Delay Analysis
Retrospective and contemporaneous delay analysis that identifies the critical delays, measures them and allocates responsibility, using a method chosen to fit the records and the contract.
What moved the finish date, by how much, and on whose account.
Every late project eventually faces three questions: which events delayed completion, by how many days, and who carries the risk of each? The answers decide extensions of time, liquidated damages, prolongation recovery and often the working relationship for the rest of the job.
We begin by assessing the schedules themselves. Were updates contemporaneous, statused honestly and logically sound? That assessment drives method selection. Where reliable updates exist, an observational contemporaneous period analysis (AACE MIP 3.3 or 3.4; the SCL Protocol’s as-planned versus as-built windows or time slice approach) usually gives the most persuasive answer. Where the record supports modelling, we may use a windowed time impact analysis (MIP 3.7) or a collapsed as-built (MIP 3.8). We explain the choice and its limitations in writing before any number is reported.
Concurrency and pacing get particular care. We test whether competing delays were truly concurrent on the critical path, distinguish them from a party pacing its work against a delay it did not cause, and apply the contract and governing law to the result. The outcome is a finding that a general counsel can rely on and a CFO can book.
What we bring to Delay Analysis
Senior practitioners, a proven method and the right technology. Every line below is part of the engagement, not an upsell.
Schedule assessment
Updates tested for statusing integrity, logic and reliability before they are used as evidence.
INCLUDEDMethod selection
The AACE MIP and SCL approach that the records, contract and forum can actually support, with reasons stated.
INCLUDEDCritical and longest path
The controlling path identified in each analysis window, with near-critical paths tracked.
INCLUDEDDelay quantification
Days of delay attributed event by event, reconciled to the overall slip in completion.
INCLUDEDConcurrency and pacing
True concurrent delay distinguished from pacing and from sequential delay.
INCLUDEDResponsibility allocation
Delay apportioned between employer, contractor and neutral risk on stated criteria.
INCLUDEDPlain-language exhibits
Timelines and window charts a non-specialist can follow in minutes.
INCLUDEDA clear path, milestone by milestone.
A disciplined sequence, so you always know what happens next, who owns it and why it matters.
What you receive
- 01Delay analysis report with method statement
- 02Schedule reliability assessment
- 03Delay event register with source references
- 04Critical path summary by window
- 05Concurrency and pacing assessment
- 06Responsibility apportionment table
- 07Native files and exhibit set
Technology we work in
Platform-fluent and vendor-independent. We work inside your environment, or help you choose the one that fits. We take no reseller commissions.
What changes when we arrive.
Not more reports. Earlier warnings, firmer dates and decisions your board, lenders and teams can trust.
One account of causation that survives scrutiny from the other side.
Liquidated damages and prolongation risk quantified early enough to act on.
Issues narrowed to the few that genuinely matter.
What leaders ask us first.
Straight answers from the people who do the work. If your question is not here, ask us directly. A senior practitioner will reply.
Which delay analysis method is best?
No method is best in the abstract. AACE 29R-03 and the SCL Protocol both make the point that the choice depends on the contract, the quality of the contemporaneous schedules, the records available, the forum and proportionality. A project with honest monthly updates suits an observational windows analysis; a project with no usable updates may need a modified or recreated as-built. We state the method, why we chose it and what it cannot tell you.
What is concurrent delay, and why does it matter so much?
Under the SCL Protocol, true concurrent delay is the occurrence of two or more delay events at the same time, one an employer risk event and the other a contractor risk event, with both affecting completion. Many contracts and jurisdictions then give the contractor time but not money. Because the label shifts liquidated damages and prolongation costs, it is often the most contested finding in a case, and we test it rigorously rather than assume it.
Can delay analysis be done while the project is still running?
Yes, and it should be. A contemporaneous analysis at each update resolves entitlement while the people and facts are still on site, keeps notices timely and gives executives a straight answer about the forecast. It also costs a fraction of a retrospective reconstruction years later.
How do you treat pacing?
Pacing is a deliberate slowing of non-critical work in response to a delay on the critical path caused by the other party. It is not the same as concurrent delay. We look for contemporaneous evidence of the decision, such as instructions, minutes or resource changes, and treat pacing claims as unproven without it.
Time Impact Analysis (TIA)
Prospective and contemporaneous time impact analyses that model a specific event in the current schedule and show its effect on completion and key milestones.
Extension of Time (EOT)
Extension-of-time preparation, assessment and negotiation support under AIA, ConsensusDocs, FIDIC, NEC and bespoke contracts.
Forensic Scheduling
Forensic reconstruction of as-planned and as-built schedules from the project record, analysed with methods recognised by AACE International and the SCL Protocol.
See your finish from here.
Tell us where your project stands today. In one conversation with a senior practitioner you will know where it is really heading, what is driving it, and what it will take to land it.
- Senior practitioner on the first call
- Confidential by default
- A straight answer, not a sales pitch
