On occasion, companies embark on large radiation-related projects and find, after the project gets underway, that it is difficult to determine whether cost/schedule commitments are being met, that decision-making becomes complicated, and that the path to successful completion is not clear. These are not uncommon circumstances, particularly when the problem/solution is unique to the company's operations, when the company has limited technical and project management expertise "in house", and when full-service environmental firms (or a large collection of subcontractors) have been tasked with achieving the solution.
No company likes to "fly blind" into big dollar value projects, since small errors in judgement or a weakly-formulated decision can quickly translate into significant cost over-runs, regulatory liability, bad press, and possible legal consequences. On the other hand, what company can afford to dedicate a valued staff member to monitoring and understanding the project, especially if there are limited radiological resources within the company?
It is for this reason that IEM is pleased to provide its oversight service. IEM has the qualifications, experience and communications skills to quickly understand the fundamentals of the problem and its proposed solution. On the company's behalf, we monitor the status of large and complicated projects in light of objectives and client-generated specifications, provide insights and interpretations as issues of controversy arise, monitor complicated subcontractor interactions to ensure all are working towards a common goal, coordinate and expedite the work of individuals with specialty expertise, recommend supplemental expertise when project resources are found to be deficient, track the quality of data generated and work performed, assist in decision-making, and facilitate technical discussions between the company and the project team. If brought on-board well-before the start of the project, IEM is also available to assist with specification development, bid reviews, and reference checks. Because IEM has no financial stake in the project's scope and execution, we serve as an independent extension of your own organization. Our goal is nothing more than using our own expertise to be sure your company's objectives are being met.
As well as providing stand-alone oversight services, IEM can also be used to augment in-house project management capabilities. In this case, companies can call on us on an "as needed" basis to address a technical or regulatory dispute, prepare "white papers", audit the status of a deliverable, provide data validation, or simply explain or lay out the pro's and con's of a tricky implementation issue. This role can be especially important when unanticipated conditions arise and the project's scope must change. When the issue has been resolved, IEM's job is done. There is never any further obligation.
If you are interested in instituting independent oversight of an existing or pending project, simply press the red letters, below, and send us your name, address and telephone number. An IEM Certified Health Physicist will contact you to provide you with whatever additional information you need, we well as an estimate of the cost of the desired services. Alternatively, you can press the red "How to Reach IEM" button on the left for instructions on how to contact us by telephone or US mail.