The 23-story 784,000-GSF John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse was built between 1931 and 1933 in the Boston Financial District. In the early 2000s, design began on a full-gut historic renovation of this landmark building. The construction contract, awarded by the General Services Administration (GSA) in the amount of $136 million, entailed preserving historic art deco features while modernizing existing facilities to 21st century standards. Scope included required demolition and replacement of all mechanical and electric systems and appropriate revisions to the building’s plumbing systems.
Overview
PMA Role
PMA provided claims analysis and mediation support to the GSA in a court-suggested mediation of the unresolved matters. During mediation, PMA developed recommendations of merit and cost exposure to assist GSA in resolving the claims. PMA reported its findings to GSA counsel, the GSA contracting officer, and the GSA regional administrator. Subsequent to the mediation, the parties entered into litigation proceedings at the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. In this capacity, PMA reviewed the record to assess entitlement to the claims issues and evaluated the contractor’s claims for delay and inefficiency. PMA prepared expert opinion reports on elements of the contractor claims and provided expert witness testimony on those matters at the hearing. In addition, PMA is providing litigation support to GSA counsel, including assembling documents used during direct testimony and cross-examination of witnesses. PMA continues to provide litigation support to GSA counsel by providing assistance in preparation of post hearing briefs. PMA reports directly to the GSA counsel.
