The Australian construction industry is the backbone of the Australian economy. Without it, the infrastructure we all use as part of our personal and working lives would not exist.
The Australian construction industry alone consists of thousands of companies and over a million workers across several professions – including architects, builders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, project managers and more. Collectively, they are responsible for the completion of countless construction projects every single year.
Due to the significant number of moving parts that are required to deliver a construction project, disputes can often arise between different parties.
How to resolve construction project disputes
In many situations, the resolution of these disputes are often aided by a variety of subject matter experts where their engagement is to review relevant facts and circumstances, and provide his or her independent expert opinion for the purposes of dispute proceedings.
This subject matter expert is referred to as a Construction Expert Witness.
Anvelo offers three types of construction expert witnesses:
- Quantum Experts
- Delay Experts
- Disruption Experts
In this article, we outline each of the above types of construction expert witnesses, explain exactly what they do, and the importance of their role in the dispute resolution process.
What is a Construction Quantum Expert?
A Construction Quantum Expert is a trusted subject matter expert in the field of construction cost calculations and analysis. Often, a Construction Quantum Expert is engaged to calculate actual or forecast costs associated with a delay and/or disruption event(s), variation(s), acceleration measures, or some other circumstance that has or will incur additional costs by a party.
What is a Construction Delay Expert?
A Construction Delay Expert is a trusted subject matter expert who can identify the root causes of why a project is delayed. The role of a Construction Delay Expert is to review and consider project facts, contemporaneous records and key events of contentious matters. His or her role is to identify and apportion project delays to their respective root causes.
What is a Construction Disruption Expert?
A Construction Disruption Expert is a trusted subject matter expert who can interrogate the performance of a constructor. He or she is able to establish uninterrupted performance (i.e good productivity) versus a period of interrupted performance (i.e bad productivity). A Construction Disruption Expert is then able to calculate the additional costs expended by a constructor in its ability to carry out works due to circumstances faced beyond the constructor’s control.
Why are Construction Expert Witnesses necessary?
Construction Expert Witnesses have a vast amount of knowledge within the industry, typically gained through years of experience working in construction. This enables them to make professional, well-informed evaluations and opinions about contentious matters.
Being an impartial 3rd party, he or she takes the bias out of the dispute resolution process. Conducting his or her own extensive research of the contemporaneous records to arrive at a conclusion (in the form of an independent expert report), based on facts and findings. He or she follows a process paved by recognised guidelines to establish the issue(s), compile the evidence that supports the issue(s), and ascertain the effects stemming from the issue(s) – whilst considering all other relevant circumstances that may influence the final results.
What are the qualities to look for in a Construction Expert Witness?
Now that you know what a Construction Expert Witness is – how do you go about finding the right one for your situation?
Given that there are three different types of expert witnesses relevant to this article, it’s important to ensure that you look for one who can handle the complexities relevant to your specific dispute. Each expert will naturally be more suited to a certain field – no two (2) experts are the same.
Factors to consider when choosing a Construction Expert Witness include:
- Recognised education, qualifications and credentials from prestigious professional bodies.
- The breadth and depth of his or her construction industry experience and whether this aligns with your construction dispute.
- His or her reputation.
- Effective communication skills, excellent service, and the ability to meet deadlines.
Here at Anvelo, our Construction Expert Witnesses embody these attributes (and more!) to provide you with the trust and competency you’re looking.
We also have up-to-date knowledge of the industry, which means you can depend on us to be at the very forefront when delivering sound and up-to-date professional services.
Check out our capability statement, which showcases some of the projects and experiences that Anvelo has been engaged with.
If you’re looking for a leading Construction Expert Witness, Anvelo is here to help you.
Anvelo experts are leaders in Consulting and Expert Advisory Services for civil, rail, building, construction and infrastructure projects across Australia and beyond.
We take the time to gain a thorough and deeper understanding of your construction dispute and provide a clear understanding of our findings. This will enable you and your team to gain a better understanding of your position.
At Anvelo, we are well-versed in what we do, and the way we do things can make all the difference.
Contact us today to see what we can do for you.