Construction
Analytical Study of Construction Project
Author Admin
Analytical Case study on a typical construction project from the Architectural Concept Design to the practical completion
Preface
The project is an extension to an international institution, funded by an overseas body of the same institution. The project is substantially completed and it is in the stage of defects liability period.
The project has undergone several problems occurred from the very inception to completion. Therefore, it is a project worth wile to be studied.
The problems are tried to be discussed at the places where they are described itself, under a sub topic named as the observations and conclusions of the author, rather than going to a discussion of important aspects at the end of the document.
Pre Contract Phase One – Pre Design Stage and Out Line Design Proposals
1.1 Project Description
1.1.1. Scope of the Project
The scope of the project is a refurbishment to an existing building of an International Institution at Narahenpita. The scope consists of design and construction of an extension to the existing building and rectification and repainting of the existing building. The new building consisted of approximately 6,000 sq.m. and is almost equal to the size of the existing building. The anticipated project cost is twenty five million Rupees. The existing building is also designed be the same organization (CONSULTANT) 25 years ago.
1.1.2. The client’s Brief and project approval process
The client is an Institute of Management and Accounting at Narahenpita and the head quarters of the organization is located in London. The clients brief consisted of an addition of a Study area, Administrative office area and an auditorium to the existing building. Access is to be provided from the existing building to the new one.
The design to be carried out to the British safety standards. The client had an international consultant and the designs done by the local consultant has to be gone through the international consultant and the clients head office at London and the approval to be obtained.
1.1.3. Location and the Site
The site is located at Narahenpita and is adjacent to the existing building of the client. The land is a government land belongs to the carom players association. The land was leas hold for twenty five years by the client for the purpose of constructing the new building.
1.2. Appointing Consultants
1.2.1. Consulting Firm and other Consultants
The project has a history of starting with an international consultant who worked as the principal designer of the project. The design was finalised and as per the FIDICT conditions of contract as, as invariably recommended by the international consultant, tenders are called. The tender figures were found to be extremely high and the project was not feasible.
The project has to be re designed. The local consultant was then appointed as the principal designer and the international consultant was appointed as an organization to check the design and tenders. The contract was agreed to be done as per the ICTAD conditions of contract.
The design was developed by the local consultant. Design Consortium LD and Archedium was appointed as the main consultant for the Concept Design and the organization has the capabilities to provide all the consortium services that include Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Quantity Surveying services. The design team appointed included a structural engineer, mechanical and electrical engineer and a quantity surveyor. However, the Fire Services Department was appointed to provide the consulting services for design of fire protection and detection system.
CONSULTANT in writing informed the Fire Services Department, that they are the consultants of the project and they expect to get the consultancy services of the Fire Services Department to design the Fire protection and Detection System of this project. ( annexure 01)
The consultant had the capacity and experience to design the Fire Protection and Detection system by itself. However, because the clients higher concern on the fire protection and the standards of the system, it was decided to go to a specialist consultant.
At the confirmation by the Fire Services Department, that they can provide the requested services, the client organization in writing requested the Fire Services Department, to provide the fee quotation for their services. The received quotation was forwarded to CONSULTANT and CONSULTANT confirmed in writing that the quotation is reasonable and acceptable.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
The contract formed with the Fire Services Department was a direct contract between the CLIENT and the Fire Services Department and there is no contractual obligation with the CONSULTANT. According to the conditions of engagement, the term governing this situation is – The architect shall be entitled to engage other consultants and shall be responsible to the client for their services. Where other consultants are engaged by client, the architect shall only responsible for coordination and integration of their services.
CONSULTANT has only approved the quotation provided by the Department of Fire Services and no addition of overheads is seen. The Fire Services Department is only being recommended by the CONSULTANT and CONSULTANT has not engaged their services. There is no contract formed with the CONSULTANT but it is a contract with the client. Therefore, there is no contractual responsibility on CONSULTANT for the Fire protection and Detection System of the building.
Calculation of Professional Fees
The professional fees were calculated as recommended by the SLIA. The payments to be made several stages such as
1. Sketch design
2. Schematic design
3. Tender documentation
4. Tendering
5. Inspection and supervision
6. Post contract period
The quotation was sent to the head quarters of the clients’ organization in London and the international consultant for approval.
1.3. Brief Formulation
1.3.1. Inception
Part of the existing building is constructed on a raft and the other half is on piles. The reason for this design has been, the varying condition of earth. The depth to the bed rock at one side of the building is low that it is economical to construct on piles. At the other side of the building, the bed rock was deeper that 28 m that it has been economical to construct on a raft.
The new building is to be constructed adjacent to the existing building and then to be connected together at each level. However, the foundations of the existing building are recommended to be kept undisturbed.
Crack formations are noticed in the existing building and therefore the risk involved in the design of the new extension was high. Due to the construction of the new building, the existing structure cannot be disturbed.
The consultant has decided and informed the client to do the project in two stages. In the first stage, the addition – that is the construction of the new building – is done and in the second stage, the alterations to the existing building to be carried out. The new building is to be constructed totally on end baring concrete piles.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
The recommendation for the foundation type was given by a consultant soil investigation company and therefore the consultants’ responsibility is reduced or partly transferred to another organization. However, special attention to be given before starting construction, to documentate and photograph the existing cracks.
The decision of the consultant to do the alterations to the existing building – that includes rectification of existing cracks – after the construction of the new building is a safer decision from the consultants’ side. Any effect to the existing cracks of the old building due to the construction of the new building that includes activities that generate vibrations such as pile socketing and Dynamic Load Testing of Piles are the be clearly visible. If the crack rectification is done before, reason for any redevelopment of cracks cannot be distinguished whether it is a defect of rectification or whether it is an effect of the new construction.
According to the contract, the Contractor has to documentate all the cracks that appear in the existing building, photograph them and then get signed by both the client and the consultant. Therefore, there was no need for the consultant to do a separate recording of the cracks for his justifications. However, in a situation where such recordings are not included in the scope of the contactor, the consultant should have to do an investigation of the cracks by himself.
1.3.2. Conceptual Design Proposal
Conceptual design proposal was done by the consultant and was presented to the client organization for their comments. The proposal was send to the clients head office at London for their comments.
The conceptual design proposal was accepted by the client organization with comments. The design is to be revised to satisfy British safety standards. The revised design was presented to the client with a project plan up to tendering.
2. Pre Contract Phase Two – Design development and Tender Procedure
2.1. Design Development
2.1.1. Site analysis and Outline Proposals
The site is a filled land that has originally being a marsh. Therefore, the baring capacity of the soil was poor. A soil test was carried out and the position of the bed rock was identified to be varying between 18 to 20m.
Designs done by CONSULTANT were sent to CLIENT Head Office, London and their consultant for comments. It was commented that the designs should be revised to the cost limits of the client.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
A comprehensive site analysis has not been carried out prior to the outline proposals. The project is a good example to show how a project could suffer when the designers lightly consider the need of a proper site analysis.
The problematic things identified later are given below, which, if had identified at the bigining, lot of problems that occurred could have been avoided. (The problems occurred due to some of them are explained else ware in this document)
1. There were data cables, electrical cables and storm water drains running across the site.
2. A public sewer line is identified running across the site.
3. The access road to the site does not have public drains. The drains are available only along the Elvitigala Mawatha and the nearest manhole to which the storm water could be discharged was identified to be located 300m away from the site.
The storm water discharge system of the building was designed in a way that at the discharge point it is coupled with the existing system. After the construction of the system, it was identified that the existing system directly and illegally discharges storm water to the road.
No cost effective solution could be proposed to this problem. And the problem persists. Had it being investigated earlier, the problems could have been avoided by designing a system where the storm water is harvested or directed to a system soakage pit.
