They most definitely had a geotechnical analysis. You need one. And the report provides details to inform the construction. The issue that occurred here is common and more complicated than “the owner cheaped out”. The structural engineer is ultimately responsible for figuring out the solution, and the contractor is responsible for means and methods. The blame will lie somewhere between the accuracy of the geotechnical report, the design by the structural engineer and the work performed by the support of excavation contractor. In the end everyone loses. Because regardless of who is “wrong” there are enough checks and balances that blame is hardly ever one sided, and nobody can afford to take the kind of punch a delay like this delivers.