VERTEX was retained as experts in two subject areas in a litigation between Walsh Global, LLC and the United States: geotechnical and MEP/FP. The matter involved 115 CDA claims valued at approximately $220M in the Court of Federal Claims against the State Department in connection with the construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway.
The design-bid-build project for the New Embassy Compound included construction of a New Office Building, a Main Pavilion, a Consular Pavilion, a Service Pavilion, a Support Annex Pavilion, a Marine Security Guard Quarters, associated on-site Compound elements, and associated offsite elements which were subcontracted according to Norwegian Public Procurement law and regulations.
For the Geotechnical scope, VERTEX addressed deficiencies in the contract documents related to both pier and spread footing designs. Problems encountered during pier construction included drift of the rock bit atop the rock, concrete overpours, and the need to mobilize more robust equipment. VERTEX’s expert evaluated the appropriateness of the pier selection and the influence of Norwegian quick clays located in a thick layer immediately above steeply dipping, hard, bedrock.
For the MEP/FP scope, VERTEX reviewed several mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design issues including, but not limited to, transfer duct design and coordination, incompatibilities between Host Nation in-wall domestic water piping and U.S. plumbing fixtures, design and coordination of heat recovery coils, Air Handling Unit configuration conflicts, lighting fixture and device changes, changes resulting from Diplomatic Security inspections, and more. Supported by a staff of multiple Professional Engineers and construction professionals, VERTEX’s
designated experts performed an analysis of the contract documents and developed timelines, overlays, and other demonstratives in support of our analysis. Having performed numerous Government project overseas, VERTEX had applicable first-hand experience encountering and resolving many of the subject claims.
Image source: U.S. Embassy in Norway