2.1.2. Schematic design and statutory approvals
The schematic design was finalised and the approval was obtained from the client. Prior to the approval from CMC, the preliminary planning clearance has to be obtained from the UDA. To prepare this application Clearances from Ceylon Electricity Board, Water and drainage Clearances were to be obtained from relevant authorities. When it is applied for the drainage clearance, CMC informed the position of a 9” sewer line running across the site at a depth of 12’. 5’ minimum distance to be kept from the sewer line and the building and nothing can be built on the sewer line. (Annexure 09)
If the line were to be remained undisturbed, the design has to be changed. The design was continued assuming that the sewer line could be diverted, however, when it was discussed with the authorities of the Municipal Engineers Department, Water and Drainage Division – Maligakanda, it was noticed that the diversion of the sewer line is costly and takes time. Accordingly the design was revised to obtain the required distance from the sewer line.
After obtaining the Preliminary Planning Clearance from UDA, the design was to be submitted to the CMC. The building is an extension to an existing building, and therefore, the permit to be obtained as an extension and not as a new building. However, the old part of the building stands on the ground belongs to the client and the new construction is on a ground belongs to the government. The extension cannot be done unless the lands are amalgamated.
An amalgamated plan was done by a licensed surveyor. And the plan was submitted with the documentary evidences of the lease hold. The situation was discussed with the City Planning Division, Municipal Engineers Department, CMC and the amalgamation plan was approved.
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Development permit was obtained from the CMC in August 2003 and it is well before the award of contract.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
The consultant was not been appointed before leas holding the land. If the consultant was appointed earlier, and the site was properly investigated, the identification of the public sewer would have been an important point that would have brought down the value of land and the lease hold value could have been brought down.
Prior to stat any design work Preliminary Planning Clearance would have been obtained. The consultant has gone to the extent of the schematic design before obtaining PPC and as a result the entire design had to be changed. The time and cost involvement had to be bared by the consultant.
Tender Procedure
Tender Documentation
The consultant proposed to go for a closed tender. The type of contract is name as measure and pay fixed rate type of contract. The conditions of tender and the conditions of contract are derived from the ICTAD conditions of contract.
The consultant first proposed to go for two tenders and project was programmed accordingly– one tender for piling and another tender for the civil works. However, finally it was decided to make it one tender.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
There are advantages of breaking the tender into two. It is identified that the proposed contractors does not have the capacity to carryout piling works themselves. So that piling would be anyway, a sub contract. By separating the two, the overheads of the main contractor can be saved. The civil contract starts at the completion of piling and therefore, there will be no need of a payment of an attendance fee. Therefore there will be a considerable cost saving.
Preparation of tender documents for the civil contract can be done while piling is in progress and before completion of piling the tender can be awarded. Therefore, there will be a considerable time saving as well.
The disadvantage of going for two tenders is, the responsibility of the structure is then be distributed among two organizations that in case of a collapse or a damage of the structure or a damage or settlement of a neighbouring building, it is hard to identify the default party. The responsibility of the accuracy of the pile setting out becomes an additional responsibility to the consultant.
The insurance of the piling contractor has to cover not only the construction period of the piles but the total construction period plus one year. This large insurance costs to be ultimately born by the client. When the total insurance cost is considered – the sum of the piling contract and the civil contract – the insurance cost were lower in the case of going into a single contract.
The old building adjacent to the construction site got cracks appeared on it and therefore, there is a much danger that this building may get damaged due to vibrations and loading on the site. Therefore, the decision of making it one tender clearly distinguishes the liability of the contactor.
The consultant provided a list of short listed tenderers to the client that included four numbers of tenderers. The client approved the list of tendereds with a proposal to add two more tenderers to the list. The consultant then sent the tender document to the client for their comments.
Client provided their comments in the form of a report. There were two critical comments made by the client to which the consultant disagreed.
The client proposed whether it is possible to make the contractors pay VAT, instead of the client.
The client proposed whether it is possible to ask the tenderers to provide price breakdown detailed as costs of material, labour and overheads.
The consultant explained that it is the owners’ responsibility to pay any subsequent increase of tax imposed by the Government, and therefore it cannot be transferred to the contractors. Further, the Consultant explained that if the tenderers were asked to detail out their tenders to such an extent, no one will be interested in participating this tender.
Tendering
The letter asking the interest to participate in the tender was sent to all the proposed tenderers, and two of tenderers replied that they are not interested to participate in the tender. Because the number of tenderers is inadequate, two new names were proposed.
Tenderers collected the tender documents. The pre bid meeting was held at the site. And the questions and clarifications raised by the tenderers were minuted and the minutes were copied to all the tenderers. Tenderers were allowed to send their quarries to the consultant and all the questions raised by tenderers were answered and copied to all.
Tenders were submitted to the consultants’ office. The tenders were collected and opened with the presence of the client, the consultants project director and the consultant quantity surveyor.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
It is important that a letter seeking the interest to participate in tender is sent and confirmation is ontained from the tenderers prior to the invitation to tender. Had the invitation to tender being sent indicating the availability of tender documents and time, there would be problems occurred if considerable number of tenderers do not participate, because the dates are being fixed, there would not be enough time to identify tenderers to fill the gap.
Tender evaluation
The tenders are checked whether to be completed correctly and for arithmetic mistakes. The tender was evaluated not looking at the corrected tender figures. Fallowing aspects were also looked at.
cost plan
labour histogram
technical specifications
equipment available with the tenderer
All the tender figures are found to be too high for the clients’ budget. The clients budget was twenty million rupees and the received tender figures varied between thirty five million rupees to sixty million rupees. The reason for this higher bid values may be occurred due to the imposition of higher safety standards, specifications and restrictions by the client. Out of all the tenderers, two competitive bidders were selected using the above criteria. The tender negotiations were held with the two tenderers. In the negotiations, three things were looked at to bring the construction cost down.
possibility of the tenderer to bring down the rates, that are questionable to the consultant and thought to be comparatively too high
in case where the high rates involve consultants specifications, to check the possibility of changing the specifications and bring the rates down
to remove certain items from the main contract and the possibility to get it done through nominated sub contractors at a lower rate.
It was identified that this exercise alone would not bring down the construction cost to the level acceptable to the client. Therefore it is decided to remove certain items from the contract such as construction of water sump, water tank etc. The money for the construction of these are to be obtained from the amount of money to be released for the interior design of the building by the clients head office in London. New prices of the two tenderers were compared and from which, one tenderer was selected to award the contract.
Award of contract
The consultants recommendation was sent to the client with the comparison of two tenderers. The recommendation was accepted by the client and the Letter of Award was sent to the selected tendrderer.
The contractor had to mobilise using the letter of award as the legal document to start his work and the contract is to be signed afterwards.
Post Contract Phase One – Contract Administration
Monitoring, supervising and quality control
For the monitoring and supervision of work, a resident engineer is assigned to the site. Duty of the resident engineer was to ensure that the construction is carried out according to the provided drawings and specifications. The project architect and the engineers to visit the site fortnightly and the construction works and the progress were to be supervised.
Other than the resident engineer, the quality of work and the accuracy was ensured by making the contractor submit method statements prior to perches of material and starting work. For example, method statements are requested from the contractor for pile testing, pile hacking, water-proofing and anti-termite treatment.
For monitoring the construction quality, the contractor had to perform tests as specified in the contract document. Concrete cubes of the concrete of the piles were sent to the testing laboratories and results were obtained by the contractor. The test results of the pile concrete were found not to be satisfactory according to the consultant engineer. However, the contractor is not in agreement with the comment of the consultants. Therefore, an independent analysis report on pile concrete was obtained from a relevant professor of the University of Moratuwa. The report indicated that the quality of the concrete is sufficient to bare the load of the building.
Due to the independent analysis report, the piles were not considered as failed piles. There was no need to do extra piles. However the consultant engineer provided instructions to strengthen the tie beams on the pile foundations. The instructions were as per the recommendations by the independent analyst.
