Avoiding the Pitfalls of Scope Creep on Construction Projects

Presented by:

John Ciccarelli, PE, CCE, PSP
Todd Vandenhaak, PE, PMP, CCE, CFCC
Marsh Risk Consulting

Project success can be measured by delivering the required product on time, on budget and at the client’s expectation.

For many construction projects in today’s competitive marketplace, completing on time and on budget is challenging. Scope creep is a term used in the construction industry to define the inevitable tendency of projects to expand beyond their original intent and is often described as a cause for construction projects experiencing cost and schedule overruns. In the planning stages of any construction project, owners, designers, and contractors each have a vested interest in defining the full project scope and developing an accurate budget. However, as the project progresses, scope creep can go unnoticed, gradually work its way into a project’s scope as expectations evolve and result in significant negative impacts.

This informative presentation will discuss some of the causes and reasons for scope creep, as well as warning signs that scope creep could be impacting your construction projects. You will benefit by receiving tools and learning best practices to proactively avoid, timely detect and identify, and manage and mitigate the impact of scope creep.

Listen to this recorded program and you will be able to:

• Describe what scope creep is and why it is bad for your project.
• Discuss contract language.
• Identify project control and reporting tools.
• Understand how to control and avoid scope creep.

This presentation will explore:

• The causes of scope creep.
• Owner’s and contractor’s perspectives.
• How to control and avoid scope creep.
• AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

Who Will Benefit?

This recording is a must if you're a risk management professional, construction or project manager, engineer, architect, president, vice president, contractor, subcontractor, developer, contract manager, purchasing professional, government official, accountant, or attorney.

Meet Your Presenters:

John Ciccarelli, PE, CCE, PSP
Marsh Risk Consulting's Construction Consulting Practice

John Ciccarelli is a managing consultant with a civil engineering degree from the University of Delaware and an MB, with a concentration in real estate from Rutgers University. He is also president-elect of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International and a vice president of Marsh Risk Consulting’s Construction Consulting Practice in Princeton, New Jersey. John conducts regular seminars and workshops on project management and dispute consulting and has written and presented numerous technical papers related to the areas of dispute resolution, project management, risk management, and other construction related topics. John has more than 20 years of experience providing expertise managing engagements and performing various consulting and project advisory services for the engineering and construction industries. He also has significant experience assessing the engineering, construction, maintenance, and operation of nuclear power plants and the delivery of transportation construction projects.

Todd Vandenhaak, PE, PMP, CCE, CFCC
Marsh Risk Consulting's Construction Consulting Practice

Todd Vandenhaak is a managing consultant with a civil engineering degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from Arizona State University. He is also a vice president of Marsh Risk Consulting’s Construction Consulting Practice in Seattle, Washington. Todd has written and presented several technical papers related to the areas of project and risk management and has produced expert reports and testified in arbitration under International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) rules. Todd has more than 15 years of experience in project and program advisory services, claim development, forensic investigation, quantum, and dispute resolution. He has also worked in construction management as a contractor and consultant on a civil infrastructure project, as well as a civil engineer providing consulting services for clients both domestically and internationally.