AACE Bulletin
Bulletin Section news for October
AACE International sections from around the world are encouraged to submit write-ups and photos of their monthly section meetings and other activities. For the October Source, submissions were received from the Hawaii, Seattle, and Montreal Sections.
Hawaii Section
Shown left to right are Calvin Gidlof, Mario Flores, Scott Arend, Vinson Hiraoka, Landon Loitz, Jeanette Robert. Joe Uno, Chris Baze, Nicki Dockery, Yong Shi, and Alan Davison.
On September 22nd, AACE held the Networking Event at Aiea Bowling. We welcomed 12 members and cost engineer/project control professionals who had a great time socializing and networking with other engineers. Thank you to all who participated in this event.
Seattle Section
On August 8, the Seattle Section hosted its section meeting in-person with guest speaker Raj Paul. Raj has more than 23 years of experience and expertise in managing quality, construction and project management in engineering, construction, and financial services. A large group of interested professionals and peers turned out to see his presentation – “Ghost Impacts – The Project Quality Perspective.” Ghost Impacts explored how despite having the best plans and estimations, a project and/or operation is often impacted negatively by unforeseen and unforeseeable project quality issues. Using real world examples, Raj demonstrated that while some cost and time impacts are tangible and can be quantified, there are many others which are intangible and have significant bearing on the project’s outcome. Thank you, Raj, for delivering a spectacular presentation on an interesting and critical topic, one that relates to all.
Montreal Section
Montreal Section hosts highlights of the AACE Conference & Expo
Shown above are members and guests at the September Montreal Section meeting. The meeting was hosted by Les McMullan, Global Director of Project Controls at HATCH. Attendees heard highlights of four technical papers that had been presented at the 2022 AACE Conference & Expo.
The Montreal Section carried on an annual tradition on September 27 with the first event of the season entitled, “Highlights of the Annual Conference and Expo.” The AACE ConEx was conducted in person in June in San Antonio, Texas. The September Montreal Section meeting was in hybrid mode with 60 in attendance altogether, including 25 in-person attendees at the Hatch office in Montreal.
The purpose of the meeting was to share some highlights from a few ConEx technical papers for those unable to attend the annual Conference this summer, encourage further reading of the papers and viewing of the recordings, and promote attendance at future annual conferences. All these papers had great tips on cost and schedule delivery of projects.
The session was launched by Les McMullan, Global Director of Project Controls at HATCH, who hosted the event. The highlights were presented by AACE members from Hatch who had been at the conference. First up was the paper titled: Governing for Success: Effective Project Governance for Megaprojects by Dr. Ahmed Ewida. For the section meeting, this paper was highlighted by Ashwin Lala, Regional Director, USA. The paper covered a comprehensive governance framework for managing mega projects, taking the complex business environment and critical management processes into account.
Shown above is Ashwin Lala, one of the four Montreal Section members who highlighted a technical paper from the AACE Conference & Expo at the section’s September meeting.
The next paper highlighted was Schedule Delays: Why They Happen & How to Avoid Them, by Vijaykumar A. Damie. The Section highlights were summarized by Nancy Couillard, Project Controls Specialist from Tampa. The paper discussed the causes of schedule delays and how to avoid or overcome them and described the tools that need to be in place, the internal and external causes of schedule delays and other key issues.
Proactive Cost Engineering Techniques to Avoid Common Project Failures, by Chris Carson, CE, DRM, PSP FAACE, was summarized by Beatrice Nasui, lead planner in the Montreal office. The paper provides many recommendations for the identification and resolution of the potential failure points in each of the project phases and offers proven solutions.
Shown above Beatrice Nasui, one of the four Montreal Section members who highlighted a technical paper at the September Montreal Section meeting gives her presentation. Speakers Nancy Couillard and Ashwin Lala are shown standing at left as seated attendees listen to the presentation.
Project Documentation: Supporting your Position, by Chris Caddell, CCP DRMP and Sydney Overman, CST, was highlighted by Les McMullan, Global Director, Project Controls. This presentation, aimed at owner, consultant and contractor, provides recommendations on what data should be collected by whom and how it can be used in addressing and resolving real or potential disputes.
The conclusion of the sessions included audience comments and questions on the subject material covered and discussion on project controls in today’s challenging economic environment. Many thanks to all who attended.
Shown above attendees at the September Montreal Section meeting included four student members from Concordia University who are shown networking with Montreal Section members.