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DGA Project Management Services LLC Provides a range of services which assist clients to succeed in their construction projects.

15/08/2026

šŸ’” Saturday: Did You Know?

A tender price and the cost of doing the work are not the same thing.

A Contractorā€™s tender is based on assumptions made at a particular point in time: productivity, resources, sequence, duration, quantities and market conditions.

Once construction begins, reality takes over.

The actual cost of an activity may bear little resemblance to the rate used to price it years earlier.

This is why, when analysing the financial consequences of events on a project, simply reaching for a tender rate does not always tell you what the Contractor actually spent.

Price is what was allowed. Cost is what was incurred.

Understanding the difference matters.

11/08/2026

āš–ļø Wednesday: Lessons from an Expert Witness

A good Expert Witness should sometimes tell the client something they donā€™t want to hear.

An expertā€™s role is not to find an answer that supports the Party who appointed them.

It is to examine the evidence, apply their expertise and give an independent and objective opinion, even when that opinion does not necessarily help the clientā€™s case.

In my experience, identifying a weakness early is far more valuable than discovering it for the first time under cross-examination.

Independence isnā€™t an inconvenience of expert work. Itā€™s fundamental to it.

An expertā€™s duty is to assist the Tribunal. They donā€™t become another member of the advocacy team.

Do you think this distinction is always properly understood by those appointing experts?

08/08/2026

šŸ‘· Sunday Career Reflection

Never stop being a student of your profession.

After more than four decades in construction, one thing has become very clear to me: experience is valuable, but experience alone is not enough.

Contracts change. Technology changes. Methods of construction change. The way we analyse delay, cost and evidence continues to evolve.

The moment we decide that we already know enough is probably the moment we begin to fall behind.

Some of the best lessons I have learned have come late in my career, often from people much younger than me.

Experience should give us confidence, but never close our minds.

What have you learned recently that changed the way you work?

05/08/2026

šŸ—ļø Thursday Project Management Tip

The earlier a risk is identified, the cheaper it is to manage.

Too often, project teams spend weeks discussing problems after they have occurred, when the real opportunity was to identify the risk before it became an issue.

Effective project management isnā€™t about predicting every problem. Itā€™s about having systems in place to recognise emerging risks and take timely action.

The best project managers Iā€™ve worked with didnā€™t wait for bad news. They actively looked for it.

Question: Does your project team maintain a live risk register, or is it only updated when required for reporting?

02/08/2026

ā˜• Monday Morning Construction Thought

Every successful project starts the week with a plan.

Every troubled project starts the week hoping for the best.

Take a few minutes this morning to review your priorities, speak to your team, confirm responsibilities and identify any emerging risks.

A short planning meeting on Monday can save hours of firefighting on Friday.

Wishing everyone in the construction industry a safe, productive and successful week ahead.

31/07/2026

šŸ“œ Friday Project Reflection

One of the most memorable projects I worked on was the Channel Tunnel.

I spent around six months with Tarmac Construction on what became my last project in the UK before moving to Riyadh in 1992.

Our team was responsible for constructing the Amenity Building, the main passenger terminal at the heart of the Victor Hugo Terminal complex.

What I remember most is its iconic roof, designed by architect Thomas McGuirk. The striking white fabric membrane is held in tension by an elegant network of tubular steel rods and cables. Its inspiration came from the Skylon, the futuristic ā€œfloatingā€ steel structure created for the 1951 Festival of Britain on Londonā€™s South Bank.

Working on projects like this reminds me that construction is about far more than concrete and steel. At its best, it combines engineering, architecture and imagination to create structures that people remember for generations.

Question: Which construction project has left the greatest impression on you, either as a professional or simply as a visitor?

30/07/2026

šŸ“˜ One FIDIC Clause in 60 Seconds

FIDIC Red Book 2017: Sub-Clause 8.3 ā€“ The Contractorā€™s Programme

A common misconception is that the Contractorā€™s programme must be approved by the Engineer before it can become the projectā€™s baseline programme.

In fact, under the FIDIC Red Book 2017 General Conditions, Sub-Clause 8.3 requires the Contractor to submit its programme and gives the Engineer a specified period in which to notify any comments.

Unless the Particular Conditions provide otherwise, the Contract does not require the Engineer to ā€œapproveā€ the programme.

Iā€™ve seen projects become bogged down in repeated programme resubmissions because the Engineer insists on formal approval, even though the Contract gives no such power. That can create unnecessary delay and uncertainty for both Parties.

Always read the Particular Conditions carefully, as they may amend the General Conditions.

Question: Have you encountered contracts where the Engineer required programme approval despite the General Conditions not expressly requiring it?

28/07/2026

āš–ļø Lessons from an Expert Witness

One lesson Iā€™ve learned from acting as an Expert Witness is this:

The documents almost always tell the true story. Memories fade. Opinions differ. Recollections become influenced by later events.

But a well-kept contemporaneous record, whether itā€™s a programme, meeting minute, site diary, drawing revision or email, often provides the clearest picture of what actually happened.

Good record keeping isnā€™t just good administration. Itā€™s an investment in the future.

Question: If you had to choose just one project record to preserve, what would it be?

25/07/2026

šŸ’” Saturday Construction Fact

Did You Know?

One of the simplest ways to reduce disputes on a construction project is to write minutes of meetings properly.

Good minutes should record:
āœ”ļø What was decided.
āœ”ļø Who is responsible.
āœ”ļø When the action is due.

They should not attempt to rewrite history or attribute opinions that were never expressed.

Years later, meeting minutes often become some of the most important contemporaneous records when trying to establish what really happened on a project.

Question: Do you issue your meeting minutes within 24 hours, or do they sometimes take days or even weeks?

24/07/2026

šŸ—ļø Friday Project Reflection

In around 2001, I had the privilege of working with Knowles Middle East on the Chicago Beach Development Project in Dubai.

The development included three of Dubaiā€™s most recognisable landmarks:
šŸ“ Burj Al Arab
šŸ“ Jumeirah Beach Hotel
šŸ“ Wild Wadi Water Park

Our team was engaged by the Clientā€™s Office Claims Organisation, supporting the defence of claims arising on the project on behalf of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Looking back more than two decades later, itā€™s remarkable to see how this development helped shape Dubaiā€™s reputation as a global destination and remains one of the cityā€™s defining engineering and tourism achievements.

Question: Which construction project do you think has had the greatest impact on Dubaiā€™s development?

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