CAM Services

Services provided by CAM professionals include the following:

 

  • Independent Engineer – Lenders’ Independent Technical Consultant, and Lenders’ Independent Environmental and Social Consultant;
  • Regulatory Reports – Canadian NI 43-101 Reports and US SEC Filings;
  • Mining and Mineral Processing Closure Cost Evaluations for Financial Reporting;
  • Environmental and Social Consulting – Planning, Auditing, and Monitoring;
  • Due Diligence Reviews – Technical, Environmental, Social, Economic, and Financial;
  • Resources and Reserves – Modeling, Estimation, and Audits;
  • Geological Evaluations and Exploration QA/QC Program Reviews;
  • Surface and Underground Mine Engineering;
  • Operational Monitoring and Benchmarking Assistance;
  • Process, Facility, and Infrastructure Design and Engineering Reviews;
  • Financial Analysis, Fairness Options, and Bankable Documents; and
  • Litigation Support.

Independent Engineer (IE)

CAM has successfully performed the role of Independent Engineer and Technical Consultant and Independent Environmental and Social Consultant for commercial lenders, export credit agencies, multilateral development banks, and other financial institutions on more than forty-five projects world-wide.

CAM has an integrated team of technical, environmental, and social experts that provide an effective, balanced review of a project’s feasibility study and supporting documents during the due diligence review phase. Our professionals have extensive technical, environmental, and social experience in feasibility study review and analysis, along with planning, design, operations, and management experience with mining and mineral processing projects. CAM has completed over 1,500 assignments in the energy and minerals sectors.

A standard operating practice is to use the same key senior personnel for the due diligence review, pre-completion monitoring, completion testing, and post-completion monitoring phases of the Independent Engineer assignment. Lessons learned from prior assignments are used to provide completion test advice to project lenders and sponsors about the challenges and risks that exist with their project. 

CAM places a high priority on providing services in a cooperative and constructive manner. Care and attention are given to preparing reports and written communications that clearly explain observations and concerns and provide the appropriate context for the reader. Productive professional relationships are formed between senior CAM team members and project staff to facilitate the open exchange of information and ideas to be considered during the planning, development and operations phases. It is CAM’s belief that this approach produces a high-quality product for the lenders and the project sponsors.

Lenders Independent Technical Consultant 

The primary purpose of the independent technical due diligence review is to verify that the stated resources, the plans for the development and operation of the project facilities, forecasted production levels, and capital and operating cost estimates have been based on adequate data and formulated in accordance with sound engineering and environmental principles and practices. To accomplish this, CAM conducts a robust review and audit that assesses the critical technical and economic factors affecting the feasibility and performance of the project and identifies any factors that may impair the ability of the project to produce and perform as forecast. An opinion and advice regarding the adequacy of the plans and procedures for the design, testing, engineering, permitting, procurement, construction, completion, commissioning, operation, management, and maintenance of the project are then provided. 

CAM’s substantial experience, as shown on our projects page, provides a solid base from which pre and post financial close performance are assessed, including completion tests and ongoing mining and mineral processing. Our recent experience with projects where escalating costs and reduced metal prices have resulted in narrowing margins has served to underscore the importance of an Independent Engineer capable of providing fair and reasonable completion test advice, and adept at providing opinion and advice to the lenders and the sponsors in a neutral manner.

Lenders Independent Environmental and Social Consultant

The purpose of the environmental and social due diligence review is to assess whether the environmental and social undertakings for a project are in conformance with the requirements of the financial institutions participating in the financing. These requirements can include the Equator Principles, national and local laws, and regulations, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards, the IFC Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines and other international guidance, as appropriate, e.g., the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Cyanide Management Code. CAM conducts thorough assessments of the environmental and social risk management systems designed to prevent and minimize impacts to the environment, protect biodiversity, effectively engage communities, protect workers, protect cultural resources, and other topics relevant to the identified environmental and social requirements.

