Cody L. Crawford
Expert Areas
- Construction Delay Claims
- Acceleration Claims
- Damage Assessment
- Labor Productivity Claims
Expertise
- Provides analysis in support of testimony in various dispute resolution forums, such as arbitration, litigation, mediation, and regulatory proceedings
- Evaluates design, procurement, and construction issues
- Specializes in demonstrative, complex technical graphics
Biography
Senior consultant Cody Crawford utilizes his education in chemical engineering and his project consulting experience to assist clients in evaluating complex construction projects and associated claims. He analyzes engineering issues, project management issues, and scope of work requirements to perform schedule delay analyses, quantify damages, and provide support in the dispute resolution process. Mr. Crawford also assesses construction accidents, industrial plant safety, flash fires, and explosions for compliance with relevant codes, standards, and regulations, such as process safety management (PSM) requirements, OSHA construction safety regulations, and site safety coordination obligations. He contributes to the quality of work products by preparing demonstrative evidence, evaluating procurement and construction issues, analyzing contract documents, and performing cost reconciliations.
Work History
Interface Consulting International, Inc. – Houston, TX
Senior Consultant
Sage Environmental Consulting – Austin, TX
Project Technical Intern
Credentials
- BS – Chemical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Professional Affiliations
- Member – Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), Young ITA
- Associate Member – Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC)
- Member – Rice Global E&C Forum
Publications & Presentations
- “Successful Implementation of Change Orders,” Lorman Education Services, Houston, Texas, June 2019.
- Eastern Emerald Convention Center & Luxury Hotel
- Mid Main Lofts
- Texas Rangers Stadium, Globe Life Field
- USACE Tinker Air Force Base Medical and Dental Clinic
- Vale Long Harbour Nickel Processing Plant
- Alaska Energy Authority West Fork Upper Battle Creek Diversion Dam Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Expansion
- City of Austin Water Treatment Plant #4
- City of Georgetown Lake Water Treatment Plant Expansion Phase III
- City of McAllen Utility Boeye Reservoir Relocation
- Katy Lake RV Resort
- Corpus Christi Marine Terminal EF90
- Dakota Gas Carbon Dioxide Pipeline
- ONEOK Arbuckle II Pipeline
- Permits by Rule (PBR) Pipeline Projects
- Phillips 66’s Sweeny Midstream Pipeline
- Tabula Rasa Seminole East Field CO2 Injection
- The Chesapeake and Access Pipeline Projects
- Marine Well Containment System Modular Capture Vessels Topside Modules
- Walter Coelacanth Field Platform at Ewing Bank Block 834
- Vale Long Harbour Nickel Processing Plant
- Wacker Polysilicon Plant (Poly 11)
- Apache Castex Belle Isle Gas Processing Facility
- Draft Horse Gas Treating Facility
- Eagle Ford Central Processing Facilities – McCarty Ranch & Neu Wassenberg Ranch
- Energia Costa Azul LNG & Regasification Plant
- Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) Plant Projects
- Linde US Canadian Valley Processing Plant
- Mauritania Banda Gas Project
- The Southcross Energy Frio LaSalle Lancaster Treating Facility Explosion
- The Wynnewood Oil Refinery Explosion
- Williams Partners Fractionation Facilities
- Agilon Energy Victoria Port Power II & Agilon Energy Victoria City Power Plants
- Duke Edwardsport Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) Station
- Riyadh Power Plant 9
OIL & GAS
- Over 15 projects, including the following industry sectors: pipelines; refining; LNG; cryogenic gas processing; fractionation; central processing facilities; tank batteries; well pads; enhanced oil recovery CO2 injection
POWER, PROCESS & INDUSTRIAL
- Over 10 projects, including the following industry sectors: Chemical & petrochemical; power plants; manufacturing facilities; processing plants; industrial facilities
INFRASTRUCTURE, BUILDINGS & HEAVY CIVIL
- Over 10 projects, including the following industry sectors: Commercial buildings; bridges & roadways; diversion projects; water treatment; reservoirs; hotels & convention centers; military bases; multifamily housing; hospital & medical facilities
Transportation & Infrastructure
Alaska Energy Authority West Fork Upper Battle Creek Diversion Dam Bradley Lake Hydroelectric Expansion
Analyzed design changes, productivity, material resource management, differing site conditions, and drilling and blasting issues. Assessed schedule delay, equipment usage, and equitable unit rate adjustment claims. Assisted owner in responding to contemporaneous project schedule update narratives and formal correspondence related to contractual entitlement for project changes. Prepared recommended owner responses to contractor claims in formal report.
