With experience in design, engineering and construction, Ivey Engineering professional liability claims experts review and analyze HVAC, plumbing, electrical, energy management, controls, and piping system design work to determine whether or not the designer met the standard of care. IEI performs the work on behalf of designers, contractors, owners and insurance companies.
IEI is often retained by law firms, insurance companies, contractors, facility owners, associations and design professionals. We inspect the project when possible and review the records and documents that relate to the design of the project pursuant to liability claims. IEI professional liability claims consultants determine whether the project was designed properly and then determine if there are design errors and omissions in the plans, specifications or in design administration. Errors in design administration include allegations of faulty decisions or guidance provided by representatives of the design professionals during construction.
Design errors and omissions claims may result from allegations of inadequate performance of a building system, process or product; or from injury, property damage or fire. Construction contract disputes, in the form of claims for additional compensation, often contain elements related to the quality or timeliness of the design documents or administration by the design professional. See staff pages for more information about the qualifications of our experts.
In the case of design build, where the contractor performs the design and construction, there may be less or no detail in the plans and specifications. The as-built construction may be the only evidence of the design and the only basis available to determine if the design was done properly or not. For these engagements, IEI design build experts will inspect the project or review records or other information that document the as-built conditions. Since IEI engineers have experience both as contractors and designers, the company is particularly well suited to serve as design-build consultants or expert witnesses.
Disputes also arise during construction, which provide another demand for design errors and omissions consulting. For example, when system performance or failure problems are discovered during start-up or commissioning, the contractors and designers are often at odds. The designer may point a finger at the contractor and the contractor may blame the designer. In this case, IEI may be retained to determine the cause of the problem, which party is at fault and how to remedy the problem. This sometimes results in a follow-up engagement to provide design documents (plans and specifications) and construction administration to repair the system or building.
