Proving liability is only half the case. Proving the amount requires a detailed, documented analysis grounded in actual project costs and a clear causal chain between the event and the loss. I quantify construction damages using the project's own records, including labor, materials, equipment, and overhead, and produce opinions that hold up under cross-examination.
Construction damage analysis is the disciplined process of identifying what monetary losses occurred on a project, tracing them to specific causative events, and quantifying them in a way that courts and arbitrators can evaluate. The analysis has to survive cross-examination on three fronts: causation, methodology, and reasonableness.
A damages analysis that simply adds up unpaid invoices or applies a blanket inefficiency percentage rarely survives scrutiny. The opinion has to start with what the project was supposed to cost, establish what it actually cost, and then explain, using project records, schedules, and site conditions, why the difference was caused by the event in dispute.
My CCP (Certified Cost Professional) and PSP (Planning and Scheduling Professional) certifications reflect the two disciplines that damages analysis draws on most heavily: cost engineering and schedule analysis. Combined with 20+ years of managing projects where I tracked real costs against real budgets, I approach damages the way a project manager would, using actual numbers, not theoretical ones.
A structured, document-driven process from baseline to final opinion.
Before quantifying damages, I establish what the project was supposed to cost: original contract value, approved budget, bid breakdown, and any agreed schedule of values. This baseline is what damages are measured against.
I review certified payrolls, subcontractor invoices, equipment records, material purchases, and job cost reports to establish what was actually spent. Where records are incomplete, I identify the gap and address it in the methodology.
The hardest step. I link the cost variance to specific project events: delays, disruptions, owner-directed changes, differing site conditions, or defective work by others. Causation requires both cost records and schedule analysis.
Written expert report with clear methodology, documented calculations, and an opinion on total damages attributable to the events at issue. Structured for disclosure in state or federal court.
Construction damages take many forms. Each requires a different methodology and a different set of supporting project records.
When workers can't maintain productive output because of disruptions, out-of-sequence work, or changed conditions, the labor overrun needs to be calculated with a defensible methodology: measured mile, baseline productivity analysis, or industry studies applied to the actual project conditions.
Delays push material purchases into periods of higher pricing. Quantifying material escalation requires the original bid pricing, proof of the delay's cause, and market data showing the actual price increase during the affected period.
Time-related overhead, including site supervision,, temporary facilities, equipment, insurance, and bonds, continues to accrue when a project is extended. The proper daily rate is calculated from actual project costs, not a formula.
Acceleration, stacking of trades, fatigue, and adverse conditions all reduce crew productivity. Documenting lost productivity requires connecting observable site conditions to cost record deviations from the original production rates.
In termination and abandonment disputes, one of the key damages is what it cost the owner to complete the work after the contractor left. This requires a scope analysis of what was done, what remained, and what the replacement contractor actually charged.
Lost revenue, lost use, financing costs, and other downstream economic losses that flow from the construction failure. Whether these are recoverable depends on contract language and jurisdiction, but they still require quantification if they're in the case.
CCP and PSP certifications from AACE International, combined with 20+ years of managing complex commercial construction projects.
Delay and damages analysis are closely linked. Schedule analysis establishes the causal timeline that supports the damages calculation, including critical path delays, concurrent delays, and their impact on project costs.
Learn More →Defect cases require both a liability opinion and a damages opinion. Identifying the defects is the first step, then quantifying what it costs to fix them is the second. I handle both.
Learn More →When the primary dispute is over repair costs rather than project-level damages, a focused cost-of-repair opinion addresses the scope of remediation and the reasonableness of repair estimates.
Learn More →Claims consulting covers the full dispute lifecycle, from initial claim preparation through expert analysis and litigation support. Damage quantification is often one component of a broader claims engagement.
Learn More →Looking for construction expert witness services backed by real-world experience? Fill out the form and Garrett will be in touch.