CAM has substantial experience conducting comprehensive environmental and social reviews of projects located in climates ranging from the driest deserts to tropical rainforests, including biodiversity hotspots, and in social contexts requiring engagement of communities, the physical and economic dislocation of people, and the specific needs of indigenous peoples, as shown on our projects page. The reviews include pre and post financial closing activities such as identifying and evaluating environmental and social risks, assessing environmental and social management systems, monitoring site performance and evaluating environmental and social aspects of financial completion tests. CAM’s environmental and social professionals have extensive experience in the mining and mineral processing sector that enables them to understand the challenges the sector faces when designing, developing and implementing programs to fulfill environmental and social commitments.

Regulatory Reports

CAM provides assessments by Qualified Persons of securities exchange listings and reporting requirements for most mineral commodities and has completed thirty-four (34) individual Canadian NI 43-101 Reports for precious metals, base metals, and uranium properties.

Every mineral deposit has unique geologic characteristics and operating challenges that must be considered in parallel with environmental and social factors when developing reports. CAM relies on an integrated team of highly experienced professional in conjunction with our extensive in-house report files to provide a professional, competitively priced, reputable product.

Environmental and Social Consulting

CAM professionals have conducted environmental and social assessments and audits that include health, safety, and security reviews on a variety of metals, coal, and industrial minerals projects for private industry and government. We are experienced in the evaluation and implementation of environmental management systems and programs developed in accordance with in-country and international environmental standards.

Our professionals have prepared comprehensive mitigation plans, evaluated permitting feasibility, assessed and developed water treatment systems, evaluated biodiversity management programs, prepared and implemented reclamation and closure plans, conducted water quality investigations, completed environmental baseline studies, managed environmental compliance programs, prepared asset retirement obligation and decommissioning liability cost estimates, audited closure cost estimates and participated in an assortment of other projects. Services have also included advising project sponsors in the preparation of environmental and social information for project financing and providing litigation support.

Financial and Technical Evaluations

CAM professionals have completed a wide variety of assignments involving feasibility studies, basic engineering, alternative processing investigations, economic justifications, trade-off studies, and financial evaluations. We have worked in over 30 countries and have supplied financial and technical evaluations and bankable documents for financial institutions and mining companies alike.

Resources and Reserves

CAM prides itself on its integrated team approach that enables geologists, geostatisticians, and project engineers to work together effectively ensuring timely, cost-effective results for the client. Our professionals are experienced in dealing with precious and base metals, coal, uranium, diamonds, and industrial minerals, and performing and reviewing mineral reserve estimates for both open pit and underground operations.

We understand that every mineral deposit has unique geologic characteristics and features that must be considered. Geologic features control economic mineralization; therefore, a more reliable grade estimate will be calculated with careful geologic modeling than by using a more complex statistical method without geologic guidelines.

Resource estimation is based upon the development of a three-dimensional model of the deposit with either manual or computer methods. The completed resource model allows for rapid tabulation of mineral inventory and provides a basis for all subsequent mine design and planning. The objective is to provide the most reliable and accurate evaluation of the data available.

Audits of exploration databases occasionally identify that critical parts of the data gathering processes have been omitted, such as sufficient downhole surveying or duplicate sample assaying. CAM offers a pre-exploration program QA/QC service that reviews exploration program plans to ensure that all necessary information is available for a reliably calculated resource estimate.

Mine Engineering and Operational Monitoring

CAM professionals use modern computer technology to provide a total system approach to open pit mine planning and design. By incorporating extensive computer expertise with practical international experience, we provide the client with a product tailored to their needs. We can also provide estimates for equipment and personnel requirements, infrastructure, and mine capital and operating costs. We are skilled in using widely available mine planning software packages and pit optimization techniques for defining the phased and ultimate pit limits.

Our underground mining professionals have considerable experience with selecting the most suitable underground mining methods compatible with specific ground conditions and mineralization. Completed projects include the evaluation and design of the smallest to the largest underground mines, underground storage vaults, and underground openings for water flow, transportation, and mine access. CAM has been involved in the design, development, and construction phases of underground mines in a variety of terrains and countries worldwide.

In addition to our mine engineering services, we also provide environmental and operational monitoring and review for existing operations, and assistance with benchmarking actives that are based on the data collected from previously completed assignments.