Q&A with Fritz Marth, GREYHAWK Director of Consulting Services

Fritz Marth, GREYHAWK Director of Consulting Services

Fritz T. Marth, PE, CFCC, is Director of Consulting Services for GREYHAWK. Founded in 1996, GREYHAWK provides comprehensive construction project management, consulting, and commissioning services. The company’s Mount Laurel, New Jersey, headquarters offers proximity to the Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C., metropolitan areas, with projects and consulting assignments completed nationwide. GREYHAWK staff include construction managers, licensed professional engineers, certified cost engineers, schedule experts, commissioning specialists, and master tradespeople whose diverse perspectives and professional expertise guide clients through all facets of planning, design, construction, and commissioning.

Fritz joined GREYHAWK in 2008 and currently leads the firm’s consulting practice. Both a licensed professional engineer (PE) and a certified forensic claims consultant (CFCC), Fritz has over 35 years of experience in the construction industry, specializing in dispute and claims resolution, schedule and delay analyses, and litigation support. He has led claims analyses on over $3 billion in construction projects.

In the following Q&A, Fritz shares more about construction consulting, how project stakeholders can mitigate risk, and best practices for successful construction project outcomes.

Q1: GREYHAWK provides construction project management, commissioning, and construction consulting. What types of services are included in construction consulting?

Our primary function as consultants is to help clients reach favorable resolutions to commercial construction disputes. To do this, we provide a range of services, from schedule delay analysis and loss of labor productivity analysis to cost damages assessments related to both. We may also estimate costs for repairs or completion. We also provide expert witness testimony in courts or arbitration.

Q2: Risk is always a factor in a construction project. How do you help clients mitigate or manage risk?

You can’t eliminate risk in construction – or in life for that matter. But the best way to manage risk is to get ahead of it. GREYHAWK has the advantage of serving as construction managers as well as consultants – and in serving owners and contractors in nearly equal measure. We understand the value of bringing a construction manager on board early to assist with schedule and budget development and to navigate the inevitable surprises that occur in any project. When we get involved as a consultant after a project has experienced a delay, we understand how to prepare credible change order requests to keep clients financially whole. Effective project leadership and realistic schedules and budgets are two ways to manage risk.

Q3: How do you and GREYHAWK support clients during disputes?

“We call it like we see it,” has become a GREYHAWK guiding principle. We help clients understand the strengths and weaknesses of their position in a dispute so they can decide how or whether to move forward. As disputes move toward litigation, costs add up quickly. We provide realistic guidance based on experience and an objective point of view. GREYHAWK has consulted for stakeholders on both sides of disputes. Whether working for a contractor or an owner, we bring the other’s perspective into the dialogue. This allows us to help clients develop a reasonable analytic basis for a claim. We translate our clients’ words into language that resonates with the other party, and if necessary, with a judge, jury, or arbitrator.

Q4: What are some recommendations or best practices you’d offer to owners when beginning a construction project? 

Don’t go into any construction project with preconceived notions. Some projects don’t go well, but most do. You never want to begin with an adversarial inclination toward another party. I recommend owners and construction managers staff their projects properly, both in terms of individual expertise and experience as well as necessary presence and time spent on the job. In some cases, such as transit agencies or universities, owners may have sophisticated construction managers on staff, but in other cases, an owner should consider hiring an experienced construction manager or owner’s representative. Another piece of advice is to prepare realistic schedules and budgets before beginning work as an excellent way to help manage surprises that inevitably arise.

Q5: How did you get involved in the field of construction consulting?

My first exposure to construction consulting came while I was in college. I was in Drexel University’s cooperative education program, where I worked while attending school. In my first co-op position, I shared an office with a construction consultant and became interested in his work. I also worked for a construction management firm as both a co-op and as a construction manager after graduating, so I gained perspective from both sides.

Q6: As a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), what unique perspective do you bring to your role as a consultant? 

I was trained as a civil engineer, which by its nature is a general practitioner type of engineering. My engineering curriculum also helped me develop problem-solving and analytical ways of thinking. I’ve combined that with experience in construction from buildings to roadways. Having that background is a big plus for understanding how things are built.

Q7: You were recently promoted to director, joining the GREYHAWK leadership team. What advice do you have for younger employees or those interested in your field? 

Take every advantage to learn. There’s no such thing as a graduate course in construction claims consulting, but there are plenty of resources available online, through professional organizations, and from people in your office. Network with those who have been in the field for a while who are willing to share. This is a relatively small, collegial community. I also encourage young people to get credentialed as soon as possible; whether that’s as a professional engineer, as a registered architect, or with any of the construction industry certifications. In a business where many become testifying experts, having credentials sets you apart.