Claim Support
What is a construction claim?
In the context of the services that SJCC provides, a construction claim is any event in which the Contractor loses money at the sole fault, or partial fault, of the Owner (in the Contractor’s opinion). The process usually starts with a request for equitable adjustment, and if all attempts by you (the Contractor) fail, it then becomes a claim. SJCC helps with this entire process. It’s not easy to get an Owner to open up their checkbook. We help with expert schedule analysis and cost calculations. We can analyze production inefficiencies, cumulative impacts, impacts to corporate overhead recoup, et cetera. Give us a call!
Does SJCC provide legal services?
No, we are not lawyers. But, we know when to get them involved, and we can help find you legal representation.
Can SJCC help me all the way through the legal process?
Yes. We can offer upfront help prior to your attorney getting involved. Or, we can help with mediation and court preparation for your attorney. We can also testify on your Company’s behalf.
When do I need a lawyer and when do I need a claims consultant?
It can be tough to tell, but if you know someone who is either of the above, likely they’ll know which party you need. We certainly know and are happy to take your call.
At what point in the process should I contact SJCC for consultation on my potential claim?
Call us as soon as possible. We do not charge for initial advice on a claim. It’s better to call too early than a day too late. Often times the most important aspect of a claim is timely notification. If you wait too late to make that initial notification, you may be waiving your rights to time and cost reimbursement. Call us – we’ll help you write the notification letter!
Scheduling
Do you work for contractors, owners, or attorneys?
All of the above.
Can SJCC do my monthly updates to the Owner?
You bet. We help contractors with this monthly burden all the time.
Can SJCC schedule reviews for Owners?
Yes we can. We do submittal reviews for Owners on a regular basis.
How does SJCC charge for services?
We bill at negotiated hourly rates.
Can SJCC create baseline schedules for our construction company?
You bet. We can create a baseline for your project and then you can takeover all the updates, or we’re happy to stay on and do them for you!
Do you work in MS Project or Primavera Oracle?
We work in both.
Does SJCC do time impact analysis (TIA)?
We do TIA work. We can also take you to the next step: claim preparation.
Construction Management
Do you do public projects or private projects?
Both.
How do you charge for services?
We prefer to charge hourly for each person on your project. We usually do not charge as a percentage of the contract value, nor as a lump sum. But we would consider any mechanism you need.
Do you have cost estimating, entitlement evaluation, and negotiation personnel on staff?
Yes.
What sort of software do you use?
We can use your software, or our own controls. We usually use Smartsheet, due to its flexibility to adjust to client needs.
Do you offer constructability review services?
Yes, we really enjoy this service. It’s a great way to minimize time and cost impact on your project.
Can you help me with generating contracts for my parties?
Yes. We prefer to use ConsensusDocs for all contract writing.
Our agency requires that your firm have at least one CCM (Certified Construction Manager) on staff. Do you have one?
Yes.
Expert & Forensic Work
What sort of cases/matters has SJCC been involved in?
They have all revolved around civil construction: labor/productivity loss, schedule loss, cost overrun, and even personal injury. We’ve been called in just to provide a “contractor standard of care” position too.
What is your primary construction discipline of expertise?
We are strongest in just about anything in the civil construction arena: roads, bridges, plants, pump stations, excavations, utilities, dewatering, and shoring.
Do you have any P.E.'s on staff?
Yes. We have engineers (civil) registered in HI, WA, CA, NC, SC, TX, FL, LA, OR, and Puerto Rico.
Do you do big jobs or small jobs?
All sizes. We’ve done projects which only billed four hours, to cases which settled in the hundreds of millions. There really is not project to big or too small.
Does your staff have testimonial experience?
Yes.
Do you do insurance work and, if so, what types of losses?
Yes, we’ve worked for carriers such as State Farm, USAA, Allstate, First Insurance, and Island Insurance. This has included flood, earthquake, and wind for residential and commercial properties.
