Turmoil in the global economy is exposing an increasing number of large projects to unprecedented productivity and financial pressures. Severe microeconomic issues can arise on projects that stem from unforeseen macroeconomic events. We discuss this evolving situation and potential mitigants below. Introduction Turmoil is defined as “a state of…
Most accountants are familiar with the first in, first out (FIFO) and last in, first out (LIFO) inventory pricing methodologies. These are also two of the most common tracing methods for forensic accounting, among other methods such as the lowest intermediate balance rule (LIBR) and pro rata method. With various…
The use of delegated design in construction, where a project’s design professional of record (DPR) assigns responsibility for a specific part of the design to the contractor, is on the rise throughout the industry. This approach, historically limited in practice to a narrow set of specialized elements like steel stairs…
How addressing contractor profits builds a stronger construction sector that can deliver better infrastructure outcomes for society. Paul Royds Director, Advisory paulroyds@hka.com +61 402 318 441 Profit has long been a whispered word in government corridors as bloated project teams, commercially compromised evaluation ensembles and acquiescent steering committees wave their…
Maintaining an expert’s independence is of utmost importance. All participants in an arbitration or court proceedings know that a situation where an expert’s independence is being questioned should be avoided. However, what is a reasonable level of caution for legal advisors to hold when working with experts? Rebecca Ruthven Associate…
As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress on November 15, 2021, BABA established a domestic content preference for federal financial assistance obligated for infrastructure projects. The domestic content preference applies to three separate product categories: (i) iron or steel products, (ii) manufactured products, and (iii)…
The current climate has made it more important than ever for suppliers to see you as their most highly prized stakeholder – but how do you compete in a sellers’ market? Marketing, communications and engagement – traditionally these aren’t words one would associate strongly with procurement. Yet over the past…
Attitudes towards women in the workplace are changing in the Gulf states – and the unlikely combination of technology and empathy can accelerate this transformation, according to pioneering female figures in construction. How women can succeed in the industry was the theme of a webinar on 22 June 2023 jointly…
ChatGPT: Revolutionary tool or dangerous shortcut? Anna Kelly - Senior Consultant - annakelly@hka.com We asked ChatGPT, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) language model developed by OpenAI, to write an article on the use of ChatGPT by damages expert witnesses. The result was 650 words of coherent and contextually relevant text produced in…
HKA, a leading global consultancy in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, expert witness and litigation support services, announces today that Andrew Flower and Matthias Cazier-Darmois have joined the Forensic Accounting and Commercial Damages (FACD) practice, as Partners based in the firm’s Paris office. These two significant appointments further strengthen the firm’s…
Managing risk effectively on the Middle East’s giga-projects will require behavioural change along with a raft of measures to pre-empt the schedule and cost overruns seen on past megaprojects in the region. This was among the conclusions to emerge from an expert panel discussion hosted by RICS and HKA, the…
By: Peter Caillard Peter Caillard asks why road construction projects suffer from the same disputes time and time again, and what can be done to straighten out the bends? Building roads for the betterment of transportation links remains a cornerstone of the economic growth strategies of many developed and developing…