In Episode 14 of the WTW podcast, “Talk to me about A&E”, Dan Buelow, Managing Director, Architects & Engineers practice, sits down with our Chief Risk Management Officer, Andy Mendelson, FAIA. Andy discusses the critical “Go No-Go” considerations every design firm should include when assessing a new project opportunity including project team capabilities, financial impact, contracts and client selection.
Monterey, Calif. (December 15, 2021) – The BDP Risk® Learning Management System (LMS) from Berkley Design Professional (BDP), a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, has won the Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award for Learning for the third consecutive year. This year’s Silver Award within the “Best Advance in Custom Content” category reaffirmed Berkley Design Professional’s sustained results in helping design professionals improve their practices and mitigate professional liability claims.
In addition to this highly-coveted honor recognizing self-paced, custom-designed online courses related to workplace learning, the BDP Risk® LMS program also received the Brandon Hall Group 2021 Gold Award for “Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program.” The award acknowledges the organization’s successful efforts to attract and retain customers with specialized, impactful content.
“BDP Risk® is a state-of-the art risk management program and LMS platform that helps policyholders avoid professional liability claims, improve management practices, enhance business performance and qualify for premium rating credits,” said Diane P. Mika, vice president and director of risk management education at Berkley Design Professional. “As a result of these widely recognized and value-added benefits, usage of the LMS has helped us attract new clients, retain existing clients and decrease the frequency of claims.”
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Albany, N.Y. (July 21, 2021) – Walter J. Adams, Jr., vice president and assistant claims manager at Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, will discuss ways to Get Ahead of the Claim: Professional Liability in a Post-COVID-19 World at the CLM 2021 Annual Conference to be held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia. During the roundtable discussion scheduled for Thursday, August 12th at 2:00 p.m. EST, Adams will highlight the novel claims faced by design and construction professionals in a pandemic environment and proactive methods to protect against increased exposures.
“Nearly every individual, organization and profession nationwide were impacted by the coronavirus,” says Adams. “Many construction projects were either delayed or canceled, which created incentives to accept less than desirable projects or contracts. This roundtable will profile the many challenges professionals overcame during this time and the risk management strategies that will help them navigate through a post-COVID-19 world.”
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Monterey, Calif. (November 17, 2020) – For the second consecutive year Berkley Design Professional (BDP), a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, has won a Brandon Hall Group Excellence Award for Learning for its BDP Risk® Learning Management System. The 2020 Silver Award for “Best Advance in Custom Content” recognizes Berkley Design Professional’s successful efforts to increase client retention and to help design professionals improve their business practices and decrease claim frequency.
“This year we had a remarkable increase in the number of BDP Risk® users and tripled our course participation,” said Diane P. Mika, vice president and director of risk management education at Berkley Design Professional. “But perhaps the strongest indicator of success is our confirmation of the relationship between risk management education participation and a decrease in claims.”
(more…)Albany, N.Y. (September 15, 2020) – Andrew D. Mendelson, FAIA, senior vice president, chief risk management officer at Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, will participate in the panel discussion, “Weathering the Storm: Evolving Legal Standards in the Era of Climate Change”, held during the 2020 CLM Virtual Construction Conference on Tuesday, September 29 at 11:00 a.m. CDT.
“Climate change threatens the integrity of everything from building envelopes, roads and bridges to communications and utility infrastructures,” says Mendelson. “As a result, codes, standards and regulations are continually evolving to protect against the ever-increasing frequency of severe storms and their potentially disastrous effects. This session will focus on the design and construction of resilient structures that remain habitable, overcome power outages, and manage stormwater and flooding during extreme storm conditions.”
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Monterey,Calif. (December 10, 2019) – Berkley Design Professional (BDP), a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, has won the Brandon Hall Group 2019 Bronze Excellence Award for Learning for its BDP Risk® Learning Management System (LMS). Awarded within the “Best Advance in Custom Content” category, the coveted honor recognized Berkley Design Professional’s successful efforts to help design professionals improve their business practices and mitigate claims.
(more…)By Gina Armbruster | Friday, August 23, 2019
Design-build has become a widely-used construction project-delivery method due to the ability to complete projects quickly and efficiently while also reducing costs. However, along with these advantages are the increased risks that can confront both contractors and design professionals throughout project lifecycles.
Contractors traditionally warrant and guarantee that their work will conform to the plans and specifications but do not warrant the design or the success of the overall project. On a design-build project, the design-build prime contractor is responsible for the project’s success as a whole and an owner may expect the contractor to warrant the project’s performance. As a result, the design-build prime contractor may have exposure for design errors and omissions on the part of its design professional consultant.
(more…)Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (April 15, 2019) – Andrew D. Mendelson, FAIA, senior vice president, chief risk management officer at Berkley Design Professional, a division of Berkley Alliance Managers, a Berkley Company, will address Building Information Modeling (BIM) issues and best practices at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2019 Annual Convention & Legislative Summit to be held May 5 – 8, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.
“When used properly, BIM can improve a design firm’s productivity, quality and project team relationships, as well as increase operational efficiencies from project inception through post-construction facility management,” says Mendelson. “However, users must be aware of the potential legal implications and professional liability risks emanating from unintended use of this emerging technology.”
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