Chad Kirlin
Chad began work with Watson Millican & Co. as a Senior Consulting Associate in September 2023. He has over 25 years of experience, primarily in large EPC projects for the energy sector. His experience is across a variety of projects, including oil and natural gas gathering and processing, pipelines, bitumen upgrading, refining, polysilicon manufacturing, LNG regasification, and power generation.
In owner and EPC contractor roles in project management and mechanical engineering, Chad’s experience spans from conceptual, front end engineering design (FEED), detailed engineering, procurement, pipe fabrication, module assembly, and construction, through pre-commissioning and commissioning activities.
Chad is a registered professional engineer in Alberta and Oregon as well as a registered project management professional (PMP). In addition to extensive claim and dispute resolution experience on projects he has executed, Chad has opined and testified for international disputes as an independent technical expert for industrial EPC projects.
Qualifications
- Dual M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Forest Products – Oregon State University
- B.S. Forest Products – Oregon State University
Designations
- Licensed Professional Engineer – Alberta, Oregon
- Registered Project Management Professional (PMP)
Expertise
- Project management, Construction disputes, Project development, FEED, Construction
Industries
- Refining, Oil and gas production, Pipelines, Power generation, LNG, Bitumen upgrading, Polysilicon
Example Engagements
- Green Field Refinery – Project Manager for a green field refinery build in Alberta, Canada, responsible for FEED phase development, value engineering, cost estimation for capital expenditure approval, lump sum EPC contract development and negotiation, followed by detailed design, procurement, pipe fabrication, module assembly, construction and commissioning.
- ICCA (Alberta) Piping Fabrication Arbitration – Owner’s lead claims analyst for a delay and defective goods claim. Coordinated with the technical and commercial claims team in their analysis of change orders, EPC schedules, contractor schedules, invoices, timecards, fabrication forecasts. Led the analysis of piping isometric revisions, piping fabrication defect records, inspection records, fabricator shop resources, shop space, shop capacity, materials receiving delays, lost materials, errors in fabricators shop drawing preparation and distribution.
- Insurance Claim – Stress Corrosion Cracking and Corrosion – Owner’s technical representative. Worked with internal and external counsel, the claim adjustor and its experts, providing context for technical and commercial elements of the claim.
- ICC Gas Production and Processing Facility EPC Arbitration – Engaged through the owner’s external legal Counsel as an independent mechanical technical expert for an international gas plant claim. Prepared expert report, reply report, and joint expert report and subsequently testified at the international arbitration hearing. Analyzed issues related to pipe rack design, piping layout, compressor package size and location, wellsite development, flare system sizing, and material selection. Assessed 3D models from the FEED phase through the EPC phase to demonstrate development and delays. Analyzed and opined on engineering development of the piping design, concrete design and structural design beyond the FEED phase definition, including industry standard development of a lump-sum EPC estimate and lump sum proposal amount from a FEED package.
- ICC Liquified Natural Gas Regasification Terminal Construction Arbitration – Independent mechanical technical expert for an international LNG facility dispute. Completed analysis and opined on alleged defects in the firewater system and seawater system design and construction, with reference to industry standards, scope of work, contractual specifications and industry practice.
- Power Plant Claim – Independent mechanical technical expert for an international power plant claim. Completed analysis and opining on mechanical, civil, piping, and electrical variation requests, with reference to industry standards, scope of work, contractual specifications and industry practice.