Do you have any PhD's on staff?
No. Our education spans from the ‘school of hard knocks’ to BS and MS degrees in construction management and civil engineering.
Cost Estimating
Do you estimating for owners, engineers/architects, attorneys, or contractors?
All of the above. Our approach depends on the client.
Do you know HCSS HeavyBid?
Our principal used to be an HCSS HeavyBid trainer. We do offer consultative services for HCSS HeavyBid clients (training, codebook generation, assessment of your current use and how efficient you’re using the system – things like this).
Do you do quantum calculations for claims?
Yes. Definitely. We calculate direct costs, indirect costs, extended performance, and anything else we feel is needed to support a claim.
Do you have "certified" estimators?
Our principal is a Certified Estimating Professional (CEP) by AACE, but there really is no true “certification” for estimators.
Your firm seems to work mostly in the civil construction world. Do you do building estimation?
Our strength is heavy/civil infrastructure-type work. We do building work, but only when it is a small part of the project.
What software do you use for estimating?
We are most comfortable in HCSS HeavyBid. However, we use other tools including Excel, RS Means, and Richardson’s depending on the client.
Do you provide AACE Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 estimates?
Yes we do.
Do you offer training?
Our principal used to be a Contract Trainer for HCSS HeavyBid, but currently we do not offer much training. We certainly can help you find training though.
Professional Engineering
What sort of professional engineering to you do?
Usually quick, simple, and temporary items like traffic control plans, formwork, light shoring, and just things you cannot find other engineers to do.
Do you know HCSS HeavyBid?
How many states are you registered in?
How do you charge?
Usually for traffic control plans it’s by the sheet. For other tasks it’s usually lump sum.
Do you carry professional liability insurance?
Yes. Our coverage is $1,000,000 per claim/$1,000,000 aggregate.
What's your turnaround time on tasks?
As quick as an hour, as long as two weeks. Really depends on the task at hand and how much preparation has been done.
Would you register in another state to help us?
Yes, if there was enough work in that state to justify the effort.
Do you offer drafting services?
Generally no. We ask the customer to provide drawings. We will provide calculations and hand sketches or simple PDFs to support to our work.
Contractor Licensing
How does SJCC charge for licensing assistance services?
SJCC charges by the hour for services rendered. We require a nominal deposit.
Can SJCC help maintain our licenses in multiple states?
Yes we can. We do this for multiple clients.
Does SJCC know of any RMEs that are willing to be our Company’s RME?
SJCC offers “matchmaking” services between companies and RMEs. We charge a flat fee. Please contact us!
Can SJCC help me obtain licenses in multiple states?
Yes we can. We do this for multiple clients.
How long does it take to get a Contractor’s License?
Some states it can almost be over-the-counter and take a week whereas, in the state of Hawaii it can take six to 15 months.
Can SJCC help me obtain my RME/QI designation?
Yes. We help companies get licensed as well as people obtain RME/QI licenses.
What services, exactly, does SJCC do to help me get licensed?
Each state is different in their qualification and documentation requirements and we help with all of it. We’ve done all of these things for clients: establish a business entity, pull a personal credit report, introduce a CPA to generate a certified financial statement, obtain professional recommendations, obtain notarized experience forms, help write chronological experience statements, and more. We can simply provide a list of the needed information or we can take the lead on completing all of these tasks.
Candidate Placement
Does SJCC offer 'headhunting' services?
Not really. For now, we have colleagues call in and inquire ‘if we known anybody’. We introduce parties, but we do not charge a fee for these services.
What sort of candidates do you work with?
Anyone construction-related: craftpersons, estimators, superintendents, project managers, et cetera. Give us a call!
What services do you offer?
We have colleagues call in and inquire ‘if we known anybody’. We introduce parties, but we do not charge a fee for these services.
Is SJCC hiring?
We are always looking for good people. Call, email, or text us and we’ll let you know if we have a need!