Litigation Support Services

SOCOTEC regularly conducts data gathering, fact-finding, cost analyses, and damage calculations.  We understand how projects are funded, how pay requests are approved, how contractors keep their books, how to identify compensable cost overruns, and how to negotiate an equitable contract adjustment.  We are intimately familiar with and have testified on matters including: 

• Equipment Costs and Stand by Rates 
• Field Office Overhead 
• Home Office Overhead 
• Labor Rates and Burdens 
• Lost Productivity 
• Labor Efficiency 
• Material Procurement 
• Mark-ups and Pass Through Costs 
• Other General and Administrative Expenses 
• Salaries 
• Small Tools 

Our clients find us cost effective due to our hands-on experience and in-depth understanding of construction cost accounting systems. This knowledge makes us efficient when analyzing complex cost issues and allows us to provide to our clients with unique and innovative approaches to quantifying delay and disruption-related cost growth.  We develop straightforward and easy to understand damages models and we are known to develop meaningful conclusions from complex cost data. 

• Evaluation of claim pricing methods 
• Evaluation and pricing of change orders 
• Calculation of discrete event damage and impact 
• Assessment of the cost impact of delay, disruption and acceleration 
• Assistance with the review and analysis of audit rights clauses within contractor and/or owner contract agreements 
• Evaluation of job cost reports, financial statements, budgets, bid documents, and time & material tickets 
• Assistance with the evaluation of betterments 
• Assistance with the evaluation of termination costs (amounts earned at the time of termination, amounts due, and costs to complete) 

SOCOTEC professionals have lectured and taught at universities, conferences and seminars on all types of entitlement theories relative to construction contracts, and have been certified to offer continuing education credits by the MCLE, AIA, PMI, IACET, CPE, CA INS and 6-SIGMA accreditations. In addition, we have evaluated and/or have testified on claim entitlement types that have included: 

• Acceleration 
• Breach of Contract 
• Constructive Changes 
• Contract Termination (for Cause/Default and Convenience) 
• Defective and Deficient Specifications 
• Delay 
• Differing Site Conditions (Type-I and Type-II) 
• Disruption 
• Force Majeure Events 
• Implied Warranty 
• Interference and Denied Access 
• Late Owner Furnished Items 
• Labor Inefficiencies 
• Work Suspension 

Our extensive litigation experience combined with our creative approach to complex matters allows us to create graphic exhibits that illustrate the issues in a simple and easy to understand format. Our multimedia capabilities add clarity, organization, and persuasion to a presentation of the facts. 

Our services include: 

• Preparation of Exhibits and Demonstrative Graphics 
• Multimedia Presentations 
• Interactive Timelines and Schedules 
• Animated Charts and Graphs 
• Document Images 
• Photographs 
• 3-D Models 

We routinely analyze contemporaneous project records that include: contracts, bids, budgets and estimates, business plans, home office and consolidated operations accounting records, field cost records, job cost reports, change design information, order pricing, quantity and manpower reports, payment applications, production and productivity studies, scheduling data and many other documents. 

Complex projects require the capture, coordination and filing of large quantities of varied types of project documentation. SOCOTEC not only has the experience to perform this function, but also the knowledge to understand the importance of this duty and contract requirement. We know from our experience with claims that contemporaneous records are vital to the efficient management of a project, in addition to the resolution of disputes and claims. 

• Our document handling and management services include: 
• Database Set-up and Organization 
• Discovery Assistance 
• Electronic/Software Document Management and Organization 
• Hard Copy Document Management and Organization 
• Key Document and Issue File Set-up and Organization 
• Systemized Processes for Document Review and Analysis