Working hand in hand with our client, we can provide:
Project Initiation Services – Including site finding, feasibility studies, budget cost advice, conservation and heritage advice, strategic planning and master plans.
Design Services – Including design team leadership, implementation and direction of the design process, co-ordination of Health and Safety in design, integration of sustainable design solutions, planning and other regulation compliance.
Construction Services – Including preparation of detailed product information, management of the tender process, project team management and building contract administration.
Support Services – Including community and public consultation, related graphics and presentation, 2D and 3D CAD visualisations, advice on funding and project procurement.
Every project is different. A Project’s design, details and procurement path will therefore need to be tailored to project specifics. Construction procurement will need to be controlled, and parties’ rights safeguarded, by agreed contractual terms. An appropriate contract is therefore required.
Which contract? Contract selection is informed by project procurement choices and how the client wants the construction team to operate. The requirements of principal project stakeholders, (eg. Funding bodies, etc.) may also influence a project’s procurement route. This in turn is driven by the client’s ‘risk versus control’ spectrum – which ranges from total client control and risk retention (where quality of outcomes and flexibility are paramount) – to minimum risk for the client, where meeting delivery dates and budget control are paramount and control is handed over to the contractor.
In the construction industry, contracts are usually administered by a contract administrator – who acts as the interface between the employer and the contractor, overseeing quality and costs. The contract administrator is appointed by the client, but when certifying or giving an assessment or decision, the CA should act honestly and reasonably and their decisions are open to challenge via the dispute resolution procedure (unless the contract states otherwise). A contract administrator’s role only starts when a building contract is in place between the employer and the contractor. In some instances, the contract administrator may have to perform pre-contract services as well.
The contract administrator’s role will generally include:
The list of CA duties is quite extensive and with some projects, can be very time consuming. As the title suggests, it is an ‘administrative’ function under the Contract. The CA duties have very little to do with either the design of the building or complying with the design that the project architect has spent considerable time putting together to meet the clients’ requirements and needs. Essentially, a CA needs to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and good contract administration is absolutely critical to the effective functioning of any Contract. The importance of the
role is often underestimated and given inadequate attention, until something goes wrong on a project. Ultimately, the quality of the contract administration can be the difference between a successful project and one which fails and results in disputes that drain time and money.
Each project is unique! An individual project will be ‘shaped’ by the Project Brief, the Client circumstances and arrangements, the existing site circumstances, plus the numerous project stakeholder requirements, interests and expectations. A construction project will also require a proactive, diligent and coordinated approach, involving professional inputs required from a wide and diverse assembly of people and organizations.
Each construction project is delivered within a bespoke context. . It is essential that each project is also delivered with due consideration for safety – for all persons affected by a building’s design, construction, use, maintenance and eventual disposal. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 gives reference to three legally-accountable parties: The Client, the Principal Designer and the Principal Contractor. All duties are clearly listed within the CDM Regulations.
For clarity, the Principal Designer duties are also summarised below.
Each project is unique! An individual project will be ‘shaped’ by the Project Brief, the Client circumstances and arrangements, the existing site circumstances, plus the numerous project stakeholder requirements, interests and expectations. The successful delivery of a project, especially a construction project, will require a proactive, diligent and coordinated approach – with professional inputs required from a wide and diverse assembly of people and organizations.
Regardless of size, cost and design, most construction projects introduce complex delivery requirements. Also, due to the unique nature of every project, there is often no standard approach to managing a project’s successful delivery. A simplistic assessment of a project manager’s role could state that the project manager can manage a project’s delivery plus advise, assist and/or undertake any/all client decisions, duties and responsibilities.
Everyone has a different outlook and aspirations. Some clients may wish to take a central and active role in the management of their project – where other clients may not have the time or confidence to undertake project management responsibilities. Where clients ‘fit’ within these two extremes, a project management support services may be of value. The project management services as listed below can provide an initial guide for discussion.
The activities most commonly involved with construction project management include:
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