Free Webinar with Deltek | Managing Project and Financial KPIs to Boost Firm Profitability

Posted by & filed under Events.

Presented by:
Andrew Mendelson, FAIA, EVP, Chief Risk Management & CX Officer, Berkley Design Professional
Megan Miller, Director, Product Marketing, Deltek

Wednesday, September 13, 2023
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Eastern Time
1 AIA Learning Unit
1 RCEP Professional Development Hour

Berkley DP policyholders who participate in this program can qualify for a 15% Risk Management Education credit. Contact your agent for further information*

Register Now

Managing projects goes beyond just schedule and deliverables, but also requires a focus on project performance and profitability as well as the overall impact of the project to the bottom line. In this session, attendees will gain insight into top key performance indicators (KPIs), identify industry benchmarks for KPIs, and understand how to leverage the metrics to boost profitability.

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Berkley Design Professional Now Participating in the Deltek Marketplace Partner Network

Posted by & filed under News Releases.

New Relationship Helps Bring Tailored Insurance Protection to Design Professionals

Monterey, California (August 8, 2023) — Berkley Design Professional, a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, is excited to announce it has joined the Deltek Marketplace. Now, it will be even easier for Deltek customers and prospects to learn about Berkley Design Professional’s specialized insurance products focused on the unique risk management needs of Architects and Engineers.

“This relationship enables Berkley Design Professional and Deltek to provide thought leadership in new, innovative ways that will help our mutual clients improve business practices, minimize risk and confidently build a better future,” says Larry Moonan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Berkley Design Professional.

Berkley Design Professional’s coverage is specifically tailored to help protect firms from losses resulting from negligent acts, errors or omissions in the performance of professional services.

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Free Webinar with Deltek | Developing a Risk Management Plan for Your Firm

Posted by & filed under Events.

Presented by:
Andrew Mendelson, FAIA, EVP, Chief Risk Management & CX Officer, Berkley Design Professional
Michael Heinsdorf, PE, Senior Director, Product Alliances, Deltek

Wednesday, August 9, 2023
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern Time

Register Now

Developing a formal risk management plan is an essential step in proactively protecting your firm from financial risk, and setting your firm up for success.

During this session, our Chief Risk Management Officer, Andy Mendelson, will join Michael Heinsdorf from Deltek with the key steps you can take to reduce your risk with a formal plan at your firm, and explain the importance of understanding what risks can be controlled through legal contracts and insurance products.

Session highlights:

  • Learn how to establish a risk management team to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risk
  • Explore how careful project and client selection can significantly reduce potential risks
  • Gain insights into the importance of understanding the role of legal contracts and insurance products in managing risks effectively
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WTW A&E Webinar: Pre-Construction Services – Cure or Curse?

Posted by & filed under Events.

Presented by:
Andrew Mendelson, FAIA, EVP, Chief Risk Management & CX Officer, Berkley Design Professional
David Ericksen, Esq., Attorney at Law, Hinshaw Culbertson

Monday, December 11, 2023
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Central Time

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Andy Mendelson, executive vice president and chief risk management officer, will co-present alongside David Ericksen on a WTW A&E webinar, “Pre-Construction Services – Cure or Curse?”, on Monday, December 11.

Third-party review and comment on any design professional’s work product can be uncomfortable. It exposes the design to critique, second guessing and “alternative” views. However, it can also validate and improve the design before any deficiencies lead to economic harm and consequences.

Drawn from real-life cases in the media and courts, this program will highlight the potential risk and risk management opportunities emerging from third-party pre-construction design review by other design professionals, contractors and construction managers. In addition, it will offer corresponding strategies to help you successfully engage in those processes as the designer or the reviewer.

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Retirement Planning for Design Professionals – Are Your Clients Covered for Professional Liability?

Posted by & filed under BDP Blog.

By Barbara Block
Vice President, Supervising Underwriter
Berkley Design Professional, a Berkley Company

June 6, 2023

Retirement for a design professional doesn’t just happen, it takes careful planning and preparation. Having a transition plan, a buy-sell agreement, successor development and planning are all considerations, but one area retiring professionals may overlook is having adequate professional liability coverage.

Given the current climate of increasing litigation, simply relying on the design professional’s prior firm to maintain their professional liability insurance policy in addition to having necessary limits to protect their assets in retirement is not necessarily the best or safest option.

