Hot Topics At CSC: Election, AI, And Much More
Ahead of the upcoming Construction Super Conference, Cohen Seglias construction partner Shawn Farrell shared insights on key topics likely to dominate discussions at the national event. He emphasized the importance of loss prevention strategies to mitigate breach of contract risks and maximize profits, spotlighting issues such as progressive design-build contracts, insurance coverage for natural disasters, and recent labor law developments stemming from the Cemex case. Farrell noted that these pressing matters are highly relevant to the construction industry and await further guidance from appellate courts.
Construction Super Conference (CSC) is less than two months away, not to mention a Nov. 5 presidential election in less than three weeks. What will attendees be talking about?
LAS VEGAS – Construction Super Conference (CSC) is less than two months away, not to mention a Nov. 5 presidential election in less than three weeks. What will attendees be talking about? We asked and found no shortage of hot topics, such as: politics; regulations; artificial intelligence; and Chevron deference to name a few. CSC registration is open for the Dec. 9-11 conference at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
“Hot topics will be the presidential election results and the associated impacts on the construction industry, such as taxes, tariffs, inflation, and the impact on material pricing and labor. What types of national investments will there be for energy, affordable housing, infrastructure? What will be AI’s impact? How are developers, contractors, subs, and design professionals using AI? What are pros and cons of AI implementation?” — Dayna L. Anderson, executive vice president, The VERTEX Companies, LLC, Chicago
“There are a few pressing issues currently shaping the industry, including the rapid rise of AI in construction. As these technologies evolve, so too do the associated risks, making it essential to explore the benefits and challenges presented by the latest tools on the market. The transition of private contractors into public sector work has also been a focal point in recent years and will continue to be a key discussion point given the upcoming election. Additionally, the design-build delivery method has been promoted as a revolutionary delivery method, but it presents its own challenges, so I anticipate many attendees sharing their experience with it – highlighting both successful strategies and lessons learned from past endeavors.” — Levi W. Barrett, partner, Peckar & Abramson, New Jersey and New York
“I believe attendees at CSC will be interested in ‘Loss Prevention’ to mitigate any potential breach of contract and maximize profits. This topic covers many sub-issues immediately relevant to the construction industry and which the appellate courts have not had the opportunity to address concerning: contract law; insurance law; and labor law. More specifically, I think attendees at CSC will look for guidance in contract law on: progressive design build contracts; design build contracts; and whether natural disasters will afford contractors both time and money on projects impacted by recent hurricanes. For insurance coverage issues: ‘errors & omissions’ policies related delegated design and design assist; wind versus flood coverage; and reconstruction costs and fraud related to natural disasters. Finally, attendees will want to understand, from a labor law perspective, the changes to the National Labor Relations Act as it relates to the Cemex case—when a non-union company must negotiate with a union.” — Shawn R. Farrell, partner, Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC, Philadelphia
