Chapter-6 : Construction
Introduction
Understanding,management of project
construction by contractors, third parties, and the Relevant body’s is very important.
Emphasis is placed on schedule,
cost,
and change controls; configuration
management and document control;
and partnering and value engineering (VE)
incentives,Quality Assurance (QA)
and Safety Management.
Role of the Organization in
Construction
The Relevant body’s project manager, to assure good performance
during construction is to make timely and decisive decisions.Project
organization and management approach, defined by the project management plan (PMP), should have clear lines of
communication and delegated authority.
Role of the Construction
Manager (Resident Engineer)
The organization will need
project staff with expertise and experience in construction management beyond
the capability and capacity of the Relevant body’s regular employees, for which the Agency will
need to retain a construction manager (CM)
consultant. The CM acts as the Relevant
body’s representative with the
contractors, oversees what work the contractors perform pursuant to the
contract drawings and specifications, inspects the work as acceptable, and
recommends payment of contractor invoices. The key CM
staff is the resident engineer
Role of the Design
Consultant(s) in Construction
Design consultant(s) who produced the contract drawings
and specifications and ―sealed a‖ them with their professional engineering
seal, are referred to as the designer(s) of record; and will continue to
provide the following design services during construction:
# Receive
and respond to construction contractor Requests for Information (RFI),
communicated from the contractor to the designer through the CM. An RFI is a
request by the contractor for clarification of the design intent of the
drawings and specifications.
# Review
and recommend acceptance of contractor submittals called for in the drawings
and specifications with respect to the construction deliverables.
# Review change requests and estimate
costs for change orders.
# Make
periodic visits to the site to assure design compliance and provide
certification efforts as required by the permitting organization.
Role of the Contractor in
Construction
The role of the construction
contractor is to:
# Perform
construction work defined by the contract drawings and specifications using
means and methods that are the contractor’s responsibility.
# Obtain
the permits related to the work for which the contractor is responsible.
# Develop
and implement a quality control (QC) plan for inspection and testing of the
work.
# Develop
and implement a safety plan to ensure a safe work site.
# Deliver
submittals defined by the contract drawings and specifications, such as
- Shop drawings, manufacturer’s drawings,
calculations and data, and product information.
- Contract schedule updated monthly noting
progress and looking ahead to upcoming work.
-Requests for payment supported by reports as called for
in the contract. o Record drawings
of the as-built work.
# O&M manuals
and training of Agency staff called for in the contract specifications.
# Submit
RFIs to the CM to obtain clarification of the design intent.
# Submit
Requests for Change (RFC).
CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT
Project Organization
for Construction
Figure 6-1 illustrates a
project organization structure for construction for a project with three
construction contracts (yellow boxes), where the Agency (blue boxes) has
retained the services of a CM and a general engineering consultant (GEC) who is
the designer of record (tan boxes). Delegation of authority for RFCs is
illustrated by the ―red arrows and lines of communication for RFIs by ―green
arrows.
Figure
6-1 - Project Organization, Assigned Authorities,
and Lines of Communication
for Construction
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Agency Board
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Board:
Resolves changes above
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GM's delegated
authority
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Agency
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General Manager
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Personnel
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(GM)
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GM:
Resolves changes within
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GM's
delegated authority
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Project
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Manager Project Manager: Resolves changes within
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project manager's
delegated authority
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CM:
Coordinates review of
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RFIs
and submittals by
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Consultant
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GEC; and resolves changes
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GEC
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CM
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within
CM's delegated
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Services
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authority
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GEC:
Responds to RFIs
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and
reviews submittals
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RFIs
&
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RFCs
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Submittals
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Construction
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Contractor
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Contractor
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Contractor
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Contractors
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1
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2
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3
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Contractors:
Submit RFIs,
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submittals,
and RFC to CM
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Division of Management
Responsibilities between the Agency and Construction Manager
The Project manager is the Relevant body’s senior decision maker on the project and
should be delegated that
commensurate decision making authority. Where the
Relevant body’s governance policy requires
actions to be
approved by the Relevant body’s
board, the PMP and Agency administrative procedures should not unduly
delay the construction schedule.
Figure 6-2,
identifies generally accepted divisions of functions between the Agency, CM,
and GEC during
construction.
