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  George McKnight
  26 Harburn Road, WEST CALDER, West Lothian EH55 8AH
  01506 871203 (home/work) 07973726973 (mobile)

  Date of birth: 11 July 1946

Key Skills and Abilities:

• Accuracy and attention to detail in all areas of work.
• Ability to work under pressure to ensure all work processed to meet tight deadlines.
• Initiative used to make and resolve commercial decisions to ensure that clients continue to achieve value for money when the recovery of monies due is being pursued.
• Ability to overcome most obstacles put in place by others with the aim of preventing clients recovering that to which they are contractually entitled.
• Proven track record in leading and motivating teams to perform effectively, analysing progress and identifying development needs.

Achievements:

• Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1985). Resigned 2004
• Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (1984).
• Member of the Association for Project Management (1992).
• During career, have worked on the local authority, private practice and contracting sides of the construction industry.
• Been involved in a wide variety of projects, both in type (building, M+E, power generation and civil) and value (£500,000 to £1,400 million).
• Part of two-man team that developed a successful claims management system that allowed management to:
  • closely monitor a large number of claims (in excess of 500) for and against various parties on a power station project,
  • update financial implications of these on a daily basis,
  • keep management fully appraised of current situation at all times,
  • negotiate and agree settlements with the various parties that were advantageous to our client.
• Nominated by contractors as arbitrator on two tripartite panels and helped successfully resolve disputes.
• Prepared pleadings and acted as client's representative in two successful arbitration proceedings.
• Prepared interim valuations in order to maximize clients' cash flow recoveries during the construction of projects.
• Prepared and negotiated final accounts and claims, when employed by clients after their projects have been completed, and helped increase their levels of return on these projects.
• Acted as clients' representative in adjudications to recover additional costs incurred, the outcomes of which were successful. 
• Formed my own company on 1995 and, through a large proportion of repeat business, have managed to make a success of that for over eleven years.

• Director.
• Help contractors and subcontractors maximize their contractual recovery on a wide variety of construction projects.
• This has involved the:
  • preparation of interim valuations and final accounts,
  • preparation of delay schedules and programmes,
  • preparation and negotiation of claims for both time and costs,
  • preparation for and running adjudications,
  • preparation for an involvement in arbitrations,
  • provision of contractual advice regarding the maximization of financial recovery on construction projects.
• Clients have included:

  • First Engineering Limited Watson Construction Limited Balfour Beatty Construction Costain Construction Ltd Stewart Milne Construction Ltd John Dickie Construction Ltd

    Dixon Landscapes Limited Watson Stonecraft Limited Jet Construction Ltd ESS Electrical Engineering Ltd Miller Fabrications Ltd Siemens Power Generation

• Contract/Claims Manager
• Member of their project management team for a gas-fired power station in Taiwan.
• Responsible for the preparation and negotiation of claims.
• Prepared Pleadings for Arbitration.

• Managing QS
• Led team of surveyors in the preparation and negotiation of the final account, including claims, for a large housing refurbishment project in Glasgow (JCT Conditions of Contract).
• Also involved in the preparation of case for Arbitration.
• Other duties included the preparation of claims (ICE and GC/Works/1), the preparation of defences against writs issued by sub-contractors and general contractual advice.

• Senior Contracts Consultant
• Involved in the preparation of claims for a variety of contractors in respect of building, M+E and power generation projects using JCT and GC/Works/1 Conditions of Contract.
• Services provided also included project management and advice on the pursuit of entitlement via Arbitration.

• Senior QS
• Preparation and successful negotiation of claims for delay, disruption and subsequent loss and expense for structural steelwork sub- contractor on nuclear power station.
• Also included first seven months of employment with James R. Knowles.

• Branch Manager and Director.
• Based in their Saudi Arabian office with the responsibility for turning around a loss-making situation into a profitable one by increasing the turnover three-fold.  Increased the staffing level from one to seventeen.
• Provided both pre- and post contract services for a wide range of clients, of various nationalities, on a wide range of projects.
• Personally involved in loss adjusting, preparation of claims and acting as an expert witness.
• Was appointed Arbitrator on tripartite panel on two occasions.

• Senior QS.
• Based in their Saudi Arabian office, was one of their multi-disciplinary team who provided contractual and financial advice on a wide variety of building and civil engineering projects to Government Department.
• Projects included the King Saud University (value £1,400m) and the Saudi Arabia/Bahrain Causeway (value £175m).

• Branch Manager and Co-ordinating Chief Surveyor
• Based in their Eastern Nigerian office and responsible for the pre- and post contract QS duties on a variety of Building and Civil Engineering projects.
• Duties also included claims and the training of indigenous staff.

• Senior QS.
• Prepared and negotiated claims for delay, disruption and subsequent loss and expense on large housing project.

• Senior Contract Surveyor, Project Manager and acting Chief Surveyor.
• Carried out full range of post contract QS duties on a variety of projects.
• Duties included Project Manager for large housing project, estimating and acting as Chief Surveyor for a period of six months.

• Contract Surveyor
• Responsible for the post contract QS duties on office block and recreation centre.
• Prepared and negotiated claims for delay and loss and expense on both projects.

• Quantity Surveyor
• Carried out pre- and post contract QS duties on both large and small housing projects.

• Senior QS and Group Leader. Was youngest group leader in QS Department at the time.
• Carried out full range of pre- and post contract QS duties on a range of building projects from cost estimates to negotiation of claims from contractors.
• Worked in close liaison with Chief Architect on development projects throughout the city.

• Apprentice and Assistant QS.
• Won first prize in Quantity Surveying, First Year, at Napier College of Science and Technology.
• Carried out pre- and post contract QS duties on a range of housing, industrial and commercial projects.
• Placed in charge of team of apprentices to prepare contract documents for small industrial project.

Interests:

• Reading, cycling, walking, football and weekend breaks.

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