After enduring eight months of stalled construction and recently rejecting Suffolk Construction's latest claim for cost and schedule adjustments, the owner of a Miami science museum project terminated the construction manager "for convenience" and hired Skanska USA to finish the $275-million contract. Museum officials contend that Skanska—which took over the job on May 16—can complete construction by the end of 2015, or about eight months ahead of what they claim was Suffolk's completion target, August 2016.
Neither the contractor nor the owner will discuss details of Suffolk's last claim, which was submitted in February. The owner had announced its rejection in April. But, according to public records and to Suffolk documents, the timing coincides with deteriorating relations between the parties.