Niamh Ní Chróinín

Niamh received her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Ireland in Galway and went on to receive her master’s degree in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from Kings College in London. She is a chartered civil engineer with the Institution of Civil Engineers and a chartered quantity surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

In recent years, Niamh has been a scheduling and productivity lecturer for the Osgoode School of Construction Law Certificate Program and a guest lecturer at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). She was the Canadian Prairies representative for the Institution of Civil Engineers and a member of its Americas Committee. She is currently the Communications Board Director for the Society of Construction Law North America.

Niamh’s professional experience includes:

• Residential Buildings, Quantum, Contractor, British Columbia: Completed an expert report and testified in arbitration on causation of increased costs on a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract on a residential project in BC.
• Leisure Center, Schedule Analysis, Local Authority, Alberta: Completed an expert responding report on an impacted as-planned schedule analysis. Refuted conclusions made by opposing experts based on incorrect interpretation of how to complete the impacted as planned analysis.
• Secondary School Development, Schedule Analysis, Contractor, BC: Completed an expert responding report on schedule delay using progressive as-planned versus as-built analysis based on project variables and delays.
• Industrial and Manufacturing, Delay Analysis, Meat Processing Plant, Owner, Ontario: Completed a detailed design change analysis, along with several employee interviews, to identify schedule delay.
• Onshore Oil and Gas, Delay Analysis, Athabasca Oil Sands, Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) Facilities, Owner, Northeastern Alberta: Completed extensive analysis regarding impacts associated with engineering progression, standard of care, and design changes to support a delay to the project’s critical path.
• Pipeline Delay Analysis, Mediation Report, Contractor, BC: Completed the design impact analysis to identify if design contributed to any delays on the project.
• Infrastructure Construction and Upgrades, Designer, Alberta: Arbitration involving cost increase due to alleged increase in units from initial budget. Niamh completed the structures analysis between bid and execution.
• Pipeline, Modular and Fabrication Design Analysis, Owner, BC: Arbitration involving cost by the EPC contractor. Niamh completed a design review to assess if delayed and inadequate design impacted schedule and productivity and led to increased cost. This involved completing an assessment of 30% of the modules designed and assessing how they were built.
• Renewables (Bio, Geothermal, Solar, Tidal, Wind), 40-MW Biomass Power Plants, Owner, BC: Niamh performed a detailed schedule analysis to identify the triggering events causing delay to energization on two 40-MW biomass power plants.
• Tunnelling Design, Ontario: Completed a productivity analysis based on delayed design and impacted schedule and drafted an associated report.
• Infrastructure Construction and Upgrades, Design Risk Monitoring, Local Authority, Owner, Ontario: Engagement through reinsurance company to identify, monitor, and advise on best practices for risk management for design and construction of more than 10 mega rail, facilities, and construction projects.
• Infrastructure Construction and Upgrades, Monitoring, Contractor, BC: Engaged to complete a project audit of a pipeline under construction in BC. This audit consisted of commercial processes, schedule progress and reporting, and overall project health assessment.
• Infrastructure Construction and Upgrades, Schedule Delay Monitoring, Contractor, Ontario: Engaged to complete a monthly windows analysis to identify the impact of COVID on the project. This also included quantifying the cost of this impact.
• In House Bespoke Project Controls Training, Contractor, Ontario: Provided two-day seminar on project controls, claims management, and dispute avoidance. Provided monthly lunchtime seminars on current issues the company was facing. This included actual project material, bespoke templates, and processes to improve project management.