Expert Details
Engineering, Procurement, and Construction of Global Capital Ventures; Industrial and Commercial Project Development and Execution
ID: 736548
Texas, USA
Beginning as a field engineer in the construction division of Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Expert was assigned increasingly more responsible positions building power, refining and petrochemical facilities, and municipal projects on domestic and international job sites. His career path advanced through project and construction management assignments and headquarters operations positions to senior vice president, president, and corporate director appointments at Stone & Webster companies. Finally, he assisted The Shaw Group with its purchase and merger of the operations of Stone & Webster.
Since 2003, Expert has focused on serving clients and counsel in support of litigation, arbitration, and mediation of matters involving construction disputes in power, petrochemical, and commercial business sectors. In addition, engagements have involved independent and objective advisory services, expert reports, and testimony in deposition and court on a wide range of matters involving contract disputes, construction health and safety issues, procurement of industrial equipment, proprietary engineering information, engineering errors, and omissions, contractor selection procedures and management of the EPC process for mega-industrial projects.
Expert holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and professional registration in three states. He is a certified general contractor and a member of several professional associations and societies. As an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, he developed and conducted a 40-hour undergraduate course in construction management.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1968 | Degree: BS | Subject: Civil Engineering | Institution: McGill University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2018 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Managing Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:Managing the capital project advisory division. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2007 to 2020 | Employer: Accumyn Consulting | Title: Managing Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:Managing litigation support for the construction division. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2005 to 2007 | Employer: LECG, LLC | Title: Director | Department: Construction Services |
Responsibilities:Litigation support services for design and construction engagements. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2000 to 2001 | Employer: Shaw/Stone & Webster, Inc. | Title: Vice President, S&W International, Inc.; Engineering Director; Manager of Projects | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:Manage project management department and client relations. Power, refining and petrochemical sectors. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1999 to 2000 | Employer: Shaw Constructors, Inc. | Title: Vice President of Projects | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:Oversee construction projects. Staffing, controls, client relations, claims and dispute resolution. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1981 to 1999 | Employer: Stone & Webster Inc. | Title: SVP Stone & Webster Process Technology and Project Services; VP Stone & Webster International, Inc.; Construction Operations Manager; Director of Procurement; Senior Project Manager. | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:Senior Vice President Stone & Webster Process Technology & Project Services; Vice President, Stone & Webster International, Inc; Construction Operations Manager, Director of Procurement, Senior Project Manager, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Houston, 1994 to1999.• Deputy Manager, SAW Constructors, Inc, 1993 to1994. • Vice President and Manager of Projects, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Houston, 1990 to1993. • Corporate Director, President and General Manager, DSS Engineers, Inc. (a S&W Subsidiary), Senior Vice President, Stone & Webster Environmental Services, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, 1985 to 1990. • Project Manager; General Superintendent of Construction, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Houston, 1981 to 1985. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1979 to 1981 | Employer: The Litewn Corporation | Title: Site Manager | Department: Construction |
Responsibilities:Available upon request. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1968 to 1979 | Employer: Stone & Webster Inc. | Title: Assistant Superintendent of Construction; Senior Resident Engineer; Field Engineer. | Department: Construction |
Responsibilities:• Assistant Superintendent of Construction, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Port Arthur, TX, 1977 to 1980.• Senior Resident Engineer; Assistant Superintendent of Construction, Stone & Webster Construction, Ltd., Iran, 1975 to 1977. • Field Engineer; Senor Field Engineer; Resident Engineer, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, Indianapolis, IN, and Beaumont, TX, 1968 to 1975. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 1975 to 1977 | Country / Region: Iran | Summary: Construction of an amonia and urea plant. |
| Years: 1993 to 1994 | Country / Region: Abu Dhabi | Summary: Construction of an oilfield enhancement and power project. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Project Management Institute (PMI) Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) Dispute Review Board Foundation (DRBF) |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| Registered Professional Engineer, Texas, Florida and Indiana. Certified General Contractor, Florida Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant, Forensic Expert Witness Assoc. ( FEWA). Certified Threshold Inspector, Florida TRCC Residential Construction Inspector, Texas FEWA Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| National Vice President, Forensic Expert Witness Association National Board Member, Forensic Expert Witness Association President, Forensic Expert Witness Association, Houston Chapter Adjunct Professor, Construction Management, University of Houston |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Panel Member, Construction Industry Institute Dispute Prevention & Resolution Webinar Direct Testimony, Q&A Style – an Alternate Process, Forensic Expert Witness Association Quarterly In-House Testimony vs. Retained Expert Witness Services, presented at the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) seminar, Texas. Panel Member, Construction Industry Institute Dispute Resolution Panel, Product Implementation Workshop Introductory Presentation, Stone & Webster Refining Seminar and NPRA Q&A Conference Introductory Presentation, Stone & Webster Ethylene Forum, The Hague |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Deposition testimony: 7 Court Testimony: 5 SELECTED ENGAGEMENTS – CONSULTING AND LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES (2003 TO PRESENT) • Consulting expert litigation support services regarding building code and ADA standards compliance related to a slip and fall accident, TX (2020 ongoing). • Inspection, replacement cost estimate, and expert report on a contractor’s proposal related to valuation of a damaged pre-engineered metal building in TX • Provision of project management advisory services in support of litigation involving a global engineering and construction contractor’s delay and cost overruns experienced during construction of four nuclear power generation units • Conducted an independent claim validity review of engineering errors and omissions attributed to a national engineering contractor during the construction of an 800 MW combined cycle power plant near Ashkelon, Israel. • Retained to prepare an expert report and testify at deposition and court on management of the engineering and construction process for a gas processing plant. • Retained to testify regarding engineering and construction management defects during construction of a 33-story condominium in TX. • Retained to prepare an expert report and testify at arbitration of alleged design and construction defects in a pre-engineered steel building in TX • Consulting services addressing engineering and process safety management requirements for disputed process equipment installations at a gas processing and fertilizer terminal facility in TX. • Expert consulting services in a shareholder class action lawsuit on unit-price contracting practices by a major EPC contractor fabricating modules for petrochemical facilities in northern Alberta. • M&A due diligence consulting for a national field services provider to the energy industry, involving site inspection of plant and equipment, safety and quality operations, and project execution at three modular fabrication facilities in the Pacific NW. • Consulting services in support of arbitration of a dispute between partners in a Houston chemical plant regarding the fair market value of a partnership interest in a Propylene Oxide/Styrene Monomer plant. • Letter report to counsel regarding a design and construction error and omission dispute with an estimate of structural repairs to a 234 unit condominium resort complex in TX. • Expert report, written testimony and hearing testimony to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor on project and construction management of a first of a kind of its size integrated gasification combined cycle generating facility under construction by a major regulated utility in IN. • Expert witness report and deposition and court testimony in a bankruptcy matter regarding damage or injury to removed improvements constructed at a high purity isobutylene unit in TX. • Litigation support, witness statement and deposition testimony in a matter involving alleged errors and omissions by the engineer of record for a roadway project in TX. • Expert witness services and affidavit report in a contract dispute involving alleged errors and omissions by an architect firm designing a parking garage for a hotel/condominium complex in TX. • Analysis, expert report, and testimony in a shareholder class action on customer satisfaction, quality, and on-time delivery performance of a leading supplier of pumps, valves, and seals to refining, petrochemical, power, industrial, and utility contractors and users during a period of integration of acquired competitor operations, (four years). • Expert witness report providing independent opinion on industry practice for compliance with sales contract terms in supply of marine fuel alleged to have contaminated machinery aboard an ocean-going vessel. • Litigation support services for analysis of project and business interruption expenses related to demobilization and remobilization of field operations during construction of a hospital’s suburban outpatient clinic in TX. • Consultation to Goldman Sachs on the contractor selection process for world scale refining and petrochemical projects planned in the Middle East. • Consulting services in support of arbitration of a dispute between partners in a Houston chemical plant regarding the fair market value of a partnership interest in a Propylene Oxide/Styrene Monomer plant. • Consulting services in support of litigation of a dispute between operators of offshore production equipment regarding damages caused by Hurricane Ivan events in the Gulf of Mexico. • Expert witness statements and mediation testimony related to disputed engineering errors and omissions by the engineer of record claimed by the owner of a 630 MW cogeneration facility in South Carolina. • Expert witness statement and hearing testimony in a United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) international arbitration to resolve disputed design changes and worksite access issues between a European marine contractor and a US general contractor installing a deepwater platform offshore West Africa. • Expert reports, deposition testimony, and consultation with counsel on procurement management, change order management, management of confidential information, and subcontracting practices related to a dispute between a prime contractor and its equipment supplier for a tension leg platform project offshore Angola, (three years). • Expert witness consulting services for a major US refinery operator in an occupational illness case involving asbestos contamination leading to mesothelioma. • Consulting services in support of litigation on OSHA regulation compliance related to a falling object matter at a high-rise commercial construction project in Louisiana. • Deposition and court testimony related to a contract management and payment dispute between a prime contractor and the owner and its engineer of record for a 730 MW gas turbine generator power plant project near TX. |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Adjunct Professor, 40 hr. Construction Management course, University of Houston. |
