Contractor Builds City Hall in Wrong Location

It’s an owner’s and contractor’s worst nightmare – but it happened in the city of Edgewood, just east of Tacoma.

The contractor made a mistake in the surveying process and is building the new city hall in the wrong location – off by more than a foot. The $7.2 million building is now too close to the road, and there will be additional costs involved in relocating a transformer and generator.

You can be sure that both parties will be carefully scrutinizing the contract to determine liability and additional cost issues. Let’s hope that the contract is clear and protects the public’s interest. This is a classic example of why good contracts are critical. When things go wrong, as did on this project, it is the terms of the contract that will control who pays for the error.

For more information on this, you can read the Seattle Times story.