Contracting Issues in Concrete Construction Presentation

Stephanie Cook, Senior Counsel with Cokinos-Young, and Woodward L. “Woody” Vogt, P.E., D.GE, President of Paradigm Consultants, Inc., led a discussion of “Contracting Issues in Concrete Construction” at the July meeting of the Houston Chapter of the American Concrete Institute.  After presenting each of four examples of deficient contract documents that led to legal disputes, the panel of three concrete practitioners addressed how the contract documents caused or contributed to the undesirable results, what actions could have been taken to avoid the problem(s), and what should be done to avoid similar situations, whether by the concrete supplier, the concrete subcontractor, or the general contractor.  Specifically, the “esthetics” of structural concrete – uniformity of color, finish, and the appearance of joints – are often undefined in the contract documents leaving the owner with unmet expectations.