Advisory Services
Comprised of experienced industry professionals, our team design and implement solutions that enhance the effectiveness of client teams.
SJA’s Advisory Services team supports our clients in the formation and delivery of effective solutions to add value to the outcome of their projects.
With professional training, hands-on industry experience and highly-developed skills, our team support clients through all phases of a project; from procurement through to delivery and project finalisation. If necessary, the Advisory Services team support extends to claims and disputes through the provision of claim preparation and claim defence services, contract and insurance claims management and independent expert witness services in the resolution of disputes in all dispute resolution forums and jurisdictions.
A significant offering within the Advisory Services division is our expert witness service, led by Steve Abbott, Managing Director and founder of SJA. Steve and our in-house specialists, supported by the wider Advisory Services team, provide expert evidence in the fields of delay, disruption, cost, quantum, construction methodology, project management and construction defects.
Our Advisory Services
- Development and documentation of change control management plans and associated training
- Changes that manifest during the design development phase on D&C Contracts
- Change following issue of approved for construction documentation
- Changes that arise during or as a result of the typical request for information process
- Changes that are the subject of a principal or authorised principal representative direction, instruction or some confirmation thereof
- Changes implicit from the issue or exchange of correspondence, design documentation, other notices, sketches emails or the like or other act or action of the contract principal or its representative
- Assessment of contractor submission claims for change including compliance with contracted terms
- Review of basis of entitlement
- Assessment of quantum (cost and time) and allocation of responsibility
- Record keeping
- Reviewing and authoring contractual correspondence
- Provision of specialist support resources
- Management of client’s claims team including legal advisors, lay and expert witnesses
- Development of submission documents (in support of or defence of a claim)
- Claim negotiation support.
- Identification of training needs
- Course content development
- Course delivery, facilitation and collaboration
- Provision of ‘off the shelf’ content
- Commercial management: tender preparation, contract negotiation and closure phases
- Project commercial governance and oversight
- Supply chain contractual instrument preparation (in conjunction with client legal advisors)
- Supply chain commercial management – procurement packaging, market engagement, award, delivery management and administration and close out
- Contract special provisions drafting in conjunction with client legal advisors, negotiation and conforming documents for execution
- Preparation and submission of progress payment claims pursuant to contract requirements and relevant state security of payment (SoP) legislation
- Responding to SoP claims including the preparation of compliant payment schedules
- Identification, notification, measurement, valuation, submission, negotiation and agreement of variations and change
- Identification, preparation, submission, negotiation and settlement of claims for additional compensation (cost and time)
- Assessment of claims made (cost and time), including compliance with contracting terms in their submission
- Periodic and ongoing project commercial reporting – tender cost analysis, setting of budgets and work breakdown structures, projected cashflow, cost, revenue and cash forecasting (consistent with client governance requirements)
- Contract and commercial risk and opportunity awareness, management and forecasting of cost of risk mitigation and opportunity optimisation
- Budget management, monitoring and reporting of performance against budget in accordance with client corporate requirements
- Periodic forecast of costs to completion
- Tracking and allocation of additional revenue and cost generated by variations or change
- Margin management in accordance with client corporate governance requirements
- Project out turn cost and management of contingency, including assessment of claims risk
- Contract close out and liability finalisation
- Defect management services
- Provision of building defect inspections and forensic investigations as to cause, preparation of independent expert reports and expert witness services in relation to construction defects, remediation scope and cost quantum in accordance with relevant codes of conduct
- Forensic inspection and analysis of construction methodologies and defect causation (systemic and localised issues) and reporting to building owners and contractors
- Invasive investigation and testing of building elements, including controlled flood testing
- Construction defect identification and determination of liability in accordance with prevailing contract, specifications, Building Code of Australia (BCA) and relevant Australian Standards
- Performing building inspections and preparation of reports in accordance with relevant industry codes and standards
- Management of building defect warranty claims (commercial and residential)
- Provision of best practice construction methodology review and advice
- Preparation of independent expert reports and provision of testimony in formal dispute proceedings in various jurisdictions including before civil administrative tribunals and courts
- Identification of evidence required to support or defend claims for cost and /or time
- Identification of skill sets, and assembly of teams required for the circumstances
- Performance of cost and/or time analysis
- Assistance in the preparation of statements of claim
- Creating and maintaining the schedule of key dates and stages in the dispute process
- Coordination of the client’s claims team and technical resources
- Conducting document searches
- Formulation of questions for experts
- Support in the deposition of lay witnesses
- Support in the preparation of instructions for retained independent experts
- Assessing and reporting on the status of construction projects
- Formulating project completion plans
- Project managing projects to completion including the resolution of all claims
- Forensic project cost auditing and risk analysis
- Identification of amounts recoverable in contractual claims
- Assessment of progress claims outstanding and pending
- Calculation of amounts owing to creditors
- Expert reports and expert witness services
- Design & project management services
- Planning & programming
- Quantum analysis, quantity surveying and cost planning
- Development of procurement objectives which are linked to business objectives and over-arching governance and accountability requirements
- Assisting in decision making identifying the need to procure, the strategic reasons for procurement and defining those requirements and support processes
- Assessing market competition for capacity and capability and defining procurement scopes to maximise competition
- Development and implementation of tendering processes, including defining evaluation criteria and the subsequent assessment of tender responses and providing recommendations
- Negotiation and contract formation
- Administration of procurement contracts to final account, inclusive of dispute resolution
- Audit of compliance with contract administration requirements
- Assessment of timeliness and effectiveness of procurement activities
- Assessment of compliance with corporate governance requirements including delegations of authority
- Structured review of time and cost performance in respect targets/budgets and project schedules
- Assessment of change management process effectiveness
- Information management flow and exchange and associated record keeping
- Assessment of the use and effectiveness of proposed or in use commercial process and procedures
- Development of contracting risk strategies
- Developing and implementing relevant project controls to identify trends which highlight risk to key result areas as and when they emerge
- Development of change management process and their implementation
- Analysis of schedule, scope and cost for uncertainty
- Development of associated action plans in response to identified or emerging risks
- Project risk peer reviews designed to ensure risks have been identified and have been appropriately actioned and accountability assigned to close out
- Project risk management workshop facilitation
- Lessons learned facilitation and analysis