HILL INTERNATIONAL

"If a picture is worth 10,000 words, what is 10,000 pictures working together worth?"
Shawn Pressley, Director of Project Management
Hill International






Hill International has 2,000 professionals in 70 offices among 30 nations and one of the largest construction claims practices in the world. Hill's construction claims services accounted for approximately one-third of the company's consulting fee revenue in 2007.

In 2006, the company made acquisitions that tripled the size of the construction claims business segment. This segment assists its clients in preventing and resolving disputes that arise over the course of the construction process such as delays or cost overruns.

The Contractor

Hill International provides program management, project management, construction management and construction claims services.

Engineering News-Record magazine recently ranked Hill as the 11th largest, construction management firm in the United States. Hill is the fastest-growing firm in the United Kingdom among the top 250 architecture, engineering, quantity surveying and project management firms, based upon growth in UK staff from 2006 to 2007, according to Building magazine. (Oct. 17, 2007)

Hill is the 3rd largest U.S. buildings construction management firm, according to Building Design & Construction magazine. (July, 2008) Hill is the 12th fastest-growing firm in the United States and Canada among the top 200 architecture, engineering and construction consulting firms according to The Zweig Letter. (October 26, 2007)

To learn more about Hill International, please visit their web site at http://www.hillintl.com/.


Synchro Applications

Hill International is the project manager for construction of some of the tallest high-rises in the United States and worldwide with a major presence in the Middle East. Hill is using Synchro primarily for its construction claims practice. However, the company will use Synchro, as well, for:

· Presentations to win new work by using 4D model simulation to help analyze delivery approaches to new buildings and help show how a building project would come together utilising world-class, project scheduling techniques with logical accuracy and visual simulation from start to completion.

· Risk management to understand better as well as help identify and schedule risks from well defined, mitigation approaches.

Specification

Hill International considers the unique part of Synchro to reside in the scheduling for the visual construction with 4D modelling simulation. The company uses the Synchro software application for a number of reasons:

· Hill International wanted to understand business realities more clearly to better manage claims for delays and cost over-runs.

· The company seeks to win bids for new business by offering clarity to owners through the deployment of Synchro at presentations as a "virtual builder" to simulate construction plans with 4D modelling.

· Synchro helps Hill International to manage and resolve delivery risk.

What Synchro Ltd Provided

· Support for construction modelling techniques

· 4D simulation software

· Training of the Claims Management Team

· Ongoing technical support for its software.

Outcomes

Synchro has become a useful tool for claims analysis and resolution, risk management and new business development among many high-rise projects underway worldwide.

The stand-alone scheduling feature, as well as the integration with Primavera's world-class scheduling system P6, enables Hill International to clearly see what was planned and to play forward or backward to envision what is actually happening at critical junctures through the project delivery. The scheduling feature helps Hill International understand the project better to:

· Visualize and help resolve the root causes of time delays.

· Visualize the full effects of planned and unplanned changes on downstream project activities in the logical diagram.

· Trouble shoot the project sequences and dependencies by visualizing scheduling conflicts in areas which create unforeseen dependencies and/or unsafe working enviroments.

· Show how time problems can impact project costs.

· View project snapshots at critical phases, which can be examined either prospectively for planning or retrospectively to analyse and resolve claims.

"With Synchro we can run what-if scenarios," said Shawn Pressley. "We can take the schedule and make it a virtual builder. Synchro helps us show the owner that we have thought through the work and it will enable the owner virtually to see the project built."

To play a brief YouTube movie clip about Synchro's 4D BIM construction software, simply click here.

How can Synchro help your company?