| Vendor Selection |
|---|
| Procurement Manager, Stone & Webster Process Industry, Houston, 1997-1999. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
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| REPRESENTATIVE PAST PROJECTS – ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS • Manager of projects; front end process development and economic feasibility study for a crude refinery proposed by Refineria Sebastopol, Colombia; engineering and procurement of a 760 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant for Entergy Power Group; program management services for a gas processing plant upgrade contract for ADGAS, UAE; and engineering completion for the 730 MW Wolf Hollow Power Project for AES, TX. • Vice president of projects and project manager; construction of the 1100 MW Midlothian combined cycle gas turbine power plant for American National Power TX, and project director; engineering and procurement of the 1000 MW Freestone combined cycle gas turbine power plant for Entergy Power TX. • Vice president of projects; construction of the Orion Refinery expansion project for Orion Refining Corporation, LA. • Construction operations manager; engineering, procurement and construction of three ethylene cracking furnaces. • Project director; engineering, procurement and construction of the Ras Tanura Refinery utilities upgrade project for Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia. • Project sponsor; owner’s engineer and program management contract, Mina Abdullah and Mina Ahmadi Refinery upgrades for KNPC, Kuwait. • Headquarters procurement department manager and manager of construction • Project director; engineering procurement and construction management of an oilfield enhancement and power project for ADCO, Abu Dhabi, UAE. • Construction manager; engineering, procurement and construction of three olefins unit upgrade projects, Mobil Chemical Corporation, TX • Vice president and manager of projects; engineering, procurement and construction management of a 600,000 TPY olefins plant for Thai Olefins, Reyong, Thailand; two gas processing plants (GPP 3&4) for Petronas, Malaysia; and a five-year pipeline program management project for Saudi Aramco • Project director; emergency generator inspection services at the Turkey Point Nuclear Station for Florida Power & Light, FL • Principal in charge; environmental clean-up and remediation of turnpike fuel tanks for the Florida Department of Transportation, FL • Principal in charge; design of Dade County solid waste fleet maintenance facility for Dade County Solid Waste Department, FL • Project Director; owner’s engineer services for engineering and construction management services for seven remote area desalination plant projects, Water & Electricity Department, Abu Dhabi, UAE • Principal in charge; Flamingo Road widening and bridge construction for the Florida Department of Transportation, FL • Project manager; engineering, procurement and construction management of the Marjan gas/oil separation plant for Aramco, Saudi Arabia • Site manager; construction of refinery wide energy conservation modifications for Texaco, Port Arthur, TX • Site manager; construction of an upgrade of three crude processing units for Union Oil Corporation, TX • Senior resident engineer; construction of a light olefins unit (LOU-1) for Texaco Petrochemicals, TX • Resident engineer and assistant superintendent; construction of the Bandar Shahpur fertilizer complex for Shahpur Chemicals Company, Bandar Mashar, Iran • Resident engineer; construction of an ethylene unit expansion project for Mobil Chemicals, TX • Senior field engineer; construction of a 420 MW coal fired power plant for Indianapolis Power & Light, IN • Field engineer; headquarters constructability for Millstone, Maine Yankee, and Shoreham nuclear power plants, MA • Field engineer; construction of a 240 MW coal fired power plant for Wisconsin Electric Power Company, WI |
Fields of Expertise
construction risk management, labor management, mega project, capital project management, EPC process, industrial construction, construction schedule analysis, construction estimating, construction contracts, front end engineering, FEED process, detailed engineering and design, coal fired, gas turbine, power generation, nuclear, OSHA regulations, construction standards, RAGAGEP, general engineering standards, subcontract administration, measured mile, construction labor relations, risk register, HAZOP, start up and commissioning, P&ID, critical path, civil engineer, ethylene cracker, certified general contractor, oil fired, heat recovery steam generator, HRSG, Robert James James, Robert James, construction rigging, pipe erection, steel erection, schedule acceleration, constructive acceleration, post tensioning, construction specifications, AIA contract, fast tracking, total float, schedule float, RFI, incident rate, claims and disputes, claim preparation, troubled project, cardinal change, claim analysis, cumulative effect, no damage for delay, schedule delay, A201, fragnet, termination for convenience, force majeure, revamp, Severin Doctrine, pull planning, last planner, as-built, time impact analysis, impacted as planned, Eichleay formula, design bid, design bid build, project delivery method, work package, baseline schedule, baseline estimate, project controls, site investigation, schedule crashing, concrete mix, slump test, concrete vibration, concrete cracks, concrete strength, AIA documents, shop drawings, project procurement, quantity surveyor, time unit rate, network diagram, precedence diagram, unit cost, open shop, merit shop, closed shop, labor union, building trades, mechanical completion, subcontract, steel fabrication, vessel fabrication, vendor drawing, shop drawing, purchase order, business interruptionmetal coating, downstream, mid stream, upstream, offshore, impact statement, leak, subsurface, workmanship, hydrotesting, pneumatic testing, loss of productivity, combined cycle, temporary facilities, scaffolding, multiple effect, railway construction, gross mismanagement