Tests on moisture content of timber, and tests to identify the type of timber were to be done by the contractor.
A sample submission list is included in the contract. The contractor has to submit a sample submission program to tally with his construction program. As per the sample submission program, the contractor has to submit samples. Approved samples to be fixed to a board and are to be displayed at site.
Wastage of material and time is minimised by the system of checking the samples before construction of them are done. For example the door frame sample submitted was rejected and it had to be resubmitted with required size, dimensions, level of workmanship and the material.
Work programming (Contractual)
Contractor was requested to submit his work programme, prior to the commencement of work. The program was to be approved by the consultant. Secondly the contractor was to submit a detailed work program to tally with the submitted program. The project architect commented to the submitted programme and the detailed program was to be resubmitted with incorporated sub-contract programs of aluminium works and waterproofing works.
Monthly progress and programme and daily progress and programme to be submitted. The resident engineer checks these programs with the already given master program and the contractor is advised to increase labour capacity, equipments etc. to avoid delays and to catch up delays. The progress is always checked at the progress review meetings as a comparison to the master programme and further instructions are issued.
The contractor failed to start piling for approximately two months. The reason for the delay was the inability of the selected piling sub contractor to mobilise because the available piling machines were mobilised in other sites. The contractor did not request a time extension because he is confident that he could catch up the delays by increasing the labour and machinery. Due to this, the submitted programme has to be amended and resubmitted. The resubmitted programme was checked by the project architect and was found to be incorrect. It was commented that the amount of work he has to perform at the last two month are increased far too much. The required labour is much large. The contractor has to adjust the programme according to the comments and had to be re submitted.
The project architect and the resident engineer identified that the resubmitted programme is impractical. This was communicated to the contractor but the contractor disagreed.
Progress Meetings
Progress meetings to be held at site fortnightly with the participation of the contractor and his relevant staff, relevant subcontractors, Consultant site engineer, the project architect and the clients representatives. At the first meeting the client was asked to assign the clients project coordinator.
At the time the super structure of the building is started to construct, the client requested to hold the meetings weekly. CONSULTANT pointed out that there would be no enough progress to review weekly. Therefore, it was decided to hold a technical meeting fortnightly, to which the participation of the client is not essential.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
Assigning of the clients’ project coordinator is important to ensure that all the correspondences with the client happen clearly. Without a key person through whom all the correspondences go through, the communication with the clients organization will get mess up and no one can be held liable. Each party has to assign a person to handle correspondence.
The clients project coordinator would have been appointed at the early stages of the project where the consultant stats the design. However, at these stages the decisions were taken by the discussions of the entire building committee of the client organization.
Commencement of work and setting up Bonds and Insurances
The contractor is expected to program his works prior to mobilising at site. At the progress review meeting no:1, contractor was asked to provide the fallowing documents within 14 days as per the agreement.
Performance bond
Contractors All Risk Policy
Workman Compensation
Advance Guarantee
Detailed Construction Program
VAT Registration Number
Site Organization chart
Labour Histogram
More over, the contractor was asked to attend to the followings prior to commencement of piling.
Service lines across the site – Electrical, Telecommunication, waste water – to be determined and shifted.
Demolition work program to be submitted and the demolition method statement to be submitted for consultants’ approval.
Water, Electricity and Telecommunication connections to be obtained to the site.
Photographic survey of all neighbouring buildings to be done and signed by all three parties.
Workmen Compensation Insurance Policy submitted was not accepted by the client and the consultant. It is identified that the policy should cover the consultants’ site staff and the visiting staff. The clients’ in-house staff, visiting staff and the expatriate staff should also be covered by the insurance as per the contract agreement. It was further noticed that the duration of the construction period should start from the date of the letter of award (Annexure 02). As per the recommendations the contractor resubmitted the insurance.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
The advices given to locate the cables and pipes that run across the site is not in the contract but site being handed over to the contractor, he is liable for their protection. This instruction given on site enforces the contractors’ liability. However, this can identified as a mistake of the consultant who would have identified these and the ways of relocating would have been thought of at the early stages of the design.
The contract involves demolition of one existing part of the building. The existing building has already developed cracks on it. Therefore, it is critical that the protection of the existing building is ensured while demolition and piling works are on progress. The request of the demolition method statement is important that keeps the contractor liable to carryout the demolition works according to the approved standards.
However, the photographic survey would have been extended to include the situation of the existing building as well that clearly indicated if the existing cracks are affected by the demolition.
There is a public sewer line running across the site identified. Protection of which would be enforced. The position of the sewer line is given only approximately by the authorities and the contractor would have been asked to measure the actual distance between the line and the piles. There is a possibility of damaging the sewer line due to shoring and movement of earth, vibration due to pile socketing and Pile Dynamic Testing. Further, he would have been asked to locate the sewer line in the pile setting out drawing. However, no precautions on this regard can be seen to be taken by the consultant.
Variations and extra work
Several extra works were done based on the requests made by the contractor and the recommendations of the project architect and consulting engineer.
The consulting engineer recommended that an anti-termite treatment is required to be carried out prior to the construction of super structure. The decision was taken after investigating the nature of the excavated soil by the structural engineer. Contractor is requested to provide a quotation and a method statement to do this treatment. The provided quotation is approved by the assigned quantity surveyor with deductions and the new rate was accepted by the contractor.
The client requested to have liquid soap dispensers and hand dryers to be installed in the toilets. The contractor is asked to provide a quotation for the installation of these. The quotation was revised by the consultant quantity surveyor and the revised quotation was accepted by the client and the contractor.
The construction of the sump and the water tank were items included in the tender document. However, in the adjustment of the tender figure to suit the clients budget, these items were removed from the contract considering the possibility of allocating money later. (As explained else ware in this document)
It is identified that to start the refurbishment of the existing building, the client has to move to the new building prior to the interior works commence. Although the building is completed, it cannot be functioned without water. Therefore the possibility to construct the sump and the water tank was rethought.
It is identified that the water tank being a structural element affecting the structure, the responsibility of it can be indistinguishably remained with the present contractor, if it is constructed by him. On the other hand, the cost of another contactor to mobilise at the site would be higher. Therefore, the contractor was asked to provide a quotation to perform this task.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
It is seen that at the tender stage, the contractor has already provided a quotation for construction of sump and the water tank. But they did not form a part of the signed contract. Therefore there is no contractual obligation formed between the client and the contractor to perform these tasks at the rates quoted. Due to these reasons, the contractor has the right to provide a new quotation that does not base on the quotations he has previously provided.
If the decision were taken to give the construction of the water tank and the sump to the present contractor, the client would have got it done at a lower rate.
Delays and Time extensions
Two months delay of starting the piling work is noticed, the item delayed, being an important item lie in the critical path, the entire program was delayed. The contractor is asked to provide explanation for the delay in writing coupled with the new programme.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
The record and the request of the in writing explanation of the delay are important. In case the contractor fails to complete the building on time, this written information can be used as valuable evidence to support the investigation of the reasons for the delay of completion.
However, the contractor refrained from providing an explanation in writing but his explanation was incorporated to the minutes of progress review meetings. The architects comment that the reasons provided by the contractor are not contractual, was also recorded.
The contractor was continuously advised to increase the labour and management forces in the site. The instructions were fortnightly minuted and sent in writing as well. The delays were noticed in comparison to the original programme submitted by the contractor and are continuously minuted. When it is found out that the contractor has failed to maintain himself to the programme, he was in writing asked to submit a new programme. (annexure 03)
Before the date of completion the contractor was proposed that he could not complete the building on time, which the contractor refused. On the date of completion, the building was found to be not completed. The contractor has not requested an extension of time.
The contractor is officially informed that he has failed to complete the building and his bonds and insurances are to be extended. He was asked to submit a new programme to complete the building. (Annexure 05)
After this letter, at the progress review meeting the fact that the contractor has not requested a time extension was minuted. The contractor submitted his new program along with a request of time extension of 50 days. The insurances and bonds were extended.
