Unabsorbed Head Office Overheads can be one of the easiest heads of claims to quantify, but it is also the most difficult to prove. Proving an Unabsorbed Head Office Overheads claim requires the demonstration of a loss. Unlike many other heads of claims associated with delay, it is a loss to the Contractor’s business as a whole, not just a specific project. As a result, the irony is that smaller Contractors are more likely to be able to demonstrate a loss, whereas larger Contractor’s may struggle. This seminar looks at the nature of Unabsorbed Head Office Overheads, the relationship to Loss of Profit Claims, what is required to prove the loss and how to quantify the loss and how this may be done. The various formulaic approaches are looked at and compared along with several variations to the usual list of formulae. Issues with the individual formulae will be examined and discussed.

David is a Principal with Exponent, Inc. based in Singapore. He is an eminent construction industry professional, possessing a background in Quantity Surveying. In 2015 he was awarded the prestigious Construction Week Qatar Magazine “Construction Executive of the Year” award. David is the co - author of the RICS Expert Witness training programme and a presenter for Asia. David has also written and published a number of books and written articles covering a wide range of aspects of construction and dispute related matters. During his 30 years career, David has been involved in a variety of sectors such as: airports, buildings, hospitality / leisure, healthcare, infrastructure, mixed use, process / industrial etc. In a book by Joe M. Powell of Rice University Building Institute called “The New Competitiveness in Design and Construction”, David was described as one of 80 International Market Leaders in the construction industry globally. In 2000, David was awarded the AIQS’s President’s Medal for services to the profession and has also studied law through the Legal Practitioners Board. David has operated as a Tribunal and Party Appointed Expert Witness, having testified numerous times in various tribunals on matters of quantum in various international tribunals.

Trevor commenced his career in Australia and has worked in planning, scheduling and forensic delay analysis since 2000. His experience has been drawn from his involvement on a wide range of projects including airports, roads, rail infrastructure, mixed-use developments, hospitals, shopping centres, oil & gas plants, power plants and sporting facilities in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and Dubai.

Trevor brings extensive experience in the provision of independent expert analysis on extensions of time, delay, disruption and acceleration. While retained for the purposes of representing contractors and owners, Trevor has been involved in preparing overall recovery strategies, preparing analyses and expert reports for various stages of litigation, acted as the expert in arbitration and mediation proceedings, provided expert delay analyses in Security of Payment Act proceedings and developed extension of time administration regimes for both contractors and owners to ensure that contractual obligations are satisfied. Trevor has been and is still currently heavily involved in the front-end delivery of live projects; planning construction works for a wide range of projects at both the tender and delivery stages of a project.