A driven and accomplished Claims Consultant / Chartered Quantity Surveyor: skilled in contracts, claims, project records and final accounts; achieving optimum commercial results through providing tactical and specific advice to Employers, Main Contractors and Sub-contractors within the Construction, Rail, Highway, and Utility sectors.
With a results driven philosophy, he provides solutions for clients in the UK, Europe and the Middle East by utilising his expert construction contractual knowledge and ability to ‘think outside of the box’ to achieve the best solutions to any type of problems.
Specialises in: Extension of time and affected labour productivity claims, Loss & Expense applications, adjudication drafting and management, legal & contract advice, quantity surveying services, in-house presentations on legal matters.
Recent notable projects include BBC Media City, Crossrail (NEC), Humber Wind Farm (FIDIC) and London 2012 Olympic Games.

CAREER SUMMARY
Building Dispute Advice Services Ltd 2005 – to date
Managing Director
Directs and manages a consultancy specialising in offering strategic and tactical contractual advice to clients enabling them to effectively manage and resolve their construction problems.

Main services include:

Problem Prevention:

➢ Contract drafting, contract amendments & recommendations.

Problem Solutions:

➢ Advice on disputes and payment problems, Extension of time evaluation, loss & expense claim drafting, adjudication referrals and defences, arbitration and litigation actions, retention recovery, final accounts & monthly site measurement.

Achievements include:

➢ Mabey Bridge: In charge of all disputes including preparing and negotiating defences and settlements.
➢ Crossrail: Advice on NEC contract for Sub-contractors dispute with Employer.
➢ Instrumental in successful multimillion pound settlement of major contractors delay & disruption claim on London 2012 Olympic Games.
➢ Provided and managed a Surveying team on London 2012 Olympics to assess major contractor’s disruption and the sending of delay records to the Employer.
➢ Successful award of a full 100% Extension of Time and loss & expense claim for BBC Media City.
➢ Drafting and negotiation of £2M loss & expense claim for one of the UK’s leading M&E firms & successful agreement with Employer.
➢ Claim preparation, negotiation and adjudication of large delay & disruption claim, based on ‘measured mile’ method of disruption evaluation.
➢ £2M professional negligence claim for major railway upgrade works.
➢ Managing numerous adjudication referrals and defences.
➢ Client representation in court actions.
➢ QS appointments including Senior QS role on £250M Whiston Hospital.

James R Knowles 1997 – 2005
Senior Consultant

Leading international construction claims consultancy specialising in UK and international dispute advice, claims and quantity surveying on various projects including train stations, shopping centres, art galleries, housing, highways water treatment works etc.

➢ Became main point of contact for many North West sub-contractors, providing practical advice to resolve contractual problems and payment disputes up to a value of £3M.
➢ Checked contracts for specialist sub-contractors, including JCT, Partnering & NEC forms and recommending appropriate changes.
➢ Pre contractual advice (advising sub-contractors on changes to contract conditions).
➢ Instigated and delivered major industry initiatives to recover retention debts and final account debts for the construction industry.
➢ Drafting numerous: adjudication referrals, defences of loss & expense claims, defences of disruption claims, final account negotiation & agreement; Won 3 large adjudications in a total value of £1.5M for contractors against major international firms such as RMC, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Pinsent Masons.
➢ Expert Witness roles included drafting expert witness reports (single party & Court appointed).
➢ Presentations to industry on construction contract law, disruption claims and adjudications, Preparation of reports on design responsibility & liability, measurement and agreement of monthly valuations.
➢ Overseas work included: contractual and final account advice to Vinci Construction on major project in Budapest, Hungary and drafted contractual reports on the merit of contractor’s claims in Dubai, valued at £500K.

Mowlem Management, Salford. 1995 – 1997
Senior Quantity Surveyor.
A £500M business, specialising in new build and refurbishment works.
➢ Site & Head Office based, responsible for valuations, final accounts, management reports & all quantity surveying duties including defence of major claims on railway works.

Virgin Islands Project Management, British Virgin Islands 1994 – 1995
Quantity Surveyor
A £2M projects business, specialising in all building works.
➢ Preparation of loss & expense claim value £90k and valuation of final account for major prison including negotiation with local contractors.

Direct Line Boring Services Limited, Manchester 1993 – 1994
Quantity Surveyor
A £3M specialist subcontracting business, specialising in remote controlled direction drilling.
➢ Managed a department of 3 quantity surveyors and compiled claims for extra works valued at £100k and successful agreement with Nynex UK.

Taymech Limited (Taylor Woodrow subsidiary) 1991 – 1993
M&E Quantity Surveyor
A £10M projects business, specialising in mechanical and electrical installations.
➢ Acted as Quantity Surveyor on £900k Mechanical & Electrical installation in new build Building Society headquarters.
➢ Also acted as Maintenance Surveyor and was financially responsible for Planned Preventative Maintenance for the Inland Revenue at 46 sites in Greater London.

Taylor Woodrow, Middlesex 1986 – 1991
Assistant Quantity Surveyor.
A £150M projects business, specialising in large projects.
➢ Trained in commercial quantity surveying on a £17m new build of printing plant in Central London.

TRAINING, EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Member 2007
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Member 2000
The College Of Estate Management, Diploma in Arbitration 1998
University of Salford, BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying 1994 – 96
South Bank Polytechnic, BTEC HNC in Building 1993 – 94
Vauxhall College of Building, BTEC ONC in Building 1992 – 93

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