Figure 6-2 – Agency and
Construction Manager Functions During Construction
 Contract
Management and Administration
The RE, who is typically a
member of the CM staff, oversees the contractor with respect to what work is to
be done pursuant to the contract specifications. The RE is the Relevant
body’s primary field representative and
the contractor’s single point of contact. The RE receives/processes contractor
RFIs and submittals, has the authority to accept or reject contractor work
based on compliance with the contract specifications, receives/processes RFCs,
and resolves those changes within the RE’s delegated authority. All changes
that affect the design must be approved by the designer of record.
The RE and CA(Contract
Administrator) meet with the contractor on a regular basis to assess the
contractor’s progress. At these meetings the contractor reports on progress,
issues that arise in the field are addressed, and any disputes resolved. If
disputes cannot be resolved between the RE and contractor they are passed up
the project management chain of command as delineated in the PMP.
Value
Engineering Changes
The project manager’s responsibility to find VE opportunities – to deliver a better and/or lower cost project without compromising quality – does not end with design. Even though VE’s main use is in the design phase, the project manager can organize a ―design scrub workshop with the designer and contractor before the start of construction, where the contractor can bring questions, comments, and ideas.
Schedule
Control
Construction contractors
control their contracts’ detailed schedule progress.The project manager’s focus
is the big picture, the master schedule, to manage interfaces between
contractor, third party, and Agency construction activities. The Project
manager’s approach to master schedule control depends on the project’s size and
complexity:
§ For
larger and more complex projects Project Manager will require the CM to provide a scheduler
to monitor construction progress using scheduling software(Like
Microsoft Project) to maintain a master schedule of construction
activities.
§ For
smaller projects the use of hand drawn bar charts worked out directly with the
RE(s) should be adequate to serve as a master schedule for project manager to
oversee construction progress.
Large or small, to control
the project schedule the project manager should:
(a) Create a high-level master schedule and limit
detail to what is necessary to control interfaces.
(b) Focus management on the critical path
activities that determine the overall schedule duration.
(c) A revised baseline schedule for Agency
approved contract changes.
Use contractor submission to update the master schedule and focus management effort on
changes to thecritical path through construction.
o Contractor
activities forecast to be late that impact the critical path
o Interface
activities forecast to be late that impact a contractor’s progress
o Validation of progress on activities
that control contract milestone payments.
Incorporate into contract conditions schedule milestones
for work critical to project completion and/or
interfaces with other
contractors, including liquidated damages for late performance.
Management
techniques for project manager to make timely, decisive, and equitable
decisions on RFCs include:
§ Delegate
through the project chain of command responsibility and financial authority to
make decisions on contract changes.
§ Use
a change control board made up of senior project staff to make decisions on
large, complex, and/or contentious contract changes.
§ Include
within the construction budget a reserve to cover construction risks assumed by
the Agency that could result in contract changes.
* Establish up-front through the partnering process an
understanding with the contractor of the process for resolving RFCs, including
a disputes resolution process.
Document
Control
Document control is the management of records generated
during construction. In addition to the records
associated with changes, RFIs,
and submittals, document control procedures are needed to handle reporting of
construction progress including:
-Site records that include a
daily log of site activities, occurrences, weather, equipment, personnel, and
communications.
-Inspection Report of contractor’s work and practices
observed by the CM’s construction inspectors covering construction work performed,
instructions given or received, unsatisfactory conditions, delays encountered,
manpower and equipment, or other problems.
-RE’s weekly Construction Report of all items of
importance, conferences with the contractor or other parties, agreements made,
special notes regarding equipment or organization, labor conditions, weather or
other causes of possible delays, and other matters that have a bearing on the
history of the job.
# Safety
management and accident reports.
# QA/QC reports.
Although communications
management is usually thought of as managing damage control when bad things
happen, communications management also manages good news on the project such
as:
# Announcing the project to promote its
benefits.
-- Holding milestone events to celebrate progress such as to unveiling the design of a new facility.
--- A groundbreaking to mark the start of construction to inaugurating the start-up of a complted facility.
THIRD PARTY COORDINATION
Third Party Work
Third party work involves the relocation or rearrangement
of existing facilities that impact project construction
including:
§ Utilities
(electric power, gas, telephone, cable, etc.)
§ Public
infrastructure (highways, bridges, streets, sewer, water, etc.)
§ Railroads.
The timing and duration of
third party work requires careful negotiation with third parties due to the
significant time required for the work. Work by third parties needs to be
accomplished early in the project because any delays impact the follow-on
contractors with the risk of delaying the overall project and incurring
additional costs due to contractor delay claims.