It is identified that the reasons given by the contractor cannot be accepted fully. Therefore, the consultant in writing informed the contractor to submit details of the justification of the reasons for his failure to complete the building. (Annexure 06) The main reasons behind his argument are as fallows
The piling sub contractor did not mobilised causing a delay of two months.
This point is not contractual. The piling contractor is not a nominated sub contractor. The responsibility of the sub contractors works lie on the main contractor.
Due to rain, his works were affected causing a delay of fifteen days.
Rain cannot be considered as an unforeseen reason that causes delays. The weather conditions recorded by the consultant resident engineer do not show an unusual rainfall in during the year. Therefore the contractor was asked to submit his rainfall data. These to be compared with the consultant site engineers data and conclusion to be given.
Due to Tsunami for two weeks he lost labour on site.
However, the labour records do not support his argument. This is anyway, considered to be a valid point.
Due to the delays of client in supplying client supplied tiles and due to the clients delay in approving sanitary fitting samples, his works got delayed.
This also identified as a valid reason by the consultant and can be proved using the progress review meeting minutes.
After the submission of the details of the reasons for the request of time extension, the validity of the request was examined. The decision of the consultant on this matter is still pending.
Payments to contractors
Contractor submits monthly progress bills. The progress is checked by the consultants’ resident engineer and the bill is checked by the consultants’ quantity surveyor. The revised payment certificates are sent to the client for his approval and to release the payments.
A progress bill of three million rupees was submitted by the contractor on 24th of March 2005. The bill is to be evaluated by the consultant prior to approval of the same. An on account payment of two million rupees was requested by the contactor giving the reason that he needs money to settle payments to the workers for the New Year.
Observations and Conclusions of the Author
This payment was requested, was to be deducted from the last payment. In this case the consultant had to look at few more aspects.
what is the possible delay that could be occurred because the contractor had not performed as per the programme
What would be the maximum penalty he would under go, when he fails to complete the building on the scheduled date.
Will the amount of money retained (after the release of the on account payment) and the performance bond is sufficient to cover the penalty and the released payment.
Considering this important factor, only a part of the on account payment requested was released. The client was recommended to make the payment (annexure 04)
Practical completion and the relevant certificate
The contractor promised to substantially complete the building with a delay of two months. The consultant resident engineer was advised to prepare the defects list early so that the contractor can attend to the rectification of defects early.
The consultant was informed by the client that he wishes to hand over the building on such a date. The site was inspected by the consultant and found that the building is not yet completed to an acceptable level. The contractor was officially informed that the consultant could not accept the submission. (Annexure 07)
In one week’s time, the contractor was able to complete the building and the building was handed over to the client after a joint inspection of the building by the client and the consultant. The inventory of defects and items were made and handed over to the client. The certificate of practical completion was issued to the contractor.
After the completion of the building, for the client to obtain the COC, a set of as built drawings, clearances and test results to be obtained from the contractor. This was officially informed to the contractor by the consultant (Annexure 08)
4. Post Contract Phase Two – Maintenance and Final Completion
4.1 Liquidated Damages
The client was conscious, what are the penalties that could be imposed on the contractor. The client officially requested consultant to advise them in this regard. The consultant in writing explained to the client that according to the contract penalty for a day is 19,125.00/- and the delay is to be still calculated. However, on assumption that an extension of 52 days is given to the contractor, the total delay being 142 days, LD could be imposed to the rest 90 days. Therefore the total value recoverable as penalty is Rs. 1,5000,000/-.
4.2 Performance bond and maintenance.
The performance bond is to be retained till the end of the maintenance period. During this period, the defects occur in the building to be rectified by the contractor. There are several minor incidents noticed including burning of a fan, blocking of gullies and these were immediately rectified by the contractor as officially informed by the consultant.
Conclusion
The project is special due to three important aspects that rarely occur in a construction project. Firstly, it is the nomination of another consultant to supervise the works of a consultant. This is not a common practice to Sri Lanka, however, it is interesting to see that the international community tends to look at the agreement between the client and the consultant as a contract agreement and use the term ‘contractor’ to refer to the consultant as well. It is important to note how a consultant should react in this kind of a situation and safe guard himself without falling into trouble.
Secondly, the delays of the project started to occur at the very beginning. The client continuously asked the consultant, what are the actions the consultant could take and what are his powers. It clearly displayed that other than imposing liquidated damages at the end of the project, the only action the consultant can take in this regard is writing letters. It displayed the importance to re look at the definition of the consultants’ role in a contract in the standard contract agreements.
The project displayed the importance of a good site analysis and a through site investigation prior to start any design. Number of problems occurred during the project (explained else ware in this document) would have been avoided by this.
However, the imposition of penalties and the Arguments and justifications made on the same too will be an interesting event that is yet to occur in near future.
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Promising Domestic Demand of Construction Machinery in the Latter Half of 2009
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www.shcri.com — The proportions of the long-term loan of China new RMB loan in April and May in 2009 were 79.9% and 67.6% respectively. The substantial growth of the loan chiefly flows to the medium and long-term investment projects. The equipment purchase of the related projects will be gradually carried out.
In the aspect of the investment in fixed assets, the demands for the construction machinery equipments are distributed in the fields of the real estate, mining and capital construction. The growth speed of the inventory of the construction machinery products maintains a high degree of correlation with that of the investment in fixed assets. The variation of the investment structure in fixed assets has an immense impact on the demands for the different construction machinery products. In the former three quarters of 2008, the substantial growth of the investment in mining had contributed to the demands of the construction machinery products, speeding up the sales of shovel loaders, excavators and bulldozers.
According to the convention of the construction budget, the operating costs of the construction machinery account for 9% to 20% of the flat cost and 5% to 14% of the total construction cost. If these equipments are completely newly purchased, the volume of purchase should be 2 to 3 times of the operating cost according to the payback time of 2 to 3 years. That is to say, the costs of the purchase of the construction machinery account for about 10% to 28% of the total investment. It is predicted by the real estate that except the expense of the land purchase and other expenses, the stimulating rate of the purchase of the construction machinery will be 19% and that of the capital construction will be expected to be 7.2%. In the aspect of mining, 70% of the newly mining investments are investments in fixed assets, half of which are equipment investments, which account for about 35% of the mining investment. Considering the proportions of the new mining investment in the total investment and the proportions of the construction machinery in the equipment investment, it is expected that the construction machinery will account for 9% in the mining investment.
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With an increase of 19% of the capital construction investment, 18% of the real estate investment and 23% of the mining investment in 2009, the pulling effect for the construction machinery by the increase of the capital construction investment can primarily offset the reducing demands for the real estate investment and the mining. The domestic demands of China’s construction machinery in 2009 are almost the same with those in 2008. At present, there are signs of recovery in the China’s domestic real estate. It is predicted that the acceleration of the real estate in the latter half of 2009 will improve the demands for the construction machinery. The growth of the construction machinery market will probably go beyond of the expectation of the market, of which close attention should be paid to the construction machinery products relevant to the real estate.
The main export regions of China’s construction machinery products are Asia, Africa and Europe. It is seen that they are rich in petroleum and mineral resources. With the great decline of the raw material price, the requirements of the global mining industry, energy industry, metallurgy industry, etc. for the construction machinery are shrinking. Meanwhile, the export earnings of the raw materials exporting countries decline enormously. The investment budget of the domestic infrastructure will decrease, which results in the recession in demand for the investment of the construction machinery equipment. Meanwhile, most of the construction machinery purchase overseas relies on the bank credit. Due to the financial crisis, the banks tighten the credit loan, which does harm to the sales of the construction machinery. It is predicted that the market of Chinese construction machinery export will keep on going down in the latter half of 2009.
