RETC 2025 | PREVIEW
RETC 2025 is sponsored by the Society for Mining,
Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) and this edition of the major bi-annual gathering is located in Dallas, TX. The main conference and exhibition runs over 9-11 June and will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Immediately before the main event, for a half-day
on 8 June, a short course is being run - ‘Advances in Concrete Design and Construction for Underground Construction’, taught by a range of industry experts. It is designed to give information to early career and a be a useful refresher to experienced professionals (see box panel). Also on 8 June there is a talk and panel discussion on
specialized insurance and surety needs of the tunneling industry. The two-hour session takes place mid- afternoon. Speakers are: ● Craig Covil, who has worked in a range of roles and parts of the industry, including involvement in tunnel arbitration and claims assessments;
● Robert Goodfellow, Senior Vice president for Aldea Services, LLC, and co-authored tunnel industry guidelines for risk management; and,
● Jim Merrill, Senior Vice President for NFP Construction & Infrastructure, who has financial sector experience, including banking, insurance and surety
TECHNICAL PROGRAM The main conference has a Technical Program that will runs with four tracks in parallel, through each half-day session over the two principle days (9-10 June) of the main conference, and also the final talks early on the last day (11 June). The tracks are:
MONDAY 9 JUNE
Morning: ● Alternative delivery and design build ● Contract practices ● Ground support and final lining ● Grouting and ground modification
Afternoon: ● Difficult ground ● Ground control, face support and monitoring ● Hard rock TBMs •● New and innovative technologies 1
TUESDAY 10 JUNE
Morning: ● Future projects and project planning ● Microtunneling and trenchless tunneling 1 ● New and innovative technologies 1 ● SEM/NATM, large span tunnels and caverns
Afternoon: ● Design 1 ● International projects ● Pressurized face TBM technology and case histories ● Tunnel rehabilitation
The presentations are quite varied: first, a look at ways project owners can build risk tolerance into the bidding process in an era of high interest rates that sees seek more federal backing but that support is tighter on margins for contingency funding; second, consideration of co-ordinated processes under separate contracts to help avoid and resolve multi-party disputes; third, addressing a series of “particularly risky” tunnels by the owner combining them into an alternative procurement package and performing a series of steps including prequalification, collaborative workshops,
WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE
Morning: ● Design 2 ● Microtunneling and trenchless tunneling 2 ● Shafts and mining ● Sustainability, environment, health & safety
After the main conference, there is also a field trip to the Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel project, being constructed by the City of Dallas. The tunnel is 5 miles- long, is 30ft-35ft diameter, and runs 120ft-175ft below the surface.
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTS There is far more to cover in the Technical Program than there is space to do so, and so our selection looks at the beginning of the main event, as Tracks 1-4 commence.
MONDAY 9 JUNE Four presentations are tightly planned to open each track, and held from 09.30 to almost 11.00, after which a Q&A session will be held before delegates then break for the Exhibition Hall and lunch. Track 1 - Alternative delivery and design build The four presentations are: ● Lessons from using Progressive Design Build (PDB) contracts in North America
● Design Build uses trenchless methods for utility improvement
● Innovative design and construction of a passageway tunnel rail tunnel at between NY rail stations
● Lessons in risk management and dispute resolution in cases of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), including PDB projects
Two of the presentations, therefore, are to involve discussions around PDB projects, and both are to reflect on successes and challenges so far in the application of this procurement model in North America.
Track 2 - Contract practices The presentations are: ● Contingency funding for tunnel projects ● Avoiding and resolving multi-party disputes ● Collaborative procurement and contract practices ● Benefit and challenge with Baseline practices
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