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...
Beacon has compiled a list of links to useful resources and sites related to the Coronavirus Pandemic / Covid-19. We will update this page periodically as new info and resources become available. Of course, it's important for us all to stay on top of what local recommendations and guidance is being issued.
We are happy to announce that Beacon's new website has been launched. Some of the enhancements to the site include its mobile-friendly format, new content, more project profiles, event photo galleries, more information about Beacon's services and other resources...
We are happy to introduce Virginia Adams who joined Beacon's team in September of 2019. Virginia, who also goes by "Ginger," is a Project Engineer working in our Medford, MA office. Virginia is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. At Beacon, Virginia's diligence and analytical skills make her a valuable team member working on a wide variety of construction consulting assignments...
GDSNY is a leading real estate development company based in New York City. The company's principals have experience designing and developing major commercial and residential real estate projects around the world. GDSNY has retained Beacon Consulting Group to provide independent construction monitoring services for a new 11-story, 100,000-sf, Class A office building being built at the northwest corner of 7th Avenue and 28th street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Groundbreaking at the site, located directly across 28th street from The Fashion Institute of Technology, occurred in late October of 2019
The ABA's Fidelity & Surety Law Committee (FSLC) Winter Meeting was held in New York City this year on January 29-31. As in past years, Beacon co-hosted some unique networking events in conjunction with the meeting, including an evening of Music & Fun at the Bryant Park Grill ("A New York State of Mind" - see photos), an entertaining "after party" with live music at The Cutting Room, and our annual "Irish Luncheon" held at the landmark Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse (see photos). Our staff looks forward to the ABA Winter meeting every year for a lot of reasons...
