Supriya Panwar, a Senior Associate for Capital Project Management, Inc., based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, has over nine years of experience in the construction industry, focused on project management, construction claims analysis, and CPM scheduling. Ms. Panwar also assists with deposition preparation, negotiations, mediation, arbitration, and litigation. Her project experience includes government facilities, commercial developments, hotels, educational facilities, heavy civil, oil and gas refineries, and industrial projects.

A Civil Engineering Focus Since Childhood

Ms. Panwar was born in Muzaffarnagar, U.P. India and as a child, she would always insist on accompanying her father to his construction job sites and ask numerous questions to the engineers on site. Therefore, choosing Civil Engineering for her undergraduate study was a natural progression for her curiosity that was nurtured since childhood. She received her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from B.I.E.T. Jhansi, India. During this time, she also worked on a research project and developed a GIS (Geographical Information System) data-based planning model for land use in the Jhansi region of India.

Ms. Panwar’s Notable Energy Sector Work in India

After her graduation, Ms. Panwar joined TechnipFMC as a Civil Engineer in the Civil and Structural Department. She got to work on some of the notable projects of the energy sector in India, one of them being the Refinery off Gas Cracker (ROGC) plant to produce polymer grade ethylene and propylene for Reliance Industries Limited. She prepared layouts and design calculations for underground pipe network systems like the CS gravity network, oil water system, and pressurized pipe system. She also designed roads, pavements, and hardstand for the refinery facilities. During her time at Technip, she also worked with the project control team and gained a better understanding of scheduling and planning of construction projects.

Rutgers University Research Project Gives Ms. Panwar Unique Career Experience

With her growing interest in project controls, Ms. Panwar decided to pursue a master’s degree in construction management at Rutgers University in New Jersey. While at Rutgers, she worked as a student researcher at the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) and got to work on a meaningful and important project, Paramount Skills Assessment for Adults on the Autism Spectrum, with Dr. Cecilia Feeley. This was a one of a kind experience in her career, and she is thankful to Dr. Feeley for getting her involved with this project. The project included the autonomous vehicle study for use by persons with disabilities.

During the second year of her master’s degree, she joined JMT, an engineering consultancy firm, as a project engineer and later as a construction scheduler in their construction management department. Her work included developing, updating, and reviewing project schedules, construction projects cost analysis, cost estimation, and work progress review and reporting of the active construction projects.

One of her memorable projects during her time at JMT was a road resurfacing project at various locations in the City of Elizabeth, NJ. The project consisted of milling, resurfacing, and replacement of deteriorated concrete and slate curb; spot roadway base repairs; replacement of any deteriorated manhole or monument box casings; construction of public sidewalk curb ramps where none existed or repair roadway curb line drainage and retrofitting of existing curb ramps with Hanover ADA pavers where no curb ramp delineation existed. The total project length was 22,000 linear feet. Ms. Panwar oversaw and directed this project from inception to completion and was lauded for this project by the city engineer (City of Elizabeth) and was asked to be the project engineer for another City of Elizabeth project.

Where is She Now?

After her time with JMT, Ms. Panwar joined Capital Project Management Inc., where she assists owners, contractors, and subcontractors across numerous sectors within the AEC industry with the settlement or litigation of construction disputes. She provides analysis and preparation of delay, disruption, inefficiency claims, and disputes, reviews damages, and performs project cost analysis. In her day-to-day work, she is passionate about the process of claims and dispute resolution and believes in continuous learning.

Ms. Panwar has also been involved with various other industry organizations, including the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law, Women in Construction DC (WICDC), the Associated General Contractors (AGC), and currently, she sits on the board of the AACE New Jersey Section as a College Outreach Director.

AACE: One of Best Platforms for Continuous Learning

Ms. Panwar attended her very first AACE meeting in 2019, and since then, has been actively involved with AACE. She believes that AACE is one of the best platforms for continuous learning from industry experts and for improving your knowledge and skill set, even more so now with the implementation of our newly enhancedcommunity-based platform that provides information on recent advancements in the industry.

Nowadays, one of her favorite weekend activities is finding a technical paper of interest on the AACE website,adding handwritten notes to it, then discussing the paper with her colleagues.

Cross-Training, Networking, and Skill Set Learning are Keys to Career Success

Ms. Panwar’s advice to the next generation of young professionals in the project controls industry is to cross-train yourself, develop your network, and keep learning and developing new skill sets. Also, don’t forget to take a break when needed but never give up. Her “never give up” attitude and inspiration comes from her mother, who started her career, after a gap of 12 years, in 2001. Her mother now runs a successful clothing boutique in her hometown.

Concluding, Ms. Panwar says you can find a lot of great content out there on the platforms such as AACE, and from experts in the industry,so keep learning, reflecting, and growing.