Obama Center subcontractor files $40M discrimination lawsuit against engineering firm for overruns

A Chicago-based subcontractor is suing one of the firms involved in managing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center for $40 million, claiming racial discriminatory practices forced the firm to do extra work that left it at risk of bankruptcy, according to a lawsuit.Robert McGee, the owner of II in One, which provided concrete and rebar services for the center starting in 2021, filed the lawsuit in federal court last month against New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, which oversees structural engineering and design services for the $830 million project.McGee claims that Thornton Tomasetti changed standards and imposed new rules around rebar spacing and tolerance requirements that differed from the American Concrete Institute standards, which resulted in “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection” and massive overruns.This, McGee, claims, incurred extensive paperwork that impacted productivity and resulted in millions in losses, according to the lawsuit. However, Thornton Tomasetti defended its actions nearly a year ago, writing in a memo to the lawsuit that the subcontractors were “questionably qualified,” and the delays were due to their own shortcomings.The Obama Presidential Center is being built near Jackson Park in Chicago, and will consist of a planned museum, library, community and conference facilities.The center will house the nonprofit Obama Foundation, which is overseeing the center’s development and operates a scholarship program through the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.McGee claims Thornton Tomasetti falsely accused II in One of lacking sufficient qualifications and experience to perform its work, while stating that non-minority-owned contractors were sufficiently qualified.He is seeking to be paid back for roughly $40 million in construction costs the firm covered itself along with its joint venture partner, Concrete Collective.“In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African...