Chevron Questa Water Treatment Plant
Analyzed engineering errors, productivity losses, and backcharges for entitlement and quantification issues. Assisted with schedule delay windows analysis.
City of Georgetown Lake Water Treatment Plant Expansion Phase III
Analyzed issues and prepared demonstrative graphics for use in arbitration.
City of McAllen Utility Boeye Reservoir Relocation
Analyzed construction issues and schedule delays that arose during the relocation of the Boeye Reservoir. Developed schedule illustrations for expert report demonstrating the extent of schedule delay impacts caused by various construction issues.
Katy Lake RV Resort
Analyzed engineering plans, subgrade preparation, and concrete installation issues that contributed to extensive concrete failures and underground utilities failures. Assisted in preparing expert report and supported Interface testifying expert throughout trial, which resulted in decision to award $4 MM+ in damages to client.
Texas DOT The Woodlands Parkway Widening
Prepared $1 MM+ contractor claim to recover damages largely due to differing site conditions and governmental mismanagement.
Buildings & Facilities
Benteler Steel Tube Manufacturing Facility
Evaluated productivity data and causation for productivity losses. Valued contract price deduction for contract termination. Assisted in preparation of affirmative and rebuttal expert reports.
Eastern Emerald Convention Center & Luxury Hotel
Analyzed contractor work practices, historical data for utilities failures, and regulatory citations related to excavation wall collapse during construction.
Guam and Chamorro Education Facility
Assisted in analyzing piles and foundations issues as well as associated schedule delays and construction claims.
Hotel Paso Del Norte Renovations
Analyzed contractor’s project management practices relative to contractual requirements and industry standard of care. Verified damages resulting from mismanagement. Assisted with windows analysis to assess impacts to the project’s critical path schedule. Supported Interface testifying expert in preparing report and providing deposition and trial testimony.
Legacy West Shopping Center
Assisted in analyzing project schedules using DCMA 14-point schedule assessment and in preparing report.
Sapphire Condominiums
Analyzed building envelope and water intrusion issues relative to contractor construction progress and force majeure events. Prepared demonstrative graphics to assist in expert report preparation.
Texas Rangers Stadium, Globe Life Field
Analyzed productivity impacts resulting from general contractor disruptions to subcontractor’s work. Evaluated project cost reports and contractual entitlement issues based on the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract. Prepared overview graphics and report, advising subcontractor management regarding potential change orders and contemporaneous project correspondence.
University Medical Center (VA Hospital)
Developed graphics demonstrating extensive changes and disruptions experienced throughout the project.
USACE Tinker Air Force Base Medical and Dental Clinic
Verified and quantified project cost overruns. Prepared overview for use in mediation that led to settlement agreement.
Land & Subsea Pipelines
Chesapeake and Access Pipeline Projects
Analyzed project documents to support preparation of claims for labor productivity impacts, force majeure events, and other project changes incorporated into affirmative and rebuttal expert reports. Quantified contractor damages for owner-requested changes related to crew move-arounds, fabrication changes, and bid exclusions.
Dakota Gas Carbon Dioxide Pipeline
Analyzed pipeline route selection and construction defect issues in relation to a landslide.
ONEOK Arbuckle II Pipeline
Quantified replacement contractor costs resulting from contractor abandonment and remediation costs for various workmanship issues. Identified issues with contractor’s claim basis, including bid errors, labor inefficiencies, and unaccounted-for weather impacts, which were the contractor’s contractual responsibility, and inappropriate valuation methodologies. Prepared affirmative expert report and two rebuttal expert reports.
Phillips 66’s Sweeny Midstream Pipelines
Evaluated scope of work requirements and contractual entitlement for disputed invoices. Assisted with measured mile productivity analysis and quantified damages. Led efforts in preparing affirmative and rebuttal expert reports.
Oil & Gas
Tabula Rasa Seminole East Field CO2 Injection
Analyzed schedule delays and construction issues that arose during the construction of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) fields. Prepared demonstrative graphics to assist client with mediation process.
Walter Coelacanth Field Platform at Ewing Bank Block 834
Provided quality assurance for expert report related to contractor’s estimate basis for, and subsequent modification to, jacket fabrication and erection methodology, which was a decision and risk addressed in the request for quote and contract.
Petroleum Refining & Gas Processing
Apache Castex Belle Isle Gas Processing Facility
Analyzed design drawings, specifications, cost documents, schedules, estimates, progress reporting, and authorizations for expenditure (AFEs) to assess contemporaneous information available to parties. Evaluated project management performance of the client’s joint venture partner relative to industry standard of care. Supported Interface testifying expert through trial, leading to $70+ MM damages award for client.
