Overview
Smita Yamgar has over nine years of experience in construction and project management, planning and scheduling, contract administration, contract negotiations vendor management, design coordination, optimization of construction resources, delay and disruption claims analysis, construction damages analysis. She is knowledgeable in the areas of implementation of BIM and new project delivery methods for a construction contractor, such as lean construction technologies, Last Planner System, Visual Stream Mapping, Just-In-Time Delivery, and Partnership concepts. Smita has worked on behalf of contractors, owners, and architects on a variety of industrial, commercial, and public projects including hospitals, offices, housing complexes, metro, roadways, bridges, airports, conveyors, hospitals, power plants. She led over 20 construction projects with a construction cost totaling over $600 million as lead construction manager. She has assisted in the evaluation of schedule delays, disruption and damages claims totaling over $700 million.
Smita has presented papers on productivity improvements, skill enhancement, cost optimization, and lean construction methods at international conferences. She has educated students, supervisors and skilled workers on various topics and techniques. Smita also developed “Lean Champions” to create a healthy working environment in the construction industry.
Project Experience
Construction Claims- Assisted in schedule delay analysis on behalf of one of the parties to a $5 billion public private partnership for finance, design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Construction entity made claims of over $100 million to design professional for scope changes, design errors and omissions, and associated delay and damages. Assisted in drafting an expert report.
- Assisted in an independent assessment of schedule delays using CPM analysis. Along with damages and disruption analysis on a public-private partnership project with construction cost of $2 billion. Assisted in an evaluation claim totaling over $350 million and assisted in drafting an expert report and preparation of exhibits for mediation.
- Prepared the monthly project schedule updates, schedule narratives, progress tracking, TIAs’, legal drafts for extension of time on behalf of the bridge construction contractor.
- Analyzed labor inefficiencies, added scope, schedule delays, critical path delays. Analyzed delays caused by poor logistics and inefficiencies of labor on the project. Assisted in preparing an expert report.
- Assisted in drafting an expert report, rebuttal reports, preparation of exhibits for mediation, litigation, and arbitration.
- Quantified standby equipment cost, idle equipment and labor costs, material and labor escalation cost, additional work cost on behalf of a contractor of $132 million cut-off wall rehabilitation project. Reviewed and analyzed REAs’ and assisted in preparing an expert report.
- Assisted in an independent assessment of damages on behalf of one of the parties to the $7 Million project of Expand Dialysis project.
- Reviewed Construction Project Claims to analyze a Contractor’s delay, remobilization, and escalation claims.
- Assisted in independent schedule analysis on $14 million project of distribution center.
- Prepared detailed critical path delay analysis using multiple floats, prepared schedule logs for different milestones of the project.
- Analyzed labor productivities, disruption caused by inefficient work force. Prepared productivity analysis using measured miles.
- Analyzed schedules and claims through an extensive review of project drawings, specifications, change orders and correspondence.
- Analyzed schedule delays by window analysis on behalf of construction contractor.
- Prepared delay analysis, monthly impacted schedules, and drafted Extension of Time (EOT) letters and successfully negotiated time extension for two optical fiber industry projects.
- Metro Rail Project – Worked as a Construction Manager for a general contractor on a $110 million rail project of three lines with a total length 34 miles; value engineered in-the use of structural steel viaduct instead of concrete; managed meetings, issued RFIs and contractual letters of delay and scope increase notices to client; coordinated with contract administration team for contractual claims and preparation of schedule and cost analysis; headed the purchase team in finalizing finishing items by performing cost, feasibility analysis and vendor/contractor evaluation. Set targets for planning, commercial, safety, quality control, contracts teams to avoid time and cost overrun, to reduce waste by the contractor. Assisted with the prime, subcontractor, and supplier invoicing process.
- Automobile Factory-Precast, Prefabricated Construction Project of $54 million – Led a team for erection of 3.15mX15m precast members at 21m heights with 500 metric ton cranes. Managed team of rebar bending operators, fabricators, crane operators, and site engineers, superintendents to achieve the flow of work, optimizing cost and minimum waste. Prepared schedules for precast fabrication yard and set an optimistic production cycle for prefabricated units. Conducted Value Stream Mapping, Time Motion Analysis, and standardized prefabrication cycle to increase production. Assisted logistic team to prepare logistic plans for the precast store, transportation, and erection of precast girders. Monitored execution of wet construction joints of precast units and the use of proper couplers for rebar.
- Power Plant Projects – Co-coordinated project documentation, receivables, and project closeouts for civil construction cost of $120 million. Tracked project schedules, prepared, and monitored progress reports, cost projections, monthly information system (MIS) reports. Managed progress review meetings, resolved RFIs, supported execution teams for manpower, materials, machinery resources. Prepared Master Construction Schedules, histograms for project procurement and project execution. Established and administered project documentation and filing systems. Assisted with jobsite activities set-up, including mobilization and demobilization.
- Innovation and Technology-Finalized Rating Criteria for LEAN Construction- optimum utilization of resources (3M) Techniques at Construction sites, under the Guidance Director of ILCE and presented to forum of Indian Green Building Council and The Energy and Resources Institute. Successfully implemented- innovative construction technologies like lean principles, VDC, BIM modeling, last planner, partnerships, value stream mapping, Just-in-time, at commercial, industrial, residential, metro and power plant projects of civil value $10-20 million each. Initiated use of drones for construction progress monitoring. Worked with Quality Assurance and Quality Control team and suggested and advocated the use of light weight aggregates for landscape, elevated plaza, retaining walls, shallow foundations etc. Performed value engineering with construction walls, encouraged use of Plasmolite walls instead of regular brick & plaster, resulting in savings of 30% in cost & 50% in time.
- Appointed as a project lead for design coordination, construction management and contracts administration for two Optical Fiber Industry projects of 4B INR each. Assisted in the development and implementation of the Project Execution Plan, Quality Assurance Plan, Safety & Health plan, Subcontracting Plan, Project Staffing Plan, Organization Chart, and Procurement Plan. Interfacing with the client for change approvals with Extension of Time (EOT) by preparing and presenting contractual Delay Analysis, Monthly Impact Schedules.
- Increased productivity of workers by 25% by developing skills enhancement centers over 10 construction projects for skilled workers. Led a crew of 400 plus Pan IIT Reach for India Foundation workers. Trained 4000 plus unskilled construction workers for industrial and commercial project processes, resulting in reduced operating expenses by 15%, and reduced waste of construction materials. Designed and executed precast setups at different construction sites. Conducted Time Motion analysis and rearranged the precast cycle to increase production rate. Trained CNC machine operator’s team to increase productivity and achieve targets by streamlining supply of reinforcing to site.