Third
Party Agreements
It is imperative that the
project manager negotiates and has in place agreements with third parties early
in design so the project manager can assess their impact on the overall
schedule, the utilities have time to plan and carry out any design required,
and the project manager identifies interfaces with other contractors and
incorporates them into the contract provisions.
The project manager’s
negotiations with third parties should address betterment work that the third
party intends to carry out. Betterments are where the third party takes
advantage of the relocation to upgrade the relocated facility. The project
manager should agree to reimburse the third party only for the cost of
relocating the equivalent facility and any additional costs for upgrades should
be borne by the third party.
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Scope of Quality
Management During Construction
Quality
management during the construction phase covers:
# Review of
contract documents to verify that quality aspects have been considered
# Surveillance
of construction for adherence to quality requirements
# In process
and receiving point quality inspections
# Audits of
consultant, contractor, and supplier quality programs for adequacy and
compliance.
Contractor’s Role in Quality Management:
Quality is achieved by the
contractors performing work in accordance to an approved quality control plan.
Construction contractors and suppliers should be required to submit a quality
plan appropriate for their scope of work to the Agency for approval.
The contractor controls the
quality of deliverables by monitoring and verification against the quality
criteria specified in the design documents. The quality control activities
include construction site activity, installation, inspection, test, and documentation.
Results of inspections and tests are retained by the contractor as objective
evidence of acceptability. The contractor turns over the records to the
organization as required by the contract documents.
Audits
The Relevant body’s quality management plan should include a
comprehensive program of periodic audits. The audits are to verify that the CM
and contractors have effectively implemented and are in compliance with,
applicable elements of the quality management plan. Follow-up audits, including
re-audit of deficient areas will be conducted to assure that effective
corrective action has been taken.
SAFETY
MANAGEMENT DURING CONSTRUCTION
Scope of Safety
Management
Safety
management during construction phase covers:
§ Planning
of work to avoid personal injury and property damage
§ Monitoring
of work to provide early detection and correction of unsafe practices and
conditions
§ Protecting
adjacent public and private properties to provide for the safety of the public
§ Providing
safety education and incentive programs
§ Complying
with Occupational Health and Safety Acts
(OSHA).
Roles
of the relevant organization in Safety Management
The Relevant body’s role is to establish awareness that the
prevention of accidents and protection of employees, the public, and property
is a top priority. The Agency should have a safety management plan which can be
a sub section of the PMP or on larger projects a separate subsidiary planning
document. The requirements of the safety management plan should be incorporated
as part of the contract documents.
Roles
of the Contractor in Safety Management
Contractors are responsible
for having a safety management plan in place and for assuring safety on site,
the safe and healthful performance of their work, preventing accidents or
damage to adjacent public and private property, and safety training of their
employees. When a contractor is advised by the Agency of a safety violation,
the contractor should respond in writing and immediately take corrective action
as set out in their safety management plan.
Enforcement
Contractors enforce safety by
developing a Job Hazard Analysis for the work to be undertaken and discussing
actions needed to provide safety at jobsite planning meetings. Supervisors draw
on their safety experience to direct the actions of those under their
direction. Contractor staff should include a safety professional who undertakes
surveillance of operations to eliminate sources of potential accidents.
Education
Contractors give newly employed, promoted,
and/or transferred personnel comprehensive safety indoctrination on topics such
as: workplace hazards, required protective equipment, procedures for reporting
unsafe job conditions, procedures for reporting accidents, contractor job
rules, location of first-aid and medical facilities, and tool box safety
meeting requirements.
Foremen or shift supervisors
should also hold regular crew training (toolbox) meetings to cover specific
safety procedures pertinent to the crew’s on-going activity.
Incentives
Contractors should display
signs and posters at the job site to reinforce safety training and as an
incentive to maintain interest in job safety with the changing work assignments
and jobsite conditions. The Organization should encourage contractors to introduce
employee incentive programs that reward safe work performance through personal
recognition and prizes such as belt buckles, pins, or lunch boxes.
Accident
Investigation and Record Keeping
Accidents should be
investigated without delay by the contractor and the investigation should
generate recommendations for corrective actions to prevent recurrence of
similar accidents. The contractor’s accident report, project records, progress
reports, and daily time reports may become important evidential material in any
ensuing legal action.
(End of Chapter)
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