Beacon Consulting Group has extensive experience undertaking construction defects assessments for insurance companies and sureties. One example of our experience in this area is a project we did for an insurance client which entailed claims review, construction defects assessment, and other construction consulting services related to structural issues found at a student housing / apartment complex located in Charlotte, NC. The associated project consisted of the construction of five new buildings containing a total of 189 apartments. These apartments are used primarily for student housing. During a large party in one of the units, the ceiling began to sag. As a result, it was discovered there were deficiencies in the wooden structural trusses.
In early June, Beacon Consulting Group joined with other members of the Philadelphia Surety Claims Association (PSCA) to contribute $10,000 to Philabundance, a charity committed to fighting hunger in the greater Philadelphia area. The PSCA donation will help to provide 20,000 meals to those in need in the Philadelphia area. Founded in 1984, Philabundance is a proud member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks leading the fight against hunger in the United States.
I hope this message finds you well and that things are beginning to feel more normal in your area. As the first half of 2020 comes to a close, we are living in a much different world compared to just 4 months ago. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to drastically change how we live and work. In the construction industry, we saw many job sites close down for weeks or months starting in early March, with re-openings varying on a state by state basis. As we enter the summer, many states have already given the green light for construction projects to restart. In some areas, construction never stopped (unless a project was directly affected by on-site personnel catching the virus). However, the pandemic continues to have a major impact on the industry...
Mike Kinahan joined Beacon's team in 2008, starting as a Project Engineer in Beacon's Medford, MA office. Over the past 12 years, Mike has developed into a highly seasoned construction consultant and a valuable member of Beacon's team. His experience has grown to include a wide range of construction project consulting engagements within the transportation, residential, commercial, education, recreation, government, municipal, and infrastructure sectors. Mike has extensive experience helping Surety companies with bond-default-related matters, including project assessments, bond claim analysis, project re-lets, and construction completion management...
Beacon was recently hired by a leading Surety company for a very unique bid review project, related to hull repairs on a retired WWII battleship. John Yeung led the bid review project for Beacon, which is described below. The USS North Carolina is a decommissioned World War II battleship which is now a Museum Ship and a National Historic Landmark docked in Wilmington, NC. The battleship, which is more than 728 feet long and has a displacement of 36,000 tons, was built at the New York Naval Shipyard (later renamed The Brooklyn Navy Yard) between 1937 and 1941. After the U.S. was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the ship was activated for the war effort, first in the Atlantic and then in the Pacific, where it engaged in numerous campaigns and even survived a torpedo attack by a Japanese submarine. After Japan surrendered in 1945, the ship helped to transport American troops back to the U.S...
Although Covid-19 has affected various parts of the country with different levels of severity, it's now critically important to have a Covid-19 action plan at many construction sites—at least until the pandemic subsides or a vaccine is developed. In addition to protecting on-site personnel, helping to stem the spread of the virus, and complying with local, state, and federal directives, it's necessary to have an appropriate Covid-19 policy and action plan for financial and liability reasons. Preventing an outbreak on the job site not only helps to keep workers safe, but can help prevent a construction project from being shutdown by local authorities. Beacon's team can help developers, contractors, Surety companies and other stakeholders by reviewing (and/or helping to develop) Covid-19 action / response plans. At a high level, a good Covid-19 policy and action plan consists of all of the following...
Like many industries, the construction industry has been significantly affected by the current pandemic. In some areas, construction projects were shutdown for weeks or months, leading to significant delays and the push-back of project milestones and completion dates. In addition, slowdowns in material deliveries, new job site procedures, and personnel exposure to the virus have further impacted schedules. All of these factors can put financial strains on developers, GCs, and subcontractors and can potentially lead to disputes with project owners who may seek liquidated damages or other contract-specified penalties for late completion of a construction project...
In late January of 2020, The Pestana Hotel Group opened its 100th hotel, Pestana Park Avenue. The 27-story, 96-room, 39,964-sf hotel is located on East 39th Street at the corner of Park Avenue in New York City. Pestana is Portugal's largest multi-national hotel chain, with properties located in 16 countries on four continents. Starting in late 2017, Beacon Consulting Group was retained by a leading international bank to provide construction loan monitoring services related to the project. For more than two years during the hotel's construction, Beacon's team helped the bank to keep a close eye on progress of the hotel's construction. Beacon project engineers visited the construction site on a regular basis, communicated closely with the team managing the project and provided regular "draw-down reports" to the bank...
To help our clients and partners keep up to date with the impacts Covid-19 is having on the construction industry, we are compiling links to new and recent news articles. Visit this news page regularly to see what is happening in various states...
Our thoughts go out to the many people impacted by the current pandemic, especially those battling the illness and the medical personnel on the front lines helping those who have become sick. Like many of our clients and partners, Beacon's construction consulting team has transitioned to remote working as of Monday March 16th. With the exception of specific consultants (who must help monitor or manage active construction projects), Beacon's team members are working remotely from home. We have cut out all non-essential business travel. Any Beacon team members who must go on site are taking all recommended precautions to stay safe. We have also added a page on our website to post links to useful Coronavirus resources as they become available...
