Are you Helping your Project Managers and Superintendents Understand your Contract?
The bidding and contract process is often totally separate from the jobsite environment. This can make it difficult for project managers and superintendents to keep track of key contract provisions, especially when the contract form in question is new to them. Since field personnel are busy with the work, and are under a lot of…
President Trump’s Tariff Acts; A ‘Major Force’ in International Trade
Recently, several clients have contacted the firm after suffering cost impacts caused by President Trump’s unexpected changes to America’s tariff schedules (“Trump Tariffs”). In one case, a sprinkler subcontractor claimed that the Trump Tariffs caused pricing for sprinkler piping to increase by 36%. The issue is who bears the risk of unforeseeable increases in material…
The Surety Has Tendered its Defense — Now What?
This is a question we sometimes get from contractors who are either on the receiving end of a payment bond claim for the first time or have deeper concerns about their current bonding relationship. An important first step is to review the fundamental difference between insurance policies (which provide coverage against the risk of defined…
Views from the Salute to the Design and Construction Industry Sponsors
Once again this year, three leading design and construction industry service providers have teamed to sponsor the Salute to the Design and Construction Industry. The GroundBreak Carolinas’ staff had three questions for each of this year’s sponsors: BB&T Construction Risk Services What are the key trends impacting your business (or client’s business)? Construction project financing…
The OSHA Inspection Part II – Site Inspection Day – You are the SUSPECT
In Part I of this article, I opened with an experience I had as a contractor when my project superintendent called and said, “A Guy Just Died Out Here!” Part II of the article provides some insight into how you might handle the OSHA site inspection after an injury. We all believe we understand criminal…
The OSHA Inspection: Part I – Preparing for a Future Inspection
Part I – Preparing for a Future Inspection For nearly 15 years, I was a contractor. I attended many safety courses and contributed to dozens of “tool box” talks. While sitting behind my desk in 2007, I received a call from one of my Superintendents. When I answered the phone, he asked if I was…
Gov. Henry McMaster Signs Pro-business Bill Reforming SC’s Automatic Stay Proceedings
Governor Henry McMaster was joined by members of the general assembly and business leaders from around the state for a bill signing ceremony of S.105, a pro-business bill sponsored by Senator Luke Rankin that protects South Carolina businesses from individuals or groups looking to delay construction projects without properly demonstrating legal grounds for doing so….
Parker Poe Consulting Expands Southeastern Influence
Parker Poe Consulting, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, is strengthening its position as a leading Southeastern government relations resource through the addition of experienced lobbyists Chuck McMullen and Amy Odom. Long serving on opposite sides of the political aisle, each with impressive records of legislative successes, Odom and McMullen are…
Blowing the Whistle on Public Construction and the False Claims Act
Contractors hoping to take advantage of incoming infrastructure spending should implement False Claims Act protections now. While promises made during a presidential campaign can’t always be taken to the bank, the construction industry is nonetheless preparing for a rise in federally-funded projects based on the Trump campaign’s promise of increased infrastructure spending. Contractors taking on…
PCL Civil Constructors Named in OBX Bridge Lawsuit
After cutting power to thousand of residents and vacationers in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, PCL Civil Constructors has been named in a class action lawsuit filed in Dare County Superior Court. The company building the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge cut power cable that resulted in the forced evacuation of people from Hatteras and Ocracoke. Local…
