Congress has not yet passed crucial funding bills for the fiscal year 2024, which starts on October 1. If Congress does not act promptly, the government may be forced to shut down due to lack of funding. Congress may yet act, but the agencies and the design firms and contractors working on federal projects should... Continue Reading →
The labor movement: An ESG risk factor for design and construction
Recently, it seems like labor is having a moment, and this shift has the potential to influence various aspects of the industry. According to polls, more than 70% of Americans view labor unions favorably, which could potentially have implications that trickle into the design and construction industry. Workers across different industries are flexing their collective... Continue Reading →
Risk management strategies for volunteering in times of disaster
With extreme weather patterns transforming from rarities to regular occurrences, you are not alone in wondering how you can help affected communities in the wake of such disasters—as a design professional, however, you are especially qualified to assist. Providing voluntary or pro bono services in emergency situations can be a rewarding and impactful way of... Continue Reading →
ESG by any other name: The imperative of resilient business models
Introduction In the rapidly evolving world of business, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles might be undergoing an identity crisis, but its essence remains unshaken. For professionals in the design and construction industry, ESG underscores the profound shift in our understanding of risk and resilience in business. ESG evolution: More than just an acronym At... Continue Reading →
Revitalizing America’s heartbeat: The call to champion homegrown industry
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted on November 15, 2021, unfurled the Build America, Buy America Act. More than just words on paper, this act is a clarion call to give procurement preference on taxpayer-funded public works projects to construction materials and products produced by companies and workers in the US. However, as is... Continue Reading →
Victor blog is moving!
After nearly a decade, the Victor Risk Advisory blog will transition to a new platform as we launch our new website in late July. Moving forward, all future blog posts will be integrated into the Victor website, and we will cease publishing on WordPress once the new site is live. Further instructions on accessing new... Continue Reading →
EJCDC releases new series of documents
The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) has released the construction manager at risk document series, a completely new series for construction manager at risk project delivery method. The new document series is intended to be a comprehensive solution for the construction manager at risk (CMAR) project delivery method, which evolved from traditional design-bid-build. CMAR... Continue Reading →
ASHRAE releases new airborne infection risk mitigation standard
In an effort to assist engineers in designing healthier indoor environments for buildings, ASHRAE unveiled its new standard meant to reduce the risk of disease transmission. ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols, establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of disease transmission by exposure to infectious aerosols, the tiny, exhaled particles that can carry... Continue Reading →
Routine recording of Zoom calls can create record of negligence
In a Victor webinar on the importance of communications during a project and documentation of the communications, observations, and other project-related information, we reminded design professionals of the damage that the routine recording of internal video conferencing could cause. We also wrote about the risks in our article, “Videoconferencing Can Raise Professional Liability Exposures” (access... Continue Reading →
Unit price work in construction documents
The purpose of construction documents is to enable the contractor to provide the owner with a set price. For the contractor to establish a set price, the exact quantity of work has to be shown in the construction documents. Sometimes the exact quantity of items required for the work has not been decided or cannot... Continue Reading →