During January to May in 2009, the export sales volume of China’s shovel loaders, excavators and bulldozers decreased by 54.7%, 75.4% and 54.4% YOY. In the first quarter, the export sales volume of cranes, diesel forklift trucks, electric forklifts and concrete mixers decreased by 55.32%, 62.7%, 28.1%, 52.1% YOY. Taking the first three quarters of 2008 into account, the export sales of the construction machinery increased dramatically. So did the cardinal number. However, the cardinal number of the export sales volume in the fourth quarter is low. It is predicted that the export sales volume of China’s Construction Machinery Industry in 2009 will decrease by over 30% YOY.
In the first five months of 2009, the new RMB loan exceeded 5.8 trillion by Chinese financial institution, increased by 176% YOY, which showed that the bank credit was substantially relaxed. Most of the construction machinery products are sold in the form of the bank credit mortgage while the downstream industries of the construction machinery industry are construction companies and developers who excessively rely on the bank credit. At the same time, the model of mortgage sales in the construction machinery industry has determined a relatively high reliability for the bank credit. Among various kinds of construction machinery products, mortgage rates of the excavator are about 80%; those of pump trucks, auto cranes and rotary drilling rigs are all nearly 50%; those of shovel loaders are lower, about 15%.
At present, to enlarge the domestic demand and guarantee an economic growth, Chinese government loosens the bank credit policy. The reduction of the rates lowers the financing cost of the related enterprises and the individual as well, which brings a supported bullish sales of China’s construction machinery industry.
Source: China Research and Intelligence
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Eileen Gu
China Research and Intelligence
www.shcri.com
Email: eileen@shcri.com
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Shanghai, China
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Types of Constructions
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Construction is any process that leads to a completion of structures. It has many types such as heavy or civil construction, building construction and industrial construction.
Under the field of civil engineering and architecture, construction is a method that consists of assembling or building infrastructure. Usually, this work is managed by a project manager and supervised by a construction engineer, construction manager, project architect or design engineer. There are several types of construction projects such as industrial construction, building construction and heavy or civil construction.
Building construction is a process of adding small or big structures to land or real property. Most of the building construction jobs are small reconstructions like adding bathroom or reconstruction of a room. Often times, the titleholder of the property acts as a designer, paymaster and laborer for the entire job. However, all the building construction jobs include several elements in legal consideration, financial and usual design.
Building constructions are procured publicly or privately using different delivery methodologies such as management contracting, hard bid, construction management at risk, design & build bridging, and negotiated price.
Residential construction technologies, resources and practices should conform to the codes of practice and local building authority regulations. The materials used are widely accessible in the market. The common materials used are timber, stone and brick. The cost of construction is on a “per square foot” basis. This is since homes can vary significantly on local site considerations, conditions, and economies of scale.
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Heavy or civil construction is a procedure of adding infrastructure to the environment of a building. The builders are usually government agencies both at the local or national level. These also have legal and financial considerations. This project primarily serves the public interest. They are undertaken and supervised by some large private corporations such as power companies, golf courses and whoever oversees the construction of access dams, roads and railroads.
Industrial construction requires highly specialized skill in construction, planning and design. Holders of this project are normally industrial, for profit or large corporations. This corporation can be found in industries such as chemical, medicine, power generation and petroleum manufacturing.
There are many reputable construction companies in the US. The Turner Construction Company is one of the most commendable. It works with a number of national sector groups that concentrate on a usual building type. Their famous clients include Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, Justice, Healthcare and Breen Building as well as Aviation, Sports and Public Assembly.
Turner Construction Company also offers additional services of supply chain management, Turner Logistics, TCS or Turner Casualty and Surety that provides loss control programs and proactive safety. It is one of the largest construction running companies in the US.
Another company is Anderson Construction Group. It provides professional builds or designs, general contracting, wind mitigation, SoftPlan construction documents and construction managements. This company delivers a large variety of industrial, residential, medical, industrial, and specialty services and projects. It is one of the leaders in providing value added construction services to their consumers by making a successful partnership with them during the construction processes.
IHC Construction Company is another trusted US construction company. It manufactures concrete blocks packed by hydraulic pressure. IHC Construction Company has construction management, pre-construction, underground contractors and horizontal drilling. The horizontal drilling of IHC is the future of underground conduit and pipe construction.
It eliminates or reduces damages caused by the usual open cut trenching methods. The Design & Build division of the company offers construction services to offices, residential warehouses, industrial and commercial markets.
Construction Management Study
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Construction management is the study and practice of managerial and technological factors in the industry of construction. This includes construction, the science of construction, construction management and technology in construction. Construction management also refers to a business representation wherein a crew to a construction contract serves as a consultant to the construct, hereby providing design and advice of the construction.
The education for construction management has a wide array of formats; these are the formal degree programs, on the job trainings, and continuing education or professional development. Examples of formal degree programs are two year associate degree programs, four year baccalaureate degree programs and graduate degree programs. The accrediting body of construction management educational programs in the United Stats is the American Council for Construction Education. According to them the academic field of construction management covers broad array of topics. These topics range from general management skills, to skills that have specific relation to construction, to technical knowledge in the methods of construction and procedures.
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In general, there are three groups involve in the industry of construction; the owner, architect or engineer or more known as the designer, and the builder or contractor. As these three groups plan, design and construct together, two contracts work between these groups. The first contract is known as the owner and designer contract. This first contract involves the planning, designing and some possible factors of construction. The second contract is known as the owner and builder contract. This contract involves the actual construction. On most cases, an indirect go-between relationship exists among the designer and the builder because of these contracts.
There is also a substitute contract or business representation that replaces the two contracts with three contracts. These three contracts are owner and designer contract, owner and construction manager contract, and the owner and contractor contract. The company that handles the construction management is the additional group engaged in the construction, acting as the advisor to the three groups. The function of the construction manager is to provide advice to the designer, design advice to the builder, and services (design and construction wise). Services include subcontracts and material if needed, to the owner.
One type of construction management service is the Agency Construction Management. Agency Construction Management is a fee based service by which the construction manager is accountable to the owner and operates in the interest of the owner on every phase of the project. Broad management of every phase of the project produces the furthermost possible advantage to the owners.
In the United Kingdom, the construction industry is regulated by the Construction Design Management. Hereby, reducing and preventing untoward events on the construction sites and the civil engineering structure once the construction is completed.
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Construction Site Clean-Up Opportunities And How To Make Their Business, Your Business
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The Construction Industry offers some of the best opportunities and the hardest, most challenging work available, for Commercial Cleaning vendors. Construction site clean up projects can, and if structured correctly will, prove to be the most lucrative aspect of a commercial cleaning business. They can also prove to be the hardest work, the biggest headaches and a scheduling/staffing nightmare. It’s all about communication, documentation and accountability. New construction cleanup and construction cleaning jobs are available in almost any location. A business letter from a janitorial service or commercial cleaning company to the main office of the general contractor is how to get the ball rolling. An introductory letter requesting to have your company placed on their “bidders list”, along with a copy of your insurance and business licenses, construction industry references with phone numbers and some documentation of your abilities seems to go a long way. But that’s only the first step of many. A flyer or brochure will easily address your abilities. Construction site cleaning opportunities happen quickly and will go to the post construction cleaning company with all the paperwork completed and in place.
