WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2009 -- In today's difficult economic climate, it is more important than ever to tightly control the costs of construction projects. Contractors and project owners can minimize their exposure against cost overruns with upfront planning and by preparing an accurate budget. On Dec. 2, 2009, WPL Publishing will host a seminar to lay out practical steps for building a reliable budget and getting any construction project started on the path to profitability.

WPL has partnered with Joyce Hackenbrach of Pepper Hamilton LLP and Navigant Consulting's Michael Hanley for an interactive webinar entitled, "Practical Steps to Achieve More Reliable Budgets on Construction Projects." To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/constructionbudgets.

In this 90-minute webinar, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 2, Hanley, a experienced construction manager and BIM expert, and Hackenbrach, a seasoned construction lawyer, will discuss practical steps that owners, developers and their contractors can take to achieve more reliable budgets and reduce the risk of overrunning those budgets. The seminar will examine:

• Fundamental elements of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) that can improve project realism and overall efficiency
• The effective avoidance of scope-of-work disputes and their resulting delays and cost overruns
• Realistic and effective fast-tracking practices
• Project delivery choices and contract provisions that promote better real-time cost management in both the pre-construction and construction phases
• The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to improve the accuracy of cost estimating and how to avoid overruns caused by design error, design clashes and rework, and how to allow more intelligent real-time assessment of costs related to directed changes and unforeseen conditions

In addition, a 10-to-15 minute period has been reserved at the end of the presentation for an interactive question-and-answer session so participants can discuss specific issues or gain additional knowledge about topics discussed.

Joyce Hackenbrach is a partner in the Construction and Government Contracts Law Practice Group at Pepper Hamilton and a member of the firm's multi-disciplinary Sustainability, Clean Tech and Climate Change Team. She has more than 20 years' experience representing owners, developers, engineers, design-builders, construction contractors, construction managers and major subcontractors and suppliers in the full range of matters relating to construction. She is an experienced negotiator and contract drafter, dispute resolver and AAA arbitrator. Her experience extends to industrial, infrastructure and commercial projects of all scopes and sizes.

Michael Hanley is a managing consultant in Navigant Consulting's Construction Practice and has more than 20 years' experience in construction and consulting services. He is responsible for overseeing the firm's Building Information Modeling services, covering preconstruction, implementation and optimization of BIM's potential to BIM/CAD management, and training, as well as complete BIM services for the construction project lifecycle. He also provides scheduling expertise using both CPM and line-of-balance methodologies. He has provided BIM and/or scheduling services for owners, developers, contractors, real estate investors, design firms and federal government agencies involved in the construction of various facilities.

This webinar is a must for construction professionals, engineers, architects, owners, contractors, subcontractors, BIM experts, manufacturers, suppliers and the attorneys who represent them.

To learn more about the webinar and to register, visit http://tinyurl.com/constructionbudgets or call (301) 765-9525. This presentation is an excellent source of in-house training for the entire staff. And, because webinar tuition is based on location, not number of participants, each registration site can have multiple participants for one low price. An audio CD of the presentation, as well as all handouts, is also available for purchase.

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WPL Publishing Co., Inc. produces four construction newsletters: Construction Project Controls & BIM Report (www.projectcontrols.com), Construction Claims Advisor (www.constructionclaims.com), Green Building Insider (www.greenbuildinginsider.com), and Construction Advisor Today (www.constructionadvisortoday.com). The company also hosts webinar series on topics relevant to the construction industry. WPL is on Twitter at CAT_Online.