When it comes to professional liability coverage for architects and engineers, claims don’t just occur when the project is underway. Claims can arise years after the project is complete and if the design professional is no longer a named insured under their prior firms’ policy, problems can occur.

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Diane Mika Presenting at Society for Design Administration (SDA) EDSymposium23

Posted by & filed under Events.

Managing Risk Through Effective Contracts

Presented by:
Diane P. Mika, Senior Vice President, Risk Management Officer, Berkley Design Professional

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Diane Mika, senior vice president and risk management officer, will be speaking at the Society for Design Administration (SDA) EDSymposium23.

Mika will present on “Managing Risk Through Effective Contracts” as part of the conference’s Project Administration Workshop.

More details on the event below.

***

Everyone practices project management. Whether getting a building out of the ground, planning a health care open enrollment, an office move, or working a marketing plan, the skills needed to reach your goal rely on project management:  budgeting, scheduling, communicating, and managing people. The role of the project administrator (PA) in managing A/E projects also requires an understanding of project phases, contract administration, document control, financial management, and risk management.

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Free Webinar: Real-Life Ethical Situations in Design and Construction

Posted by & filed under Events.

Presented by:
Mike Bilderbeck, PE, FASHRAE, Principal Emeritus, Chief Mechanical/Fire Protection Engineer, Pickering Firm, Inc.
Andrew D. Mendelson, FAIA, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Management Officer, Berkley Design Professional
Jennifer Leach, PE, LEED AP, Associate, BR+A
Kristin L. Schaefer, P.E., PhD candidate, University of Houston, Schaefer Engineering 

Thursday, June 22, 2023
10:00 am – 11:30 am Pacific Time
1.5 AIA Learning Units
1.5 RCEP Professional Development Hours

Berkley DP policyholders who participate in this program can qualify for a 15% Risk Management Education credit. Contact your agent for further information*

Register Now

As construction projects, project delivery, and owner expectations become increasingly complex, it is more important than ever for design professionals to make proper decisions based on professional standards and codes of ethics. In this webinar, presented by a panel of experts, you will review the process of ethical decision-making and explore actual ethical situations and decisions rendered by review boards. 

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Be a Good Neighbor: Strategies to Mitigate Risk of Damage to Adjacent Properties

Posted by & filed under BDP Blog.

By Andrew Mendelson, FAIA
Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Management and CX Officer
Berkley Design Professional, a Berkley Company

May 9, 2023

One of the emerging 21st Century perils for design professionals, particularly for structural and geotechnical/CMT engineers and architects, is the potential impact of new projects on the condition and even the integrity of adjacent properties.

An architect or engineer’s legal duty is to their client according to the scope and terms of the professional services agreement as well as the responsibilities embodied in state statutes for licensed professionals. However, consideration should be given to adjacent property owners during the planning stages and efforts should be undertaken to protect against claims that could be made by other “injured parties” on adjacent properties.

In states where the applicable law embodies the principle of “joint and several liability,” disproportionate responsibility and financial exposure can be allocated to the design professional—even if their actions had very little to do with the cause of damages to an adjacent structure.

Trends in design and construction claims and litigation indicate the casting of an ever-widening net with plaintiffs seeking defendants with deep pockets, such as the professional liability insurance policy and the assets of a firm. Therefore, it’s prudent for design professionals to be proactive in managing risk with respect to potential exposure for damages beyond the property line of the project, especially in dense urban or suburban areas.

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Andy Mendelson Presenting at ACEC Illinois Alternative Project Delivery Workshop

Posted by & filed under Events.

Overview of Types of Alternative Delivery Models

Presented by:
Andrew D. Mendelson, FAIA, EVP, Chief Risk Management Officer, Berkley Design Professional

Monday, May 15, 2023

Andy Mendelson, FAIA, executive vice president and chief risk management officer, will be presenting at the ACEC Illinois Alternative Project Delivery Workshop with IDOT and Tollway on Monday, May 15.

Andy will give an overview of varying types of Alternative Delivery Models in his presentation. The workshop is located in Lombard, Illinois at Harry Caray’s Ballroom. The workshop will last from 8:30am to 6:30pm.

For more information on the workshop HERE.

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