”


• Never Assume


• Be Professionally Proactive


• Beware of Projects That Contractually Exclude Continuity of Service


• Be Mindful of Joint-and-Several-Liability Risk


• Treat a Big Deal Like a Big Deal

Calls-to-action:

• Download Case History #65


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This episode was produced by the following GBA Members:

• Abi Corbett – Project Consultant/SME.


• Elizabeth Brown, PE - Principal Geotechnical Engineer/JLT Consultants


• Ryan White, PE, GE – Principal Geotechnical Engineer/Apex Companies, LLC