(Above photo by the Bureau of Land Management) There is great uncertainty for state agencies in the upcoming year as finances are battered by the current recession. It is unclear whether there will be meaningful support from the federal government. As states decide what programs to cut, it is likely that capital improvement projects will... Continue Reading →
To a remarkable degree, consulting firms have adjusted to the new norm under COVID-19 fairly well. The adage that “Necessity is the mother of invention” has been proven true in the last few months. All consulting firms were forced to reimagine and reorganize their business operations when the pandemic forced firms to shut down office... Continue Reading →
Using independent contractors to perform discrete, well-defined tasks on your project is one way to tap into existing talent without adding employees to your payroll. Firms typically tap their existing networks; however, they are increasingly using online platforms that function as a marketplace for firms and freelancers to find each other and strike a mutually... Continue Reading →
A study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shows that the adoption of modern building codes is averting over a billion dollars a year in structural damage in California and Florida alone. The preliminary findings of this first-of-its-kind study are expected to be formally released in August.The study calculates how much damage has been... Continue Reading →
The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) recently published revised versions of E-500, Standard Form Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services, and E-570, Agreement Between Engineer and Subconsultant for Professional Services.E-500 Main Agreement UpdatesE-500 is a comprehensive standard contract for engineering design services and related construction phase engineering and administrative services. The terms... Continue Reading →
Retail groups are reporting a spike in bike sales over the last two months as city dwellers have purchased bikes in unprecedented numbers (Editor's note: a simple account will need to be created to access the full article). With shelter-in-place orders and the use of public transportation limited due to fears of coronavirus, Americans flocked... Continue Reading →
It is certain that construction projects will be impacted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Almost immediately after states issued stay-at-home orders, contractors started putting owners on notice that they are likely to have delay claims due to the social distancing guidelines as well as expected supply chain disruptions. If you have construction contract administration responsibilities... Continue Reading →
Over the last few years we've heard the term "big data" bandied about as a development that will change the economy. It is easy to see why. We are living in an era where the processing power of everyday devices is enormous. A cell phone often has as much raw processing power as a laptop... Continue Reading →
We have blogged in the past about the arbitration vs. litigation debate. One of the issues with arbitration is that arbitrators are not constrained by statutory and case law and a trial that is governed by established rules of evidence. This has led to a perception that arbitration often leads to decisions where the arbitrator... Continue Reading →
During the unveiling of the HoloLens 2 at the Mobile World Congress on February 24, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about how the device will allow construction workers to create, view, and interact with holograms that appear as part of the physical world. The HoloLens 2 is an augmented reality headset that Microsoft is developing... Continue Reading →
