Case Studies
J.S. Held Acquires Technorm, Québec’s Leading Forensic, Building Safety & Compliance Experts
Read MoreThe project was a significant development spanning over 80 hectares consisting of 3.5K homes, retail and commercial units, a school, a hotel, a district heating plant, a distribution center, land remediation, drainage, surface water attenuation, four-lane access bridge, distribution roads, general landscape areas, and more.
The dispute was a compulsory purchase action, and one aspect was the amount concerning the construction costs. Due to the scale of the project, a significant amount of information was exchanged between the parties, which made identifying the information relevant to the quantum exercise more challenging. At the time of commencing legal proceedings, the claimant had prepared an estimate of construction costs in the sum of £750M based on building costs per m2 for the various types of buildings and construction but with no reference to any specifications. The defendant prepared an estimate of construction costs based on a limited specification in the sum of £950M, this being £200M higher. Our team assessed the construction costs (to an agreed base date) and produced a Joint Statement with the defendant’s expert. The Order of the Court required a Joint Statement within six months, followed by the expert reports. We identified pricing information common to both estimates and further information required in the form of specifications and drawings and agreed to produce the following:
The pivotal issue was establishing and agreeing on a cost framework that would cover all types of construction units. For each type of construction unit, the document would identify the construction element (i.e., floors) with reference to the specification. We repeated this framework for over 60 different types of construction units, including residential, commercial, retail, infrastructure works, etc. Given the scale of the project, there were hundreds of cost assessments for each construction element.
Faye Allen, BSc (Hons), FRICS, PgDL, MAE
Director
Construction Advisory Practice
+44 20 4576 9038
[email protected]
> Construction Estimating
We provide detailed cost estimates for each phase of construction or remediation. J.S. Held's team has extensive experience developing cost of repair estimates for property damage and defect remediation, as well as, cost to complete estimates and cost management on construction projects from initiation through close out.
> Dispute Resolution & International Arbitration
Our experts support clients in the resolution of challenging issues that can arise in engineering and construction projects, through all forms of dispute resolution. We have an unwavering commitment to delivering the news in clear, defensible analysis and testimony addressing the issues at hand.