DISCUSSION FORUM
Managing risk and dispute resolutionJul 2011
Paula Wallis, TunnelTalk
In the ongoing debate about managing risk and the application and operation of Dispute Review Boards (DRBs), three industry professionals gave on-camera interviews on the subject with TunnelTalk at RETC in San Francisco last month (June 2011). Each gave their insights into these increasingly important areas.
Bob Goodfellow, Vice-President, Aldea Services
With more than 20 years of tunneling experience, Goodfellow specializes in management of project risk and has project credits that include transit systems in London, New York, Washington DC, Copenhagen and Toronto, and water and wastewater tunnel projects in Columbus, Washington DC, and Chicago. He is widely published and currently serves on the Executive Committee for the American Underground Construction Association.
"Owners get into transferring all the risk and really it is a question of managing the risk properly. There are good grounds for being as open as possible. If you are clear about what you expect, if anything changes it is easier to convince Owners that it is a real change. "
Pricilla Nelson, Professor of Civil Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Nelson has a national and international reputation as an expert in geological and rock engineering, particularly within an underground construction environment. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience, has mentored many students, and has more than 120 technical and scientific publications to her credit. Nelson currently serves on the National Academy Committee on Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development and as an advisor to the National Academy's Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society.
"High cost equipment is being used to 'let technology save and protect us'. You can allow for some risk to be returned to the ground and it will perform well in many cases. This will allow a cost reduction and a perfectly fine project."
Michael Gowring, Consultant
A career in tunnel contracting has provided Gowring with the understanding and appreciation of the types of disputes that can arise during tunnel projects and contracts. He has been a member of several DRB panels including for those on the San Vicente water tunnel project in Southern California and the UNWI (Upper Northwest Interceptor) EPB sewer tunnel project in Sacramento.
"Both the Owner and the Contractor have to buy into the Disputes Review Board process. DRBs decisions are not binding, they are a tool for avoiding legal action. "
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