The suitability of and extent to which an international contractor’s quality management system was executed for the engineering, procurement and construction of a pipeline project was evaluated by examining forensic evidence during a contract dispute.

A comprehensive system to ensure the effective execution of the planned project management, engineering, procurement, construction, and quality assurance activities was required to be in place for a multi-million-dollar capital project, which is not uncommon in the EPC industry. Quality management system standards typically mandate the retention of quality records. It was those records that formed the basis of Mr. Oland’s assessment into the extent to which the contractor had developed a system for the control of the scope work, the suitability of that system, and the effectiveness of its implementation.

The investigation revealed apparent weaknesses in the qualification and competency of the contractor’s project team, the lack of an independent inspection group, the nonexistence of periodic assessments required to redress the concerns of the client, an ineffectual quality audit program, and the lack of stewardship by both the contractor’s corporate organization as well as the client. All of these unsatisfactory conditions, and others identified by Mr. Oland, appeared to have created conditions that led to a crisis of accountability.

The methodical examination of quality records by Accumyn can provide a historical perspective at any stage of a project’s lifecycle. Perhaps more importantly, similar Accumyn examinations at critical junctures of a project can serve to provide further assurance of satisfactory performance in future, or otherwise effect timely correctives actions for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.