11/25/2020· Construction
Construction Contract Notice Letters
Most construction contracts require written notice for changes, differing site conditions, extra work, or other events which may affect the contractor’s time and cost of performance. The process of giving “notice” is vital to triggering the contract mechanisms that allow the contractor to pursue additional time and cost and to reserve its rights to recover for any unforeseen...
11/25/2020· Refrigeration - Cooling Systems
ASME B31.5 Piping Stress Analysis In Refrigeration Systems
By: James Caylor, PE
Refrigeration system designers and users incur regulatory liability from their design documents’ claims of B31.5 compliance when these are based on only partial knowledge of its requirements. This article will clarify these requirements, suggest current and legacy resources for accomplishing the calculations and hopefully promote a greater overall familiarity with B31.5.
11/25/2020· Damages
Attaining Reasonable Certainty in Economic Damages: What Constitutes Best Evidence (Part III of III)
By: Michael Pakter
The purpose of this article - the third of three (Part I and Part II) on this topic - is to provide the reader with an understanding Chapter 3 (What Constitutes Best Evidence) of the 2018 Practice Aid as well as certain other publications containing a body of knowledge on the best evidence to support economic damages in a court of law
11/17/2020· Intellectual Property
Valuing SEP portfolios And Determining FRAND rates: How, And Who Should "get it done"?
By: Keith Mallinson
While there is much uncertainty about the outlook for standard-essential patent royalty rates in court determinations, there are plenty of solid benchmarks in well-established comparable licenses (“comps”). The former rates are thin on the ground and have been made up based on some dubious and fiercely...
11/11/2020· Transportation
Transit Survival in the Age of Covid-19
By: Ned Einstein
In two recent articles for National Bus Trader, I described how to put motorcoaches back on the road in both unusual and traditional roles. Here, I will outline some ideas for getting fixed route transit buses and passenger trains back to work, consistent with safety for both drivers and passengers.
10/29/2020· Manufacturing
What Happens When You Decide To Leave China?
By: Rosemary Coates
Reshoring and manufacturing in America is hot. Companies are now considering the possibilities of returning manufacturing to the USA. According to a recent study, 54% of all US companies over $1 billion in revenues are planning or considering bringing at least some of their manufacturing back to the US.
10/26/2020· Healthcare Facilities - Hospitals
Flex Budgets: A Quick Guide For Hospitals
By: Sahel Shwayhat, MBA, FACHE
Hospitals, like most businesses, have budgets. While they all track their performance closely against that budget at the organizational level, many fail to do so with the same rigor at the cost center level, mainly due to lack of dependable reports. In this article, I will explain what flex budgeting is, how it is calculated, and why using it helps the organization.
10/21/2020· Employment
Expert Witness' Checklist When Reviewing An Employer's Handling Of Workforce / Employee Complaints
By: Aaron T. Olson
Clients need to know what an expert witness does in the review of an employer’s handling of a workforce complaint. The complaint could be regarding discrimination, sexual harassment, misconduct, or retaliation, any of which could potentially lead to the accused’s termination. An expert who has the experience of conducting employment investigations will be able to assess if the employer’s handling of the workforce complaint, actions or omissions was satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
10/21/2020· Construction
COVID-19 Claim Management on Construction Projects
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the internal and external project execution environments. The pandemic has caused impacts of varying degrees to nearly every aspect of projects involving the activity of people. Ordinary practices in the creation of project documentation are robust and are utilized to support the analysis of construction claims. Although project productivity losses may be demonstrable, providing compelling evidence and proof that the losses were caused by the pandemic may not be as easy to demonstrate.
10/7/2020· Refrigeration - Cooling Systems
Evaporator Leak Mitigation By Suction Control Valve Selection And Operation
By: James Caylor, PE
Evaporator leaks expose plant personnel to risk of ammonia contact and require maintenance intervention since refrigeration control valves used for inlet flows (liquid and hot gas) can automatically stop flow, but similar valves used for outlet flows (suction and refrigerant defrost condensate) cannot stop flow backwards from the suction line into a damaged evaporator and thus into the conditioned space.