Corpus Christi Marine Terminal EF90
Reviewed technical documents and identified key engineering changes and errors. Quantified damages due to engineering errors.
Draft Horse Gas Treating Facility
Evaluated project delays, owner obligations, daily work activities, labor efficiencies, and means and methods relative to contractor termination decision, claimed subcontractor cost, and other dispute issues. Assisted in preparing detailed expert designations to be filed for litigation.
Eagle Ford McCarty Ranch and Neu Wassenberg Ranch Central Processing Facilities
Estimated contractor cost incurred. Assessed contractor performance relative to contractual obligations and industry standard project management practices. Quantified owner damages based on contractor failures. Prepared affirmative expert report.
Energía Costa Azul LNG & Regasification Plant
Analyzed planned modifications to an existing gasification terminal with respect to firm storage and shipping agreements. Reviewed planned construction documents, including design basis, EPC contract documents, project schedules, logistics simulations, existing pipeline infrastructure, vessels information, and governmental permits. Assisted in preparing expert report issued to ICC arbitration panel and provided support to Interface testifying expert and counsel during arbitration.
Linde US Canadian Valley Processing Plant
Analyzed cost documents and timesheets to assist in quantification of replacement subcontractor costs.
Mauritania Banda Gas Project
Assisted in preparation of solicitation of interest.
NatGasoline Methanol Production Plant
Analyzed project changes and delays. Developed alternative damage model for client based on contractual entitlement issues. Prepared presentation for mediation assistance.
Sonatrach Menzel Ledjmet East Field
Assisted in analyzing over 50 alleged changes with a claimed value in excess of $1 billion USD. Developed methods for retrospective pricing of major changes. Provided engineering analysis and tracked alleged major changes by analyzing piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), heat and material balances (H&MBs), the 3D piping model, plot plans, equipment of construction, equipment data sheets, vendor quotes, purchase orders, and project specifications.
The Southcross Energy Frio LaSalle Lancaster Treating Facility Explosion
Assessed facility engineering design, operations, and maintenance decisions prior to an explosion incident. Reviewed written procedures, instrumentation/equipment manufacturer data, accident investigation information, maintenance records, training records, operating data, and process safety management (PSM) information. Prepared affirmative expert report and assisted Interface testifying expert prior to deposition.
Williams Partners Fractionation Facilities
Evaluated key issues for a $235-million dispute regarding natural gas processing facilities in the Marcellus Shale region of West Virginia. Analyzed alleged misrepresentations resulting in a post-acquisition backcharge claim for facility modifications. Analyzed numerous issues including hazard and operability (HAZOP) process and hazard analysis (PHA) studies, flare and pressure relief systems, fire and gas detection systems, the location of control rooms, communication systems, cryogenic piping, NGL transfer pumps, condensate stabilizer systems, pressure safety valve (PSV) studies and calculations, fractionation system modifications, and other technical issues.
Wynnewood Oil Refinery Explosion
Analyzed issues that led to a chemical release during a plant turnaround within the alkylation unit of a refinery. Review included technical drawings, chemical cleaning procedures, turnaround schedules, safety data sheets, de-inventorying requirements, work permits, progress reports, maintenance records, and incident investigation documentation.
Power, Process & Industrial
Duke Edwardsport Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Station (IGCC)
Analyzed timing of environmental requirement changes and their relation to design changes.
Vale Long Harbour Nickel Processing Plant
Analyzed schedule delays, changes, contractor costs, productivity, and contractual scope of work issues. Assessed contractor earned hours. Re-quantified contractor invoices based on contractual requirements. Provided assistance to law firm to help successfully resolve dispute.
Victoria City and Victoria Port Peaking Power Plant Projects
Assessed delay and disruption productivity impacts resulting from owner deliverable grid connection and fuel supply delays. Evaluated disputed change orders, contractor termination decision, and owner back charges for entitlement and valuation issues. Quantified interests resulting from overdue invoices. Prepared affirmative and rebuttal expert reports.
Wacker Polysilicon Plant (Poly 11)
Analyzed claims related to the timing, content, and revisions of concrete drawings for a polysilicon plant. Assisted in preparing a rebuttal report to demonstrate the cause of concrete drawing revisions was not engineering errors. Instead, the drawing revisions were a result of owner-driven changes, execution decisions (e.g., out-of-sequence work), and various other issues beyond the control of the engineer.