Oleksii Liubymyi, a Senior Forensic Planning Consultant for Quantum Global Solutions based in Doha, Qatar has over 12 years of experience in the engineering and construction sectors and has held senior managerial positions in Qatar and Ukraine.

Oleksii was born in the south of Ukraine, in the city of Mykolayiv, which was a secret city during the Soviet times with the majority of the Soviet Navy’s surface ships built in Mykolaiv. Oleksii’s grandfather was a lead electrical engineer in the shipyard that built the Soviet’s only aircraft carrier, ‘Kuznetsov’ and his father managed complex reconstruction projects for the city’s turbine factory, ports, bridges and factories.

Since his childhood Oleksii was passionate about mega-projects, so he joined the local Mykolayiv Building College. He further obtained a Specialist Master’s degrees in Civil and Industrial Engineering and Project Management in the capital of Ukraine – at Kyiv’s National University of Construction and Architecture. During his studies in Kyiv, he became interested in project planning and project controls – the analytical disciplines that provide a birds-eye view of the whole project and are one of the key pillars of project management and successful project execution. He later got involved in several construction projects as a planning engineer.

At that time, Ukraine’s top mega-project was the construction of the new safe confinement over the old shelter of Chernobyl’s Nuclear Power Plant.

In April 1986, Eastern Europe was hit with a nuclear catastrophe, when the fourth reactor of Chernobyl’s Nuclear Power Plant exploded, releasing a massive amount of radiation into the atmosphere. By late 1986, the Soviet government had built a massive reinforced concrete sarcophagus to cover the lava-like radioactive material left on the remains of the nuclear power plant. The sarcophagus shelter was supposed to last for 30 years, but in 1998 the structure started to deteriorate due to massive amounts of radiation, so, while the stabilization works were ongoing, it was essential to make sure that there was a new structure erected on time to cover the deteriorating old shelter. In 2007, with the funding of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a consortium of Vinci GP and Bouygues TP started a project to build the new safe confinement over the old shelter. The new safe confinement was a moveable arch structure, which was the largest moveable land-based structure ever built, with a span of 257 metres (m), a length of 162 m, a height of 108 m a total weight of 36,000 tons.

Oleksii joined this US $1.5 billion new safe confinement project as a planning engineer, where he was responsible for updating the master program and producing progress reports that were submitted to EBRD, Bechtel (PMCM), as well as donors and government bodies. In 2014, he co-developed the revised program that the project followed until its successful completion in late 2016. While working with a team of seasoned professionals he was exposed to the AACE International recommended practices and committed to obtaining the Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) certification.

The next steps in Oleksii’s career path led him to the Middle East, where he joined Siemens and managed planning for the US$ 500 million turnkey construction project of the first tram line in Doha, Qatar. He became an AACE International member and obtained PSP certification, which was invaluable in resolving complex planning and project control problems where he relied on AACE’s Total Cost Management Framework and the Recommended Practices (RP). The RP 29R-03, in particular, proved to be very helpful in forensic schedule analysis and complex dispute resolution processes. It is during his time with Siemens, he further widened his knowledge in delay analysis, claims, and arbitration and became the project’s subject matter expert. He led the negotiations with the client on the delay and project control matters and actively assisted lawyers and expert witnesses in the dispute resolution process. In this period, he became an active member of the AACE Qatar Section and chaired several live meetings and webinars as a board member and a director. All of the above positively contributed to the successful project realization and the resolution of disputes between the parties.

In early 2021, Oleksii joined Quantum Global Solutions, a world-leading construction support consultancy that brings clarity and focus to dispute resolution. In this role he advises owners, engineers, and contractors on matters of project control, delay, and dispute resolution. He continues to deepen his knowledge by pursuing an LLM in Construction Law and Arbitration.

He is actively involved in the Ukrainian construction community. Together with the Ukrainian Interstate Consultants Engineers Guild, he is striving to harmonize the current market model of engineering and consultancy services in Ukraine with internationally recognised industry standards. Oleksii is working with the government of Ukraine on securing investments from the Middle East and Asia for the post-war reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy.

Oleksii is grateful to all the seasoned industry professionals who have helped in shaping him along the way. As for the advice to young professionals, apart from the critical skill of being a lifelong learner, it is worth recognizing the importance of treating each piece of work with quality and integrity.