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Technical Excellence in Government Contracts
and Construction Matters Since 1893.
Smith Currie Oles Morrison

Doug Oles Presents to the American Public Works Association

Tue Mar 18, 2014

Senior partner, Douglas S. Oles, recently presented at the Washington State Chapter of the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Management & Public Administration (MPAC) Committee meeting on March 12, 2014 in Seattle, WA. The talk was entitled, “Should Project Owners Ask for More or Less?” and was co-presented with Fred Tharp from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The speakers addressed the challenges public works owners and their consultants face in drafting and negotiating contracts, warning of the dangers in going too far in an effort to transfer risk to other parties. As seasoned professionals in the construction industry, the presenters advised attendees on ways to strike a balance between protecting themselves and excessive risk transfer.

Doug has more than 30 years of experience representing a variety of contractors, subcontractors, designers and owners on a wide variety of complex public and private projects. He has been national chair of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Lawyers (the largest association of construction industry lawyers). He has spoken at conferences around the world on topics relating to public works. In April 2014, Doug will address the International Bar Association in Berlin, Germany on the subject of public permitting for new power plants. He is both a litigator and a transactional attorney, helping to draft and negotiate numerous complex contracts for construction, supply and infrastructure projects.