HANSCOMB Limited
Hanscomb Limited, a leading organization of quantity surveyors and
cost consultants, has been privileged to serve both Canadian and
international clients on a wide variety of construction projects
for more than 40 years. The major services provided by Hanscomb
are: Cost Planning and Control, Scheduling, Quantity Surveying, Project Management Overview, Value Management, Arbitration & Claims Settlement and Feasibility Studies.
Hanscomb's mission is to serve building owners and design
professionals in achieving sensible economy and optimum
productivity in the design and construction processes.
By controlling cost, time, quality and performance in an
unbiased professional manner, Hanscomb has become an internationally recognized leader in the coordinated management of capital projects. Hanscomb is successful because it's people bring
together the professional and practical skills of both project
management and quantity surveying.
Hanscomb takes pride in its multi-disciplinary nature and provides a working environment that promotes a free exchange of knowledge resulting in a wider utilization of the experience of our specialist professionals.
Visit our website at http://www.hanscomb.com for information or
the address of an office near you.
Company Details
Year Established:
1957
Total Sales ($CDN):
$500,000 - $1,000,000
Number of Employees:
120
Company Information
Art Maw
Title:
President
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(613) 234-8089
Fax:
(613) 234-4578
Email:
Click Here
Raymond Murray
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
(902) 422-3620
Fax:
(902) 422-7883
Email:
Click Here
David Crane
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
(780) 426-7980
Fax:
(780) 426-7983
Email:
Click Here
Susan Neil
Title:
Director
Area of Responsibility:
Domestic Sales & Marketing
Telephone:
(416) 487-3811
Fax:
(416) 487-5043
Email:
Click Here
Ted Flaxman
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
Area of Responsibility:
Finance/Accounting
Telephone:
(416) 487-3811
Fax:
(416) 487-5043
Email:
Click Here
Peter Moore
Title:
Manager
Area of Responsibility:
Domestic Sales & Marketing
Telephone:
(604) 685-1241
Fax:
(604) 685-9102
Email:
Click Here
Wayne Fitzpatrick
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
(709) 722-0505
Fax:
(709) 722-1504
Steven Bale
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
968
601664
Fax:
968
604491
Email:
Click Here
Stephen Keigwin
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
(971) 434-6400
Fax:
(971) 434-6744
Email:
Click Here
David Hancox
Title:
Manager
Telephone:
(971) 226-2461
Fax:
(971) 226-2486
Email:
Click Here
Paul Westbrook
Title:
Chairman
Area of Responsibility:
Management Executive
Telephone:
(416) 487-3811
Fax:
(416) 487-5043
Email:
Click Here
Services
Cost Planning & Cost Control
Project Management
Hanscomb has been involved in numerous major projects in Canada
and the USA as Project and/or Construction Managers and has
provided services covering the overall coordination and direction
of the planning, design, construction and commissioning phases
including program development, capital and operating budgets,
cost planning and cost control, time planning and scheduling,
specifications, contract documents, tender calls, site
supervision, progress payments, change orders, final accounts,
monitoring move in and start up, deficiencies, etc.
Project Management Overview
Program Management Overview can be primarily defined as providing
a proactive reporting process to the owner's senior management
team, the funding groups and the design and project management
team responsible for the programs' success. This approach
concentrates on issues that could produce potential cost and time
overruns. Cost and time are the two key areas that historically
have been the most difficult to contain within the approved
guidelines, especially on larger, complex capital cost
projects.
The role of the PMO is independent of the owner, funding
authority, design consultants, contractors and the inherent
interests of those groups. This independent approach is
necessary in order to provide an unbiased opinion of the status
of the project at regular intervals. This is carried out
primarily through the Program Status reporting system
which assembles the relevant data on time and cost from the many
sources, to provide a comprehensive 'snap shot' of the current
position and will identify any immediate or potential problems.
These problems can then be analyzed to assess the critical nature
of the issue in order that both the project management team and
the senior management group are aware of the facts. This will
give the various management levels of the project the opportunity
to determine the appropriate measures to take to effectively deal
with the issue. To do this, the information in the Program Status
report has to be current, accurate, and complete. This can only
be achieved through timely and effective management of
information.
The result of a proactive approach is that the teams involved in
those decision making processes are all working with the same
data base, improving communications between the various levels of
management (funding authority, owner's senior management and
project personnel and the design team). As an example, knowing
where the budget stands at any one time can be an extremely
important piece of information before making any decision, but
all too often this is the item that is least understood,
resulting in poor decision making.
Value Mangement
The design and construction of any modern building is a very
complex matter which offers for each discipline numerous
alternatives that are often interdependent and have
competing, functional, aesthetic capital cost and long term
operating (life cycle) cost implications.
Applied to the building industry, Value Management is based on
the following principles:
A.that every design has room for improvement (this is not a
reflection on designers),
B.that more creative ideas of alternatives are generated by
groups rather than by individuals,
C.that a methodical approach produces better results,
D.that everyone is basically creative, and
E.that facility life cycle costs (initial and future) should be
as low as possible.
A technique contingency on these principles must be capable of
producing maximum value for funds expended. Value Management
fulfills this need. This explicit, formal and visible approach to
problem solving, based on carefully documented interdisciplinary
cooperation among all members of the design team, ensures that
value is achieved.
Synonymous with Value Engineering or Value Analysis, Value
Management is a conscious and explicit set of disciplined
procedures designed to seek out optimum value
for money. It involves the intensive analysis of all facets of
the proposed design with a view to reducing both initial capital
and long-term operational costs without a bridging utility,
function or performance. Applied to facility design, Value
Management is best delivered through intensive workshops attended
by a core team with appropriate experience in architectural,
mechanical, electrical and structural engineering, construction
techniques and cost estimating. Specialist consultants are
brought in to assist the core team where specific expertise is
required. The Value Management team may, depending
on the nature of the project, be made up of key members of the
study building's design team or an independent team assembled
specifically for the assignment at hand.
