Documents required by the construction expert witness

Summary: When you hire a construction claims expert, you will need to provide them with documentation such as but not limited to the claim, schedule, contract and the drawings of the project.

When you hire a construction claims expert for assistant in your case, there will be a minimum set of documents he or she will require to proceed. Such experts are hired for various reasons, sometimes as a testifying expert or for just a third party opinion. Regardless of the type of case, you will need to supply some or all of the following documents:

The claim

For the expert to meet the end goal of supporting the facts for the client, they will need access to the details of the claim. Also, the expert will need details of the damages and how the claimant arrived at those figures. The expert will need to be able to correlate the damages with the claims.

The contract

Since all claims will point to some portion of the contract to support the claim, the expert will need access to at least that portion of the document. The scope of the job is important to determine what was required and the details of that implementation. Any change orders, the approvals, and all supporting documentation will fall under the scope, including any invoices and payments.

Schedules

Even though the claim might not have any connection to the schedule, the expert will need it to see what factors might have led to the current impasse.

Drawings

If the case is a matter of cost overrun or schedule, then it will not be necessary to hand over the drawings. However, it is good to provide them as they can provide context to changes and the timing of those changes.

Article submitted by Lyle Charles, a certified expert witness for the construction industry, specializing in both commercial and residential projects. If you need a construction claims expert, he will get you the best.