How to bid final, post or after construction cleaning is the question most janitorial companies seem to be interested in, but that challenge won’t be addressed correctly until you shake the hand of the Site Superintendant or Project Manager. The key to working with construction contractors consistently is the contractors perception that you are familiar with their requirements and that you can accomplish them on a strict time schedule and in an uneventful manner. It would be smart to establish a new d.b.a. with a construction related name (i.e. Sparkle Cleaning d.b.a. Site Cleaning Support). Go to Home Depot and get a white hard hat (.00?) and a reflective safety vest (.00?). Go to an ad specialties store, get a work shirt and have them embroider your company name on it. Have them letter the hard hat and the vest with the same name also. Office Depot makes quick “no frills” business cards for about .00 for a hundred. Have some conservative basic cards made. Jeans and work boots are a must. On a construction site, the person from Site Cleaning Support with the uniform, hard hat and safety vest will quickly get an invitation to bid. The person from Sparkle Cleaning, with the “pink flowers and bubbles” business card, will either get punched in the nose or receive the kind of attention they don’t want! When you visit the site for the first time, look for the construction office trailer. Identify yourself as a contractor and ask for the Superintendant or Project Manager. Don’t try to sell anyone else, this is very important. Only speak with the Super, PM or their administrative staff in the office trailer. Contractors disrupting the flow of work on a site are a problem, will be asked to leave the site and will not be asked to bid. Your first statement to the PM should be: “Hi, I’m a cleaning contractor and I’m interested in competing for work on this project.” Shortly after that you should say: “I know you’re very busy and I won’t take up your time right now, but I do want to be considered when the time is right. What’s your turn over date?” and then “Our paperwork is already of file at your office and so I don’t pester you, what would be a good approximate date to stop back?” Shake their hand, leave a card and maybe a flyer and then get off their site.
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When you start to put together a post construction cleaning company business plan, it’s important to understand the opportunities available with construction site clean up. More importantly, it’s mandatory to understand the scope of work pending, and the time frames available for that work in the Project Manager’s mind, regarding cleaning on his site. Basic new structure cleaning is a given and can be addressed in two ways depending on the sites needs. It can be contracted to be done all at one time or in phases as the site progresses. Here’s a simple example of three phase cleaning for a residential construction cleanup proposal:
Phase one – “Rough Clean”
A phase one cleaning may be requested by the GC after the framing, plumbing and electrical have been inspected and completed. This phase may be done before or after the sheetrock has been installed or what is also considered the “dried in stage”. The phase one cleaning will consist of the removal of large debris and trash, stickers will be removed from windows and the unit will be swept out. This phase will help prepare for the incoming subs for painting, flooring, fixtures and cabinetry.
Phase two – “Prep Clean”
A phase two cleaning will be requested prior to the GC’s inspection leading to the final “punch list” for all contractors. This phase will consist of a detailed cleaning of the kitchen and restrooms to include: sinks, toilets, tubs, showers, countertops and cabinets. This phase includes removal of any stickers remaining on the appliances, fixtures, cabinets and windows. Cleaning baseboards, light fixtures, door frames, interior windows, window ledges, mirrors, floors vacuumed and mopped as necessary to prepare for the punch list. Important note: At this point of the construction process, various contractors may be still returning to the unit to address concerns. Phase two should be scheduled after their concerns have been addressed. Phase two cleaning items requested after the phase two cleaning has been completed and approved will be provided at an additional charge.
Phase three – “Punch Clean or Final Clean”
A phase three cleaning during a post construction clean will be requested after the GC’s inspection’s have taken place and no other subs will be entering into the unit. In this phase, all touch ups will be addressed and everything will be considered move in ready. The effort will finalize with the garage being swept, carpet vacuumed, floors mopped and any dust still remaining will be addressed. When this phase is approved, the site cleaning effort for this unit will be considered complete.
The template construction bid example above is an intelligent way to avoid one of the major pitfalls of the construction site cleaning business. Addressing a site in “phases” allows the new construction cleanup company to have their completed worked signed off as: “work complete, no additional work required”. With sub-contractors perpetually returning to a unit under construction to continue their work, the commercial cleaning company’s work is often overlooked. The Site Superintendent will ask the cleaning company to return and touch up their work over and over again without an offer of payment for the additional work. The cleaning contractor should have each phase of cleaning signed off as complete and no additional work required by the Site Superintendent. With larger sites, and multi-unit sites, each unit should be signed off separately and as quickly as possible after completion of the cleaning. An individual charge for each unit, per phase, helps with invoicing and documents pricing if the Superintendent request’s a re-clean. Large amounts of money can be made with re-cleans when a site’s scheduling isn’t well planned by the general contractor.
A construction cleanup proposal can address a lot more then basic cleaning and the rates for construction cleanup project work (i.e. floor and carpet care) may be very attractive. There is an art to projecting a post construction cleaning business plan and it’s found in the Superintendant’s view of the scope of work and his cost’s therein. He has a budget projection, and his view of that budget projection, for all his cleaning requirements and it’s broken down by tasks. Basic cleaning is one task, but he may view it as hiring cheap labor from one of the temp agencies for the rough clean and then hiring a contractor for the final clean. He also has a budget, and an opinion of that budget for floor care, carpet care, excess height cleaning and high pressure washing. Construction cleaning jobs can be contracted hourly or in total flat rate. Understanding the Superintendent’s view and goal is what counts in writing bidding sites that win.
Rates for construction cleanup floor care, carpet care, excessive height cleaning and high pressure washing are typically higher than the prices charged for existing structure work. That’s just the way their budget’s work. It doesn’t really make sense, because working with a new floor or carpet is quite a bit easier, so this is where the construction cleaning company should make their profit. When pricing post construction cleaning jobs, you should consider making your general labor charges competitive with the temp agency rate, but project that rate for the amount of hours the superintendent expects the unskilled labor to complete the task in. This will offer the Superintendent skilled and supervised labor, instead of temp agency labor, at an attractive rate and if you follow the sign-off sheet suggestions above you should still make substantial profit. Your experienced staff can complete the tasks in a shorter time frame than the Superintendent will be expecting to pay the temp agency by the hour. You charge by the completed task. Your competitive general cleaning rates are the hook and the expensive project work is the brass ring. This can prove to be an incredible windfall due to excessive amount of square footage at some of these construction site clean up projects.
Pricing post construction cleaning jobs with the intent of making serious profit on the total job, while protecting profit in each individual task of the project, is an acquired skill and should be studied at length. Learning how to bid final, post or after construction cleaning takes more than reading a sample contract for a janitorial service or a template construction bid example. Template construction bid examples are available on-line and researching them should be a major part of your post construction cleaning company business plan. A business letter and janitorial service literature are also available to research for your post construction cleaning company business plan, but it really takes walking the site, speaking with their people in charge, and internalizing the actual work necessary to find your profit. How to bid final, post or after construction cleaning is a skill well worth taking the time to investigate.
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Discussing The Construction Manager Resume
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Introduction of the Job
Construction Managers are responsible for a variety of facets of the construction process from the initial implementation of the project to its completion. The construction manager assures that the project remains within the client’s budget and stays within its drafted timeline. The construction manager makes sure that all aspects of the project adhere to a high level of quality and standards. The construction manager is often responsible for some aspect of the construction of some physical structure, but can also be someone who works for a management company as a manager of the processes leading to the construction of such project.
Key responsibilities
Construction managers are responsible for organizing and facilitating the completion of a project from start to finish. Therefore, a construction manager must be someone who can work effectively in a fast paced environment while being flexible and resourceful when challenges or roadblocks should arise. Construction managers are also responsible for ensuring that all aspects of a construction project are carried out safely and legally under any regulations that may be in place. Construction managers must obtain any required permits and licenses necessary for legally carrying out the project.
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Educational Requirements
Most employers will require that a candidate for a construction management position hold a college level degree in fields such as civil engineering, construction science, or construction management. Further technical knowledge is required in specific skills related to construction. For example, construction managers should be capable of understanding engineering and architectural plans and drawings. Most employers fall under the belief that not all the skills necessary to be a successful construction manager can be obtained from books and will require that the applicant have a significant amount of practical experience as well. Such experience can be obtained through field training and working under other construction managers as well as through apprenticeships.
