Utility Installation Projects
Underground utilities, duct banks, hydro and telecommunications infrastructure, dewatering, and utility coordination — assessed against constructability, sequencing, site constraints, and the contemporaneous record.
Independent Construction Expert Witness · British Columbia
Construction opinions grounded in the reality of delivering the work.
Litigation support for construction disputes — delay, cost, and defect matters — from a practitioner who has delivered the work. Independent analysis, clear methodology, and reporting prepared for scrutiny.
10 yearsBC civil construction industry experience
EGBC MemberEngineers and Geoscientists BC
$450M+Largest project value advised on
B.App.Sc.Civil Engineering, Université Laval
Areas of expertise
Practical analysis of how civil work is planned, coordinated, documented, and delivered — framed for counsel, tribunals, and the court.
Project Scheduling & Delay Analysis
Critical-path schedules, as-planned versus as-built performance, concurrent delay, disruption, and productivity loss, tied to schedule logic and the events alleged to have affected completion. Delay analysis →
Subcontractor Disputes
Scope interpretation, trade coordination failures, back-charges, and subcontractor default — distinguishing contractual responsibility from field execution, tested against the documents.
Cost Overruns
Quantum analysis, change-order evaluation, cost-control record review, and estimate assessment, examined for causation, support, allocation, and consistency with the work performed. Cost & quantum →
Construction Defect Evaluation
Workmanship, specification compliance, and the reasonable scope and cost of remediation, considered against drawings, specifications, inspections, site conditions, and corrective work. Defects →
Contract Administration & Documentation
Records, correspondence, meeting minutes, change documentation, and site reporting as evidence of performance — building a clear chronology and a technically grounded reading of what the record supports.
Services for counsel
Technical assistance that is proportionate to the matter, clear in its reasoning, and prepared for scrutiny.
Independent Expert Reports
Written opinions prepared to court standards, with a clear methodology, referenced project records, and conclusions that can be traced to the evidence.
Depositions & Discovery Support
Targeted document review, assistance with interrogatories, and development of technical questions that clarify the construction issues in dispute.
Testimony
Clear, composed explanation of technical opinions at trial or arbitration, with complex construction concepts communicated in accessible terms.
Preliminary Case Assessment
Early confidential review of the technical merits, key records, and potential evidentiary gaps before counsel commits to a full expert engagement.
Mediation Support
Technical briefing and settlement-position analysis to help counsel understand the practical strengths, weaknesses, and ranges of the construction claim.
Scope Set With Counsel
Engagements can begin with a focused preliminary review or proceed through formal reporting and testimony. Scope is established with retaining counsel and kept aligned with the issues in dispute.
How an engagement proceeds
A disciplined, transparent process — from first contact through testimony — with scope agreed with retaining counsel at every stage.
1
Conflicts Check & Initial Consultation
Your inquiry is treated as confidential. A conflicts check is completed and the issues in dispute are discussed to confirm the matter is a fit — before any commitment.
2
Preliminary Case Assessment
A focused, early review of the technical merits, key project records, and potential evidentiary gaps — so counsel understands the strengths of the position before committing to a full engagement.
3
Independent Expert Report
A written opinion prepared to court standards: clear methodology, referenced project records, and conclusions that can be traced to the evidence.
4
Testimony & Hearing Support
Clear, composed explanation of technical opinions at trial or arbitration — with complex construction concepts communicated in accessible terms.
Who we assist
Legal counsel first. The practice is structured around counsel-led instructions, so the questions, the record, and the form of the opinion are set for use in a proceeding.
Insurers, owners, and contractors are also assisted where an independent, counsel-ready assessment is required and no conflict prevents it.
Independence and duty to the tribunal
When acting as an expert, the overriding duty is to assist the court or tribunal — objectively and impartially, irrespective of the party retaining the expert. Opinions are formed from the technical record and field experience, never from a desired outcome, and methodology is documented so every conclusion can be traced to the evidence.
Reports are prepared with the requirements of the BC Supreme Court Civil Rules, Part 11, including Rule 11-2, in mind. There is no financial interest in the result of any matter.
Othmane Lahrach
Senior Project Manager · Civil Engineer · Member, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
A Civil Engineer and Senior Project Manager with 10 years of experience in the construction industry, delivering civil infrastructure, utility, transportation, excavation, and site-development work across British Columbia.
At a glance
B.App.Sc., Civil Engineering — Université Laval
Member, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
Senior Project Manager, 2026–present
Project Manager, 2021–2026
Project Coordinator, 2018–2021
Frequently asked questions
Engagements are undertaken only after a conflicts check. Opinions are formed solely from the technical record and field experience, and methodology is documented so every conclusion can be traced to the evidence. There is no financial interest in the result of any matter.
A focused, confidential review of the technical merits of the dispute, the key project records, and potential evidentiary gaps — giving counsel a clear-eyed view of the position before committing to a full expert engagement. Scope and fee are agreed with retaining counsel before any work begins.
It depends on the complexity of the issues and the volume of the project record. A realistic timeline is agreed with retaining counsel at engagement and kept to. Preliminary assessments are typically turned around faster than full formal reports — discuss your deadline when you inquire.
Details of testimony and hearing experience are discussed directly with retaining counsel on request, along with references where confidentiality permits. The reporting methodology used in every engagement is designed from the outset to withstand cross-examination.
Fee arrangements are discussed with retaining counsel at engagement and set out in writing before work begins. Fees reflect the scope and complexity of the matter. Contact us for a confidential discussion of your file.
Discuss a matter — confidentially
Initial inquiries are confidential and without obligation. The inquiry form collects what is needed to run a conflicts check.