At Sekhmet Project Controls LLC, persistence pays off.
After three years of rigorous team effort, we successfully helped a client secure a 415-calendar day compensable time extension on a Department of Highways (DOH) project!
Our client, a small contractor, faced a significant hurdle:
โข The ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ญ ๐๐๐ was delayed by more than a year due to ROW access issues.
โข Despite this, the DOH required a baseline schedule showing zero days of delay, with updates limited to ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ 10 ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ข๐ต.
On paper, this seemed straightforward:ย Without a full NTP, no contractor could reasonably begin work on Day 1 as planned on bid day, incurring a day-for-day delay.ย ย In reality, it was anything but.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐
The DOH issued a ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ and argued the contractor “should have been able to work around inaccessible ROW parcels to mitigate any potential delays” – even though the ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ.
This assumption ignored the realities of this project’s construction: unless specifically called out in RFP documents; completely linear / horizontal projects do not typically have entire-multiple areas where no work can occur for unspecified periods of time, otherwise it creates interrupted production rates and disrupted work sequences – therefore the inaccessible ROW parcels could not be planned for or simply be โworked around.โ
As the project progressed, normal delays combined with continuously rejected schedules, competing interpretations, and mounting frustrations created a perfect storm of concurrent delays, disputes, arguments, and sleepless nights.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก
After years of persistence, detailed analysis, and clear consistent communication, Sekhmet working with the contractorโs team helped the DOH recognize a critical truth:
โ๐๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ด๐ค๐ฐ๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ small-multiple ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บโ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ.โ
This acknowledgment reset the project contractually and culturally.
The contractor gained fair compensation for lost time and the DOH moved forward with delivering the infrastructure the public depends on.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Wins like this are more than just contractual victories, they:
โข Ensure contractors are treated fairly and can deliver projects profitably.
โข Help agencies provide the public with the roads and bridges they fund.
โข Reinforce the importance of realistic schedules grounded in actual construction practices.
At Sekhmet, these are the wins we are especially proud ofโbringing clarity, fairness, and certainty to complex infrastructure projects.