“Help! My legal fees exhausted the limits on my insurance policy. What can I do now?” This is often the lament of contractors embroiled in the litigation of costly claims. Unfortunately, once the terms and conditions are set and the ink is dry on everyone’s signatures, the answer is: “Not much.” Read more.

The wrongful performance of professional services can not only result in hefty financial losses, but also structural damages that can cause many problems, from delays to collapses and loss of life. The errors and/or omissions related to engineering and architectural designs, land surveys, construction management and technical consulting are just a few of the areas […]

We’re living in a quick-service economy that expects nothing less than immediacy served with a side of excellence—a challenge that has become increasingly more intense for contractors working within the construction marketplace. Across the U.S., a large problem for many contractors is that many are still unaware of the professional services and pollution risks associated with […]

Every construction project combines a vast array of symbiotic disciplines. When synchronized brilliantly, the artistic blend of architectural design, engineering and oversight can achieve spectacular results. But unlike a movie, sculpture or painting, everything must work precisely, efficiently and in unison to perform up to spec in the real world. The Millennium Falcon in Star […]

Climate change has already begun to reshape the planet and the ways we live and conduct business. Unfortunately, many scientists project the negative effects will only get worse. The 1,300-member Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. According to the National Oceanic and […]

New faulty workmanship coverage forms have emerged to potentially address the “your work” exposure found in most contractors professional liability (CPrL) policies. Once offered by only a single carrier, several insurers have recently entered the marketplace to cover the cost to repair or replace faulty work or the related material costs associated with the “self-performed […]

Although the market has stayed competitive with over 30 insurers offering some form of CPrL insurance, rates are nonetheless expected to rise (albeit modestly) by 2 to 5 percent for the first time in over 10 years. Increases likely will be most prevalent for contractors involved in higher professional risk delivery methods such as design/build […]

A temporary retaining wall was being constructed for on a new bridge in downtown Atlanta to retain excavated soil as a footing for the bridge pier. The plans specified the placement of retaining wall support beams one-third and two-thirds below the excavation. Everything was going well and ahead of schedule, so the young, inexperienced construction […]

The year began with new trends in modular construction, robotics, 3D printing, and sustainability that are expected to reshape the construction marketplace with new efficiencies and cost-effective measures. Little did anyone know that a pandemic was already weaving its disastrous way through every phase of our society and economy. Predicted to experience a downturn in […]

Once again, the U.S. economy has hit a crossroads. Even before the current COVID-19 outbreak, the predictions for the coming year were mixed at best. On the one side, the Association of Equipment Managers (AEM) said that “Steady and solid growth is likely to continue for the construction sector. As the second-largest in the world (behind […]

But it’s not all good news for an industry that was expected to experience a downturn even before the pandemic. In addition to the 4 percent drop in construction starts predicted by the 2020 Dodge Construction Outlook, other likely challenges surround the industry, including the ongoing shortage of skilled labor as well as the overall rise of […]

Even before the coronavirus pandemic became a reality, the U.S. construction marketplace was expected to post only modest gains, while reshaping its 2020 business model through the ongoing reliance on technological advancements like 3D printing and robotics, design-build methodologies, sustainability and modular and prefabricated building solutions. These issues were addressed in RT Specialty, LLC’s Environmental […]