Career Path
Most construction managers work for trades contractors in fields such as architecture, plumbing, or local government divisions among other specialty trades fields. There are many construction managers who are also self-employed and draw up contracts with clients on their own. The number of construction management positions is increasing due to the fact that construction processes are becoming progressively more complicated and technical with the introduction of new forms of technology and more complex laws regarding construction regulations, standards and practices. The opportunity to move up and advance in a construction management career varies depending on the employer and the size of the company one works under. If the company is large they may offer upper-level management positions for construction managers. Construction managers can also become consultants for other construction management companies or construction contract firms.
Summary
When discussing the Construction Manager Resume, construction managers are very involved in every step taken within a construction project. Construction managers are responsible for overseeing details regarding a wide array of aspects such as materials, equipment, safety, workforce, budget, design and timeline. The construction manager must divide a project into a series of steps and make sure that each degree of the project is carried out effectively and to the desired standard so that the ensuing steps can also be implemented properly.
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Translation Services for the Construction and Architecture Industry
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Nowadays the need for translation services plays an important role in construction and architecture industry.
All participants in the construction business such as construction developers, architects, engineers, investors and general contractors need professional and accurate translation services.
Language translations are required for all types of construction documents.
Construction documents include building plans and drawings, specifications and any supporting documents created or accessed during the completion of a building project.
Building plans and all relevant architectural, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical drawings are the industry standard documents used to outline the project.
Specification manuals cover materials and methods to be used when constructing the project.
Today outsourcing is a common practice in the construction business. The US and Europe are looking for locations where skilled architects can prepare all the necessary documents that are required. But this trend raises the need for the design information to be translated into the native language of the architect or a universal language like English and later to be translated back to the original language.
Example:
A UK developer needs a building plan for a construction project to be executed in France and hires a Spanish architect.
The information required for preparing the plan must be delivered to the architect in English and/or Spanish. The architect must also receive the guidelines of the local government authorities in France for making the structural design. Those guidelines will be available in the French language and therefore need to be translated into English and/or Spanish.
Design documents must be submitted by the architect to the developer/owner for approval as the project is being constructed. In some cases, documents might be changed in some manner by the owner or architect. These written changes will become an official part of the construction document set.
All the aforementioned requires that through the designing process, all documents to be available in English and Spanish languages. Once the completed set of building plans is ready to be submitted for review by the local government authorities in France, all documents must be translated into French language.
Incomplete or incorrect translations at this stage might result in developer not obtaining a building permit. Translation services providers can assist construction developers in precisely filing a building permit application form in cases where it is to be filed in a different country.
Large industrial construction projects require the involvement of many professionals through the design process. A team might include architects, civil engineers, mechanical, electrical, structural, fire protection engineers, surveyors, interior designers and more. It is possible that the team is assembled by specialists from different countries, hence again the importance of translation services.
Once the design process is complete, the construction project is ready to be sent out for bids. Construction developers produce a list of requirements for a project, giving an overall view of the project’s goals and start an open call for tenders. At this stage it is possible that face-to-face tender negotiations be conducted with potential contractors; in certain cases this will require the need of using a professional interpreting services provider.
A translation company should
1) translate the tender documents into the language of the general contractor;
2) understand the requirements and precisely prepare the bid response;
3) back-translate the bid response into the language of the construction developer that published the tender.
Developers select and sign construction contracts with the appropriate contractor. Often, it is not just one contractor, but a consortium of several contractors working together. The construction contract is a legally binding agreement between parties on the details and cost of a construction project. The contract must be available in the native languages of all parties involved.
Construction documents provide comprehensive instructions to the contractor/contractors as to how the project shall be constructed. All documents shall be available in language/languages that can be understood by contractor/contractors.
Large-scale construction projects often requite external financing and complex financial management. Mortgage bankers, accountants and cost engineers are likely participants in creating an overall plan for the financial management of the building construction project. All financial documents shall be precisely translated and available in all possible languages in order to reach and attract a large scope of potential investors.
The need for professional language translations services for all participants in the construction industry can be best met by a translation company that:
-> Has a proven track record of completed technical translation and interpreting services projects for international companies in the building and construction industry.
-> Hires an in-house pool of industry-specific translators and interpreters, with background in construction or architectural engineering and that has the knowledge and experience to respond to the needs of any architectural or construction company.
-> Uses translators that have access to up-to-date industry specific dictionaries and glossaries and that are familiar with the terminology used in the construction industry. Construction business has its own unique terminology, and familiarity with the terminology is essential for accurate and consistent translations.
-> Has an in-depth knowledge of legal concepts and terms. Translating documents for the construction industry does not solely require knowing industry-specific vocabulary. Legal terminology used in construction contracts, building permits and tenders can be complex. Experienced legal translators can ensure that no legal aspects are lost in translation.
-> Has a team of professional financial translators. The construction business requires an understanding of financial management and investor relations in construction business.
-> Hires structural engineering specialists that have the skills to ensure that every technical detail and every nuance of even the most complex and challenging texts is accurately translated into the required language.
-> Has a Quality Assurance department, that will carry out in-depth quality control, assign a project manager to perform the project management and coordination and hire a technical engineers who to review the project on a regular basis.
-> Has experience in working with construction design software: 3D, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) etc.
-> Can work to tight deadlines for tenders and provide consistent and tailored professional language services even under strict deadline delivery terms.
If one were searching for an argument which would bly support the vital importance of good translation in the service of providing first class construction one would have to search no further than building the Tower of Babel. Imagine if those ancient architects had the access to professional language translation services when they were trying to build a tower to the heavens. Maybe history would have been different!
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Wyoming Construction Jobs
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Wyoming construction jobs are crucial to the state’s development. Construction is not as important to the rest of United States as it is to this particular region. This is because this activity plays a more important role in the state’s economy than in the rest of United States. About 20,000 jobs were provided in this field in Wyoming in 2002.
This was about 8.1% of the total employment of non farm laborers in the state. Compared to this only around 5.2% of the total non farm laborers of US were engaged in construction.
Construction jobs in Wyoming have increased down the years right from 1990. In the years 1990 to 2002, construction jobs have increased by about 60%. The best part about construction employment in Wyoming is that while other states pay around 3 every week for construction work, this state pays around 2.
Employment Season
Wyoming construction jobs are highly seasonal in nature. The late summer (around August) is the time when jobs are usually the highest. Around the time of February, the jobs decline in nature. In present years, opportunities have increased by about 5000 jobs.
Components
There are three main components of Wyoming construction work. These are: Building Construction, Civil and Heavy Engineering Construction and Specialty Trade Contractors.
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Building Construction
This is the most general category of construction. This kind of construction has two parts- residential and non-residential. Residential construction work in this field includes construction of houses for single families, residential remodeling and construction of apartment buildings.
While non-residential construction includes institutional, commercial and industrial buildings. General contractors are employed in this industry. This field provided around 4000 jobs in 2002. However it is still the smallest field when it comes to construction job opportunities in Wyoming.
Civil and Heavy Engineering Construction
This includes all the heavy public engineering construction jobs that require special training. This kind of job includes the construction of utility systems like pipelines, bridges, streets and highways. This is the second largest field in the construction arena accounting for about 5400 jobs in the year 2002.
Specialty Trade Contractors
This is the largest field of construction in the state. In 2002, this field accounted for about 9800 jobs. This kind of construction work revolves around special trades. Special trade involves electrical work, roofing, flooring, painting, plumbing and framing contractors. Most often personnel of this field are seen to make contracts with the general contractors involved in the work of the first kind.
Opportunities
How many jobs are found in a year is dependent upon construction of power plants and pipelines and federal highway spending. It is difficult to make an estimate of how many jobs will be provided by heavy civil engineering as this kind of project is very irregular. Several factors like population and growth of income also affect construction jobs in Wyoming.
With growth of both these factors, arrives an intense demand of construction work. But it can be said without doubt, that Wyoming construction work will increase in the future to come due to the high demand for construction and new companies venturing into the state. The economy in Wyoming is growing rapidly due to construction jobs.
