Independent Schedule Review for Owners
HADVEN LLC provides independent schedule review for owners and construction managers — examining a contractor's baseline or update schedule for logic quality, float manipulation, resource loading realism, and specification compliance before it's accepted, rather than scheduling the project on behalf of the party submitting it.
What This Service Covers
HADVEN LLC provides independent schedule review for owners and construction managers, examining a contractor's baseline or monthly update for logic quality, float manipulation, resource loading realism, and contract specification compliance. This service is for owners and CMs who need their own technical read on a schedule before accepting it — not for the contractor submitting it.
For a look at the industry-standard health check framework referenced below, see the DCMA 14-point check guide. For common defects found in P6 files, see common Primavera P6 schedule errors.
The Contractor's Schedule Is Not an Impartial Document
A contractor's CPM schedule is built to support the contractor's position — on float ownership, on sequencing choices, on resource commitments. That isn't necessarily dishonest, but it means the schedule an owner receives for acceptance hasn't been built from the owner's point of view, and may contain logic defects, unrealistic loading, or float manipulation that only surface under close, independent review.
HADVEN LLC reviews baseline and update schedules the way a claims consultant eventually will — checking logic quality, constraint use, float trends, resource realism, and compliance with the contract's scheduling specification — so the owner or CM knows exactly what it's accepting before signing off.
Logic quality review against a DCMA 14-point-style schedule health framework
Detection of float manipulation, artificial constraints, and illogical relationships
Resource and cost loading realism checked against the contractor's actual crew plan
Compliance review against your contract's scheduling specification
A written review report with findings and required corrections before acceptance
Owner Schedule Review Services
From first baseline submission through final acceptance, every stage of owner-side schedule review is covered.
Baseline Schedule Review
Independent review of a contractor's proposed baseline for logic quality, calendar assignments, coding structure, and compliance with the contract's scheduling specification before it's accepted as the project baseline.
Monthly Update Review
Ongoing review of each monthly update for logic changes, progress realism, and critical path shifts, flagging issues before they're accepted as the statused record of the project.
Float Manipulation Detection
Targeted review for artificial constraints, illogical relationships, and other techniques that can inflate or suppress float values and distort the schedule's apparent health.
Resource Loading Realism Check
Comparison of resource and cost loading against the contractor's actual stated crew plan and contract value, flagging loading that appears nominal or inconsistent with the field plan.
Specification Compliance Review
Review of the submitted schedule against the contract's own scheduling specification requirements for coding, loading, narrative content, and submission format.
Written Review Reports
A clear written report documenting findings and the specific corrections required before the owner or CM accepts the schedule, suitable for direct use in contractor correspondence.
The DCMA 14-Point Check, Used as an Industry Standard
The DCMA 14-point check is a public, DoD-originated schedule health framework widely used across the industry — not a HADVEN LLC trademark — to test a schedule for logic defects such as open ends, negative float, hard constraints, high-duration activities, and invalid relationship types. HADVEN LLC applies this framework, alongside contract-specific requirements, when reviewing a contractor's schedule on behalf of an owner or CM.
See the DCMA 14-point check guide for a full walkthrough of this framework. For P6-specific health checks performed as part of a schedule review, see Primavera P6 Scheduling Consultant.
An Independent Review Process
Every owner-side review follows the same disciplined sequence, whether the deliverable is a one-time baseline review or ongoing monthly oversight.
Document & Spec Review
The contract's scheduling specification and the submitted schedule file are reviewed side by side before any findings are drafted.
Logic & Health Check
A DCMA 14-point-style check and targeted review for float manipulation and constraint misuse is run against the schedule.
Resource & Compliance Check
Resource and cost loading realism and specification compliance are assessed against the contract and the contractor's stated plan.
Written Findings
A written report documents findings and required corrections, ready for the owner or CM to issue back to the contractor.
Owner Schedule Review, Explained
Why would an owner need an independent schedule review?
The contractor's schedule is built from the contractor's perspective and is not automatically free of logic defects, float manipulation, or unrealistic resource loading. An independent schedule review gives the owner or construction manager its own technical assessment of whether the schedule is sound before it's accepted as the contractual baseline.
What is the DCMA 14-point check?
The DCMA 14-point check is a public, DoD-originated schedule health framework used across the industry to test a schedule for logic defects such as open ends, negative float, hard constraints, high duration activities, and invalid relationship types. It is a widely used reference point, not a proprietary HADVEN LLC methodology.
What is float manipulation and why does it matter to an owner?
Float manipulation refers to artificial adjustments to schedule logic — such as unnecessary constraints or illogical relationships — that inflate or suppress float values to make a schedule appear healthier, or to shift apparent responsibility for delay. Catching it before baseline acceptance protects the owner's position in any later delay dispute.
Is this service different from HADVEN's contractor-side CPM scheduling?
Yes. This service reviews a contractor's schedule on behalf of the owner or construction manager. HADVEN LLC's CPM scheduling practice, described at CPM Scheduling & Primavera P6, builds and maintains schedules on behalf of contractors. HADVEN LLC performs both roles, but not for the same party on the same contract.
Guides on Schedule Quality Review
Deeper, standalone guides on the topics covered above.
DCMA 14-point check
See the DCMA 14-point schedule check guide for a full walkthrough of this industry-standard framework.
Common Primavera P6 schedule errors
See common Primavera P6 schedule errors for the logic and setup mistakes found most often during independent reviews.
Need an Independent Read on a Contractor's Schedule?
Contact HADVEN LLC for owner or CM-side schedule review before baseline acceptance. We respond to all inquiries within one business day.
Explore the Connected Project Controls Disciplines
Owner-side review connects directly to delay analysis and P6-specific diagnostics.
CPM Scheduling & Primavera P6
Baseline schedules, updates, and critical-path control — the contractor-side counterpart to this service.
Primavera P6 Scheduling Consultant
P6-specific setup, health checks, and database diagnostics.
Forensic Delay Analysis
Reconstruct and evaluate delay using the contemporaneous project record.
Nationwide Project Controls
HADVEN LLC's project controls services across the United States.