Opinion ID: 749857
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Delay Claim

Text: 51 The contract required work to be completed in 200 calendar days of receipt of the notice to proceed. A constraint was that the open graded friction course, or seal, could only be applied when the ambient temperature was at least 60 degrees. Mr. Brown, in preparing his bid, was aware that this latter constraint could pose a problem given the altitude (9000 feet) of the project. Moreover, at that altitude, the rainy season begins on about July 4 and continues through September. The winters are also colder and longer than at lower elevations. 52 On March 11, Brown submitted a performance schedule that included several critical performance dates. Most significant for the present dispute is that Brown estimated that the crushing operation would take place during the period of May 6 through July 19. Included in this period was two weeks of slack time or throw away days. The slack time notwithstanding, Brown was unable to perform according to schedule. The notice to proceed was issued on April 22, 1985. Brown finally began crushing on June 10, 1985--five weeks later than planned. The Board found that the Government was not responsible for Brown's late start, and Brown does not challenge that finding on appeal. The project was not completed before the end of the 1985 construction season. Work was formally suspended on November 23, 1985; the only work left to be completed was the application of the open grade friction course, which could only be done under certain ambient temperature conditions. The suspension was lifted on June 17, 1986, and the contract was completed as of June 20, 1986. Even though Brown's performance ran into the next construction year, it completed the project in only 185 days. 53 Brown alleged before the Board that the Government was entirely responsible for its inability to complete the contract within the 1985 construction season. In particular, Brown alleged that the imposition of the overly stringent subgrade tolerance, the differing site conditions at the Benson Ridge Quarry, and an alleged change to the traffic control requirements pushed Brown's performance into the next construction season. It therefore sought compensation for the costs of demobilizing for the winter suspension and for remobilizing in the 1986 construction season, as well as the cost of idle equipment during the winter suspension. 54 While the Board acknowledged that a contractor can recover the costs of extended performance due to Government-caused delay, citing, inter alia, G.M. Shupe, Inc. v. United States, 5 Cl.Ct. 662, 699 (1984), the Board found that the Government was not the proximate cause of Brown's delay. Rather, the Board found that Brown itself was responsible for its own delay. In particular, the Board cited to Brown's late start and the early onset of weather as the principal causes of Brown's performance extending into the next season. 55 To prove its claim for damages allegedly due to Government-caused delay, the contractor has the burden of proving the extent of the delay, that the delay was proximately caused by Government action, and that the delay harmed the contractor. Wilner v. United States, 24 F.3d 1397, 1401 (Fed.Cir.1994) (in banc ). Moreover, when both parties contribute to the delay neither can recover damage, unless there is in the proof a clear apportionment of the delay and the expense attributable to each party. Coath & Goss, Inc. v. United States, 101 Ct.Cl. 702, 714-15 (1944). With these principles in mind we consider Brown's contention. 56 Even assuming Brown is correct that the Government is to blame for the above-identified delays, Brown cannot prevail. Brown originally estimated that crushing would take 11 weeks (i.e., May 6 through July 19). Built into that estimate was two weeks of slack time. The Board found that during the relevant time period that work was suspended due to weather for a little over three weeks (i.e., 15.5 work days). In addition, the Board found that equipment problems added another two and one half weeks (i.e., 12.5 work days). Thus, the crushing operation, without considering any Government caused delay, required a total of at least 14.5 weeks. 57 Brown admits that it did not start crushing in earnest until the end of June 1985 when the primary crusher arrived. Even without any Government-caused delay the crushing operation would have taken until approximately September 19, 1985. Once the crushing was complete a few days were still required to lay the open graded friction course. This is consistent with Brown's position on appeal that, assuming no Government-caused delays, it could have crush[ed] and place[d] all of the open friction course by the end of September 1985. 58 The Board found that September 27 was the latest date in 1985 that Brown could have applied the open graded friction course because of the temperature restriction. Brown does not challenge that finding on appeal. The Government then could only be responsible for delaying Brown for the period of September 19 through September 26, approximately one week. Even were we to assume that the Government was in fact responsible for this delay for any or all of the reasons asserted by Brown, we agree with the Board that the Government is not the proximate cause of Brown's damages given Brown's five week delay in starting and the delay due to weather and equipment problems. At the very least, the two parties' delays are inseparable. The Board's denial of the delay claim was correct.