Wyoming construction jobs are thus a great prospect for money and respect.
The Future of the Construction Equipment Market in Saudi Arabia to 2015
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Summary
The Future of the Construction Equipment Market in Saudi Arabia to 2015
This report is the result of extensive market and company research covering the Saudi Arabia construction equipment market. With a combination of textual commentary, analysis, and charts, the report covers the following categories:
Earth moving equipment
Construction vehicles
Material handling equipment
Concrete equipment
Road construction equipment
Other construction equipment
Construction Equipment Market Saudi Arabia
The report provides data for the historic years (2005-2009), estimated data for full year 2010, and forecasts from 2011 through 2015 along with growth rates. The report covers the performance of the overall construction equipment market along with individual performances of each category. It also includes the company profiles of the top construction equipment producers.
Scope
Analysis on current year performance and forecast assumptions for each category
Supporting text on individual construction equipment categories including full year 2010 market value and forecasts till 2015
Profiles of top construction equipment producers in the country
Reasons To Buy
Gain insight into the Saudi Arabia construction equipment market with current, historic and forecast market values
Get insight on the construction equipment categories of the Saudi Arabia construction equipment market
Identify top producers of the Saudi Arabia construction equipment market along with profiles of all those companies
Table Of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 What is this Report About?
1.2 Definitions
1.3 Summary Methodology
2 Executive Summary
3 Construction Industry Analysis 11
4 Construction Equipment Market Analysis 12
2.1 Construction Equipment Consumption
2.1.1 Construction Equipment Consumption Review
2.1.2 Construction Equipment Consumption Review by Category
2.1.3 Construction Equipment Consumption Forecast
2.1.4 Construction Equipment Consumption Forecast by Category
2.2 Construction Equipment Imports
2.2.1 Construction Equipment Imports Review
2.2.2 Construction Equipment Imports Review by Category
2.2.3 Construction Equipment Imports Forecast
2.2.4 Construction Equipment Imports Forecast by Category
2.3 Construction Equipment Consumption Dynamics
3 Construction Equipment Market Category Analysis
3.1 Earth Moving Equipment
3.1.1 Earth Moving Equipment Consumption Review
3.1.2 Earth Moving Equipment Consumption Review by Subcategory
3.1.3 Earth Moving Equipment Consumption Forecast
3.1.4 Earth Moving Equipment Consumption Forecast by Subcategory
3.2 Construction Vehicles
3.2.1 Construction Vehicles Consumption Review
3.2.2 Construction Vehicles Consumption Forecast
3.3 Material Handling Equipment
3.3.1 Material Handling Equipment Consumption Review
3.3.2 Material Handling Equipment Consumption Review by Subcategory
3.3.3 Material Handling Equipment Consumption Forecast
3.3.4 Material Handling Equipment Consumption Forecast by Subcategory
3.4 Concrete Equipment
3.4.1 Concrete Equipment Consumption Review
3.4.2 Concrete Equipment Consumption Forecast
3.5 Tunneling and Drilling Equipment
3.5.1 Tunneling and Drilling Equipment Consumption Review
3.5.2 Tunneling and Drilling Equipment Consumption Forecast
3.6 Road Construction Equipment
3.6.1 Road Construction Equipment Consumption Review
3.6.2 Road Construction Equipment Consumption Forecast
3.7 Other Construction Equipment
3.7.1 Other Construction Equipment Consumption Review
3.7.2 Other Construction Equipment Turnover Forecast
4 Company Profile: Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company
4.1 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Company Overview
4.2 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Business Description
4.3 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Major Products and Services
4.4 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – History
4.5 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Company Information
4.5.1 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Key Competitors
4.5.2 Abdulla Rashid Dossary & Partner Company – Key Employees
5 Company Profile: Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd.
5.1 Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd. – Company Overview
5.2 Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd. – Major Services
5.3 Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd. – Company Information
5.3.1 Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd. – Key Competitors
5.3.2 Al-Suwaidi Equipment & Transport Co. Ltd. – Key Employees
6 Company Profile: Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd.
6.1 Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd. – Company Overview
6.2 Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd. – Major Services
6.3 Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd. – Company Information
6.3.1 Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd. – Key Competitors
6.3.2 Shaybah Equipment for Trading & Contracting Co. Ltd. – Key Employees
7 Appendix
7.1 About World Market Intelligence
7.2 Disclaimer
CHINA CONSTRUCTION WASTE www.ntv.co.ke China’s massive economic stimulus package to counter the financial crisis injected billions of dollars into the country’s economy, but where new infrastructure and building projects have sprung up, piles of environmentally unsound construction waste have been left behind. Ntv Kenya China Construction waste projects environmentally unsound waste
Video Rating: 3 / 5
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What Construction Insurance Covers ?
Author Admin
Construction involves workers, transport vehicles, heavy equipment, and other necessary materials like cement bags, hollow blocks, steel rods etc. Construction is a risky work and serious injury or death of workers or damage to property is a common issue. So if you are involved in construction industry, it is very important to carry construction insurance. Construction insurance is an important consideration for construction professionals including builders, owners, contractors etc. It will serve as the greatest protection against any liability that may arise out of construction.
The unpredictable nature of the construction industry can make you pay for the tons of damages during the course of the construction. Construction insurance helps in covering a multitude of possible issues that arise during construction. The cost of the insurance premium would be many times lesser than the cost of these issues. This is why many construction companies consider construction insurance as an essential part of their construction budget.
Four main areas it covers
Construction insurance has many types of policies covering a wide range of losses arising during the construction. Construction insurance provides coverage to construction professionals from claims resulting due to various types of risks in the form of accidents, thefts, damages, and injuries. Some of the common construction insurance packages are Public Liability Insurance, Employers Liability Insurance, Contractors All Risks and Personal Accident Insurance.
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance covers your business when you or your employees cause bodily injury or death to an outsider or damage a third party’s property during the process of construction. A third party could claim that they have suffered a loss because of your negligence and sue you or your company for compensation and damages. Public liability insurance claims are sometimes said to run into hundreds of thousands of Euros. Public liability insurance policy helps you by picking up the cost of the claim.
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Consider an example where public liability insurance provides you a cover. When one of your employees working at the construction site, drops a piece of equipment which falls to the street, injuring a passing pedestrian or damaging a person’s property. He can sue you for your employee’s negligence and claim against your firm.
Employers liability insurance
Employers liability insurance covers you against claims from your employees, if any of them suffers physical injury or death during the construction process. Public liability insurance covers your business against claims from third parties, where as employers liability insurance covers you from your employees’ claims.
For example: When an employee working at the top floor at the construction site falls and suffers a serious injury or dies, he or his family members can claim against your firm. The employers liability insurance can help you by paying the employee’s claims.
Contractors all risks
Contractors all risks insurance is designed specially for builders, owners and contractors. This policy provides cover for the property being worked on such as a new house which is being constructed. This policy covers loss or damage to contract works, materials and even equipments. For example if you are building a new house, you will be covered if any of your work in progress is damaged. Contractors all risks insurance can include cover for contract works, own plant, hired-in plant and employee’s tools used for construction.
Personal accident
Personal accident insurance, sometimes called as accident insurance, provides an income if you are unable to work as the result of an accident at the construction site. Although personal accident insurance is no substitute for your full time earnings, it will at least reduce your financial worries during your recovery. Personal accident insurance is very useful for sole traders, business partners and company directors as it is extremely difficult for them to sue their own company for any accident.
For example, you are a self employed carpenter. You cut your hand and are unable to work for several months. As you have personal accident cover, you will receive some money to meet your financial needs until you return to work.
As accidents and damages are common during the construction work in most construction sites, construction insurance is definitely an important asset. Your construction project will be a lot safer and secure through a right construction insurance policy. However, the selection of right insurance company is also very important. Make sure that the insurance company you choose is a reputed one and experienced in construction insurance policies before making any decision.