risk management Archive

The terms, Design-Assist and Design-Build, are frequently used by the construction industry in recent years. While they sound similar, they could not mean more different things. Design Assist Under Design-Assist, the construction team, often including key subcontractors, is engaged by the owner to collaborate with the design professional during the design phase to improve constructability […]

Contractors and Subcontractors who regularly work together frequently favor a Master Subcontract Agreement that sets forth the basic legal terms of the relationship regardless of Project, and an individual Project Work Order setting forth the scope and price on every discrete job. This saves time and hassle wrangling about subcontract language on a project-by-project basis. […]

There are two ways in Ohio that a claim for building defects is barred by time: the statute of limitations and the statute of repose. The statute of limitations is the period of time for a party suffering harm to file a lawsuit. In Ohio the contract statute of limitations on construction claims was 15 […]

Many owner-developers choose to forego requiring a Performance and Payment Bond from their contractors in the hope of shaving another 1%-2% from the project cost. However, current market conditions suggest that owners rethink that decision. The current industry environment consists of busy contractors competing for a limited labor pool, and struggling to meet ambitious project […]

The Court of Claims has ruled that the State of Ohio “Article 8” dispute resolution process applies to the surety in a takeover situation following a contractor default (Berkley Insurance Company v. Kent State University, Case No. 2018-00579JD). The trial court found that the surety had not timely initiated the “Article 8” claim process, and […]