Judson High School & DW Rutledge Stadium
EXPERT EVALUATION ASCERTAINS TRUE COST OF REPAIRS
Overview
This renovation project, located in Converse, Texas, involved both Judson High School and DW Rutledge Stadium, valued at a total construction cost of $98.5 million. This public school is part of the Judson Independent School District (Judson ISD) in Bexar County and is fully accredited by the Texas Education Agency. Approximately 370,000 square feet, Judson High School is just 15 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio and educates a student population of at least 3,000. The DW Rutledge Stadium is located next to the high school and offers seating for 10,706 people, a 3-story press box, locker areas, concession buildings, and offices.
In December 2007, Judson ISD and Gilbane Building Company entered into an agreement between owner and construction manager to build the DW Rutledge Stadium and a new two-story Judson High School facility consisting of administration areas, academic instruction spaces, and other amenities. Our client commenced construction upon execution of the contract and completed a substantial amount of construction by October 2010.
Judson ISD engaged multiple engineering and consulting firms 9 years after the completion of the projects to inspect and perform an assessment of alleged design and/or construction defects. The consultants issued their reports of findings which alleged defects for both projects and set forth a cost of repair claim at $21 million. Our client disputed the alleged defect assessment stating the assessment lacked basis and that the alleged repair cost estimates were unreasonable. This prompted Gilbane Building Company to engage with Peritia to evaluate the alleged repair cost estimate presented by the reports and the cost estimate from Judson ISD’s consultants.
Solution
Peritia’s experts analyzed the findings of Judson ISD consultants’ reports, along with project drawings, contracts, payment applications, investigations, remediation plans, and more to determine the true cost of repairs and gain a more accurate cost estimate. They noted that the alleged cost of repairs were unreasonable and unnecessary, citing several factors such as but not limited to duplicate costs, overstated schedules to perform, unjustified above-average fees and markups, and overstated construction labor and unit costs. Through Peritia’s expert project controls efforts, Gilbane Building Company was able to identify that the cost of repair estimate was overstated. This evidence resulted in a settlement just before trial.
PROJECT DETAILS
Client
Gilbane Building Company
Peckar & Abramson
Location
Converse, TX
Value
$98,500,000
Size
3-story press box plus 10,706 capacity stadium
370,000 SF two-story administration facility
Completion
October 2010
Industry
Education
Government
Services
Claims & Expert Witness, Cost of Corrective Work, Damage Quantification
