Spire Consulting Group is an industry leading construction management consulting firm that provides professional services to companies within the construction and engineering industries. Spire's construction management consultants collaborate with its clients to help them exceed industry standards and improve performance. Serving a wide range of industries and construction projects worldwide, we blend diverse expertise with keen foresight to facilitate projects and mitigate risk. Whether you're an owner, contractor, attorney, surety or other construction professional, we can assist you in achieving project success, from the ground up. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com Copyright 2009 Spire Consulting Group, LLC Spire Consulting Group proudly sponsored The University of Texas CLE Construction Law Conference at the Belo Mansion in Dallas, Texas, September 22nd - 23rd. The conference is an annual event attended by leading construction and real estate attorneys, dispute resolution experts and members of the development community. Spire also participated in the conference as an exhibitor. Other sponsors and exhibitors included: • Brown McCarroll, L.L.P. • Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal L.L.P. • CCA, LLC • Nautilus Consulting, LLC • Nelson Architectural Engineers, Inc. • Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. For more information about the conference or to purchase the conference materials please click here. http://spireconsultinggroup.com/11-09-Spire-Sponsors-The-University-of-Texas-Construction-Law-Conference.html Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:20:51 PDT Spire Consulting Group's principal, Anthony Gonzales, has been selected to give a presentation with Gerry of Stovall of Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. at the upcoming University of Texas CLE Construction Law Conference at the Belo Mansion in Dallas, Texas, September 22nd - 23rd. The presentation titled, “The Use and Enforceability of Liquidated Damage Clauses,” will address the numerous issues to consider in order to successfully draft and enforce liquidated damage clauses. From determining if your clients’ damages are a penalty or a reasonable forecast, to understanding how various construction scheduling issues impact the application of liquidated damage clauses, this session provides an overview of how these types of clauses can be enforced or invalidated. Other speakers include Jason Spencer of Ford Nassen & Baldwin P.C., Joe Davis of Brown McCarroll, L.L.P., Brett Lamb of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP and Ian P. Faria of Coats Rose Yale Ryman & Lee, P.C. The conference is an annual event attended by leading construction and real estate attorneys, dispute resolution experts and members of the development community. For more information about the conference or to register please click here. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/11-07-Anthony-Gonzales-to-Speak-at-UTCLE-Construction-Law-Conference.html Fri, 29 Jul 2011 03:00:05 PDT Spire Consulting Group congratulates Dana Fetrow and the San Francisco Bay Area Section of AACE International for receiving the President’s Circle Award. Dana Fetrow, a managing consultant with Spire, is also the outgoing President of the San Francisco Bay Area Section and the current Director of the 2012 Western Winter Workshop. The President’s Circle Award is the highest level of the Outstanding Section Award category given by AACE International. For more information please visit: http://www.aacei.org http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/11-06-San-Francisco-Bay-Area-AACEI-Award.html Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:57:28 PDT Spire Consulting Group proudly sponsored the AACEI 50th Annual Western Winter Workshop presented by the San Francisco Bay Area Section in Pebble Beach, California. The Western Winter Workshop showcased the very latest in project controls tools and techniques and was attended by industry professionals and owners representing over $300B in capital management programs. The workshop was held February 2-6, 2011 at the Pebble Beach Resort and consisted of 30 technical presentations given by the industry’s leading cost professionals from the following representative companies: Parsons Brinckerhoff Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority ARES Corporation Acumen San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Navigant Consulting, Inc. U.S. Cost ARCADIS Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemicals Bay Area Toll Authority Hill International Oracle Corporation Texas Department of Transportation New York State Department of Transportation San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency For more information please visit: http://www.aaceisf.org/WWW_2011.html http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/11-02-04-AACE-International-Western-Winter-Workshop.html Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:43:36 PST Texas Construction (a regional publication of McGraw-Hill) recognized Spire Consulting Group's Principal, Anthony Gonzales, as a "Top 20 Under 40 A/E/C Professional" and a leader within the industry. An independent panel of judges selected the 20 winners from top firms in Texas representing the architecture, engineering and construction industries. "I'm humbled and honored to be accepting this award. To be recognized by professionals in our industry as a leader