Contracting environmental laboratory services: How should risk be allocated?

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:49411

Pagliaro, A P; Murphy, S A

The work performed by laboratories for environmental investigation, remediation and monitoring can carry a high degree of risk. For example, a ``failure`` in the data collection, measurement, or interpretation process can cause significant budgetary, schedule, and other environmental and health impacts. Consequently, the allocation of the risk for failure amongst the participants in the analytical process is a serious issue and has received close scrutiny. In the past, however, parties contracting for laboratory services have not always allocated such risks equitably. To help ensure that the risks and liability are logically and fairly allocated between the parties engaged in laboratory services contracts, the two principal laboratory trade associations -- the International Association of Environmental Testing Laboratories (IAETL) and the Association of Independent Scientific, Engineering and Testing Firms, Inc. (ACIL) -- jointly developed a model laboratory services contract. The model contract has been available to the environmental community since February of 1994. It is beginning to be more widely employed by both providers and users of laboratory services as the advantages of using this model contract -- either as a contractual vehicle or as a negotiating tool -- become apparent.

• OSTI ID: 49411
• Report Number(s): CONF-941189--; ISBN 1-56590-016-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CONTRACTS
DATA ACQUISITION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
LABORATORIES
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
RISK ASSESSMENT