The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) has announced the formation of its 26th technical committee – the DFI Risk and Contracts Committee. The goal of the committee is to raise awareness of risk management through programs and promotion. Key objectives for the committee are to:
- Establish the fundamental requirements for geotechnical risk management for all entities involved in the geotechnical project’s life cycle.
- Co-operate with all DFI technical committees in establishing risk management standards and providing suggested guidance for all types of geotechnical products and techniques.
- Harmonize the risk management knowledge of DFI with the knowledge of other deep foundation organizations.
The committee’s first project is to research and produce The Book of Risks for Geotechnical Projects. The book will be organized to reflect the four major categories of risks of geotechnical projects: internal risks, legal risks, external risks and geotechnical-exploration risks. Risk identification will cover all geotechnical products of interest to DFI members, all types of project delivery (design-bid-build, PPP, etc.) and all types of owners.
Industry professionals involved in risk management are encouraged to join this committee chaired by Alexander Filotti, MBA, P.Eng., risk controller of Underpinning and Foundation Skanska, Inc., and vice-chaired by Richard D. Kalson, Esq., a partner in the Construction Law Group of Benesch. 