is truly a great accomplishment." - Anthony Gonzales Editors of the industry recognized magazine asked what challenges the industry faced and how each person planned to manage/deal with each challenge. Mr. Gonzales responded, "the struggling economy and increased global competition are challenges that will require firms of all sizes to continue to reinvent themselves to ensure success. One of the most effective ways our firm, clients and strategic partners are accomplishing their reinvention is to redevelop and implement processes and control systems to reduce costs, improve productivity and ensure quality. As the economy rebounds those firms that reinvented themselves will be stronger and able to accomplish more with less. " The article will be published by McGraw-Hill in early 2011. Editor's Note: To arrange an interview with Anthony, please contact us at +01 (512) 637-0845. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/10-12-22-Top-20-Under-40-Anthony-Gonzales.html Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:31:52 PST Spire is a proud sponsor of the 2010 Commercial Interiors Contractors Awards (CICA) in San Francisco, California. The goal of the CICA Foundation is to reward examples of exceptional accomplishments by a contractor that represent “above and beyond the call of duty” in the course of their project preconstruction support and/or execution. Judges for the CICA Awards base their evaluation of the nominated projects on five major factors: Constructability Enhancements, Value Engineering, Schedule Revisions or Noteworthy Accomplishments, Project Innovation and Quality of Execution. An Award Winner and First Runner Up was selected in each of the following numbered categories: Southern Bay Counties Project 1. Corporate Tenant Improvement 2. Building Lobby Northern Bay Counties Project 3. Corporate Tenant Improvement 4. Building Lobby All Bay Area Counties Project 5. Academics, Institutional & Public Space 6. Health Care & BioTech 7. Hospitality, Restaurant & Retail 8. LEED CI The event was held at the Julia Morgan Ballroom-Merchants Exchange located at 465 California Street. The CICA Foundation expected between 600 to 800 attendees from the Owner, Developer, Real Estate, and Architectural communities. For more information please visit: http://www.cica-sf.com/index.html http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/10-10-27-Commercial-Interiors-Contractors-Awards-(CICA).html Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:03:33 PDT Spire principal was selected to give a presentation at the Managing Construction Projects Seminar at the Holiday Inn Hotel San Antonio Downtown - Market Square on August 19, 2010. The Seminar addressed how to use project scheduling to your advantage, how to efficiently manage cost issues, how to handle lien and bond issues, and how to survive today's economic challenges. Spire's Principal presented on, "Developing and Managing the Schedule" and "Managing and Developing Construction Costs." Some of the highlights included: Proactively Monitoring Cost Scheduling Basics – CPM Schedule Updates and Revisions Analyzing the Project Schedule Presenting a Delay Claim Other speakers at the seminar included William Sommers with The Gardner Law Firm, Luke Beshara and Elliott Cappuccio with Pulman, Cappuccio, Pullen & Benson, LLP and Donald Young, private practice. If your firm or organization would like for Spire Consulting Group to host a seminar or presentation, please feel free to contact us for more information. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/10-08-19-Developing-and-Managing-Construction-Cost-and-Schedule.html Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:59:19 PDT Representative Risk Management Project - Infrastructure Spire's consultants are providing construction risk management services for a governmental agency and an international program manager on a $400 million infrastructure project in Canada. The multi-lane highway bisects one of Canada's largest cities and will be constructed over a five year period. Spire is modeling anticipated risk scenarios based on multiple cost and schedule impacts that could occur during construction. Representative Risk Management Services Risk Identification International Risk Assessments Schedule and Cost Forecasting Decision Risk Analysis Construction Risk Monitoring Please contact us for additional information on our risk management services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/risk-management-project.html Sun, 29 Aug 2010 04:19:10 PDT Delay presentation at Journeyman Construction, Inc. annual corporate meeting at the University of Texas Club on September 18, 2009. The one-day event consisted of several in-house presentations by key management personnel on specific company issues. Selected experts were also invited to discuss industry standards of interest to the company. Spire's consultant presented on "Delay Documentation & Schedule Tips for Contractors" to an audience of project managers, superintendents, foreman, cost esimators, schedulers and office administration staff. Some of the highlights included: The use of schedules as an effective project management tool Implementing effective schedules Development of a schedule basis Development of a periodic schedule narrative Please feel free to contact us should your company require an independent perspective on industry standards at an upcoming event. Spire Consulting Group, LLC exists to mitigate construction risk by providing proactive and forensic consulting services for companies across the world. As a multi-disciplined construction engineering consulting firm, Spire has advised clients on almost $30 Billion in construction around the world. From front-end planning to litigation support, we assist our clients in overcoming complicated situations from the ground up. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/09-09-18-Journeyman-scheduling-presentation.html Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:17:33 PDT Critical Path Method Schedule Development - Cement Manufacturing Facility Project Spire developed, updated and analyzed construction CPM schedules for a major subcontractor working on the largest single-kiln cement factory in the world. Valued at nearly $1 Billion, the facility will be capable of producing 4 million metric tons of cement per year upon completion and supply the Midwest regional market from the Gulf Coast to Minnesota. Spire's scheduling services led to the effective coordination and sequencing of the work force. Representative CPM Schedule Services Critical Path Method (CPM) Schedule Development Please contact us for additional information on our CPM schedule development services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/cpm-schedule-project.html Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:27:26 PDT Representative Program Advisory Project - Corporate Headquarters Spire's consultants provided program advisory services for a private firm on a multi-million construction project in Texas. Serving as the firm's corporate headquarters, the mid-rise facility consisted of approximately 75,000 square feet of new construction on 30 acres. Spire advised the client on contract, cost, schedule and risk-related issues before and throughout construction. Representative Program Advisory Services Program Management Schedule Oversight Contract Risk Analysis Schedule Forecasting Budget Analysis Please contact us for additional information on our program advisory services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/program-advisory-project.html Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:25:20 PDT Representative Cost Estimating Project - University Stadium Spire's consultants provided cost analysis and estimating services for a major public university. Spire's evaluation was used to determine the validity of construction renovation costs for a multi-million dollar stadium. The renovation consisted of expanding a 15,000 seat football stadium to include over 250 new premium seats in 15 suites and 436 premium club seats in a two level structure erected above the current stadium Press Box. Representative Cost Analysis & Estimating Services Cost Estimating Value Engineering Analysis Cost Management Please contact us for additional information on our cost analysis and estimating services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/cost-estimating-project.html Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:13:30 PDT Spire's consultants assisted a major California based contractor and equipment vendor in evaluating and quantifying schedule delays and disruptions for a multi-million dollar waste water treatment plant. Spire's analysis included review of contemporaneous schedules, construction documents and interviews with project personnel to determine actions/inactions that led to delays and disruptions. Spire's findings assisted with the successful resolution of the claim prior to arbitration saving the client thousands of dollars. Representative Delay & Disruption Analysis Services Schedule Delay Analysis Construction Claims Analysis Claims Identification Please contact us for additional information on our schedule delay analysis services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/schedule-delay-quantification-project.html Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:02:45 PDT Spire's construction consulting experts analyzed and evaluated alleged construction defects for a multifamily highrise residence. Spire's construction experts evaluated the performance of various parties as it pertained to incurred water intrusions to the $25 million. Representative Construction Defect Services Construction Defect Analysis Standards of Care Evaluation Construction Expert Witness Please contact us for additional information on our construction defect consulting services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/construction-defect-analysis-project.html Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:53:29 PDT Spire's construction engineering consultants provided cost and schedule evaluations to validate the general contractors estimates and timely delivery of the projects. Spire's analysis included quantification and costing of materials and labor and an explanation of discrepancies. The analysis involved a detailed review of the project drawings and other project documentation such as engineering specifications and job cost reports. The project included evaluation of over $20 Billion dollars of construction costs to be allocated over 15 years. Representative Due Diligence Services Project Due Diligence Material, Labor & Equipment Cost Escalation Strategic Asset Management Cost Forecasting Mergers & Acquisition Please contact us for additional information on our due diligence consulting services. http://www.spireconsultinggroup.com/due-diligence-project.html Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:49:13 PDT