Ultimately, the success of a Value Management program is a
function of the degree of participation and cooperation extended
by all members of the design team, and in particular, the active
support of the owner and users. It is important that design team
members be aware, before designs are initiated, that their
participation is required in a Value Management program.
The design team must also understand that the Value Management
function is complementary to their own and intended to facilitate
and expedite their tasks, not hinder or frustrate them. A Value
Management program is not intended to contribute technical
expertise, but to create a forum that allows for different ideas
and viewpoints to be expressed freely and evaluated objectively
in a timely fashion. It bears remembering that during the early
design phases (representing 10-15% of design costs), decisions
will commit 80% of the project budget.
Scheduling & Planning
To achieve the objectives of time control it is important that
every member of the team both consultant and client
representatives) be conscious of the fact that time is of the
essence. The best way to emphasize the time restraints and to
obtain the cooperation of every team member is to establish a
realistic time frame with built in room for adjustments without
effecting the end dates. This will give the team members the
confidence they need that the schedule is achievable.
The major objectives of time control during the design phase are:
1.To establish with the client realistic completion dates
including the required intermediate target dates.
2.To establish the manpower requirements to meet the target and
completion dates.
3.To monitor progress in relation to the established schedule.
Keep all team members informed of the overall status and to
instigate remedial action if target and/or completion dates
are threatened.
4.To instill the confidence in the design team that the target
and completion dates are achievable.
5.To meet the client's objectives. (All objectives of the time
control will have but one thing in mind: to achieve the
client's objectives!).
The time control effort will commence with the preparation of a
Work Breakdown Structure for the project identifying the tasks to
be completed, and the discipline responsible.
This will form the basis for a master schedule which will
probably be prepared using the 'Primavera' scheduling software
(Release 2.0) and will identify at a summary level the
principal tasks and their durations for the entire project.
Sub schedules will be prepared setting out in detail the tasks,
allocating resources and relationships by discipline and
calculating durations for discussion with team members.
Resource levels will be adjusted as necessary to achieve the set
target and completion dates. The schedule will then form the
basis for internal monitoring of performance to ensure timely
completion.
A master schedule together with a detailed schedule for the
ensuing working drawings phase, again broken down into sub
schedules for the various disciplines, will be
prepared. This will be discussed in detail with the client so
that appropriate allowances can be made for all necessary
approvals and similar client activities. The resulting
schedules will be used to monitor ongoing time performance by all
participants and instigate corrective action where this becomes
necessary..
As working drawings proceed, detailed schedules for procurement,
construction, equipping commissioning and occupation will be
developed in turn. These will be confirmed with contractors,
suppliers, etc., as they are appointed and will similarly form
the basis for ongoing monitoring and control.
During the monitoring process, the Primavera scheduling program
facilitates resource leveling and can thus provide the project's
managers with alternates and scenario modeling if key completion
or delivery dates are threatened at any time.
Arbitration & Claims Settlement
Representative Experience
Hanscomb acted as technical consultants for the owners in defence
of a claim submitted by a contractor responsible for the
installation of the fuel facility at Pearson International
Airport. Settled out of court. Regarding a seven figure claim by
a developer against CMHC.
Hanscomb acted as technical consultants to CMHC and successfully
refuted the claim in court. Regarding a claim by a developer
against his lawyer, and subsequently against the Law Society, for
misrepresentation at the time of land purchase. Hanscomb
prepared documentation for the claim which was agreed to by the
Law Society without going to court.
Hanscomb acted as a technical consultant to Ontario Hydro during
a Royal Commission investigation. Hanscomb acted as a technical
consultant to the City of Toronto against CIPREC (Canadian
Institute of Public Real Estate Companies) during a Municipal
Board Hearing.
Regarding Datasphere Sales et al vs. Gentry Environmental
Services Ltd. Hanscomb was retained to analyze the sufficiency of
the Gentry backup material in connection with the particular
change notices, performing a quantity survey with respect to the
work covered by those change notices and rendering a report.
Settled out of court.
Hanscomb was retained by major sewer and water contractor to
prepare a $1.2 million claim for changes in construction methods
and design, breach of contract, changed subsurface conditions and
sequencing of work.
Hanscomb acted as an expert for a major general contractor who
submitted a claim
in a dispute with a bonding company over a subcontractor default.
Hanscomb was retained by major general contractor as an expert in
defence of a $26 million lawsuit by the owner.
Hanscomb was retained by major industrial client to 'dismantle' a
$6.5 million claim by the general contractor.
Hanscomb was retained by major hospital to act as an expert
witness in defence against claims by a defaulting general
contractor's bonding company.
Hanscomb acted as an expert witness in a $1.2 million lawsuit
regarding failure of a connection in a water line.
Hanscomb acted as an expert witnessin two residential disputes
over scope and quality of work provided by the contractor.
Hansocmb acted as expert in $1.5 million claim by a bonding
company against an owner.
Hanscomb acted as an expert witness in defending an engineer from
claims by owner/general contractor.
Hanscomb prepared a $2.0M claim for a contractor against an owner
for breach of contract and delays.
Hanscomb acted as an expert witness for the Government in defence
of a $400,000 claim for wrongful tender award.
Hanscomb acted as an expert witness for a contractor in $1.5M
suit against the owner for breach of contract.
Construction Management
management of all types of building and civil engineering
construction on behalf of owners
Risk Management
Risk Analysis
Property Management
Quantity Surveying
Loan Monitoring