As part of the Titan IV missile system program at Cape Canaveral, the U.S. Air Force in 1988 undertook the construction of a Solid Motor Assembly Building (SMAB). The design services for this project were provided by Bechtel of San Francisco, and the Mobile District of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers acted as Construction Manager. With a "footprint" larger than a football field, and over 225 feet tall, the SMAB interior is completely open to allow movement of the rocket assembly. Two huge overhead cranes, of 500 ton and 220 ton capacity, provide mobility of the work components. At the southern end of the building is a propellant assembly area called the "stacking cells".

The project was set for bids in November 1989, with an original cost estimated by the USAF/COE ranging from $62,578,969 to $89,000,000. Bids were received, and the pricing was finalized in January 1990, with the best and final offer made by Centex-Rooney, Inc. at a price of $39,976,984.

Construction work began in May of 1990 with an established contract completion date of October 15, 1991. The Contract for this project contained a clause establishing the withholding of liquidated damages in the event of late completion by the Contractor.

The project was constructed from south to north by dividing the building into four quadrants, with each quadrant having ten erection "sequences". The construction sequence of this building was unique because the miscellaneous metals (steel and aluminum checkered plate, handrail and stairs) was to be installed simultaneously with the structural steel frame. Normally, concrete placement operations and/or other activities create a gap between the erection of the structural steel and the installation of the miscellaneous metals.

In addition to the Air Force, Corps of Engineers, Bechtel, and Centex-Rooney, other key players in the dispute which arose on this project were Montague-Betts Company, Inc., Rooney's steel subcontractor, and Copeland Steel Erectors, Montague-Betts' Steel Erection Sub-subcontractor.

During the course of construction, the project experienced late and out-of-sequence delivery of Miscellaneous Metals, as well as the delivery of incorrectly fabricated Miscellaneous Metals. Copeland Steel Erectors, Inc. incurred the brunt of the damages resulting therefrom, and requested that BRITTON review the project and assist by quantifying the additional and extra costs arising from the late, out-of-sequence, and mis-fabricated Miscellaneous Metals.

BRITTON's investigation incorporated "Measured Mile" Productivity Assessment Techniques, and concluded that Copeland incurred at least $507,464.69 in unforeseeable additional costs. The areas of damage were: Overtime Premium Costs, Lost Productivity on Structural and Miscellaneous Erection, Added Tool Costs, Added Equipment Costs, Additional Supervision and Quality Control Personnel, Additional Costs for Corrective Work resulting from Fabrication Errors, and Crane Overtime.

Through contemporaneous negotiation with Montague-Betts, Copeland was able to recover the majority of its losses before the project completed. The remaining Copeland losses were recovered at a later date, as part of a mediated settlement of a $3.5 million+ Montague-Betts claim against the Owner.