Management in Project Construction Services by Fe M. Barrientos, PEE Project management is a group of management activities over and above normal architectural and engineering services carried out during the pre-design, and construction phases, that contribute to the quality of construction of a project including control of time and cost. An owner , desiring to embark on a project of unusual scope and complexity, engages a professional management service to provide technical consultations during the conceptual and design stages of a project and also to organize purchasing, supervision, inspection and acceptance. It is not the intention of a project management to impinge on the designers and contractors of their respective duties and responsibilities. Project management is suppose to augment, supplement and compliment the function of the architects, engineers and contractors in the meeting the broad and complex requirements of usual projects. BASIC FUNTION In the team concept of construction, the Project Manager operates as a member of an owner-architect-engineer-contractor team. In the team approach, each member of the team will have precedence and exercise leadership in his own sphere of operations and expertise. In accordance with his (project manager’s) principle, the project architect and the engineer-consultants will have prime responsibility for the design of the project. The contractor is responsible for his man and equipment and the delivery of the project as per contract. The owner’s role is to make decisions on the project and to assure that funds are available to complete the project within the budget estimates. The project manager’s role is to plan, program, and monitor the various activities and act as an adviser on materials costs and construction methods. His primary responsibility, therefore is to exercise of overall cost control . It relieves the owner anxieties that usually beset those concerned with forecasting costs and completion dates. DURING PRE-CONSTRUCTION PHASE During design development, perhaps concurrent with the architects and engineers, the Project Manager discusses with the owner all aspects of planning for the project. Management service might include, but not limited to the following: • Advise owner on practical consequences of their decisions and design options. Review drawings and specifications, for the purpose of advising on site conditions, approximate materials and alternates, construction feasibility of various system and the possible design and cost implementation. • Prepare periodic cost evaluations and estimates related to both the overall budget and to preliminary allocations of budget to the various systems. These cost estimates will be successively revised and refined as working drawings for each system are developed. • The Project Manager will advise the architect, engineer, and the owner if the refine estimates shows the probability of exceeding the budget allocations, or whenever the construction time required for a given system is likely to prolong or delay completion schedule. • Recommend for early purchase (by owner) of those specified items of equipment and materials that required long-lead time for procurement and delivery and expedite purchases in general. • Advise on the packaging of bid documents for the awarding of separate construction contracts for various system and trades. This will include advising on the sequence of documents preparation to facilitate phased construction work during completion of the design development. • Consider the type and scope of work represented by each bid package in relation to time required for performance availability of labor and materials, community relations and participate in the schedule of both design and construction procedures. • As schedule criteria of design and construction emerge, the Project Manager may, with the cooperation of the architect engineer, work of the design operation into an overall CPM or other net-work-scheduling operation. • Check bid packages, drawing, and specifications to eliminate overlapping of jurisdictions among the separate contractors. • Review all contracts documents to be sure that someone is responsible for general requirements on the site and for temporary facilities to house the management and supervisory operation, including access, and security measures. • Conduct pre-bid conferences among contractors, sub-contractors, and manufacturer’s of system and sub-systems to be sure that all bidders understand the bidding documents and the management techniques that will be applied including any computerized intercommunication, network scheduling, and cash flow controls. • Review stipulations of the owner with the bidders regarding the Project Management, personnel, services control authorities, insurance, bonding, liability, and other aspects and requirements of the project. DURING CONSTRUCTION PHASE The Project Manager reviews all bids for compliance to stipulated conditions. He also makes recommendations for awards and may, with the concurrence of the architects, engineers, and owner, enter into the pre-qualification and actual awarding process. On a phased construction project, he will coordinate the awards with the planning schedule and provide the following services: • Manage the general coordination and scheduling of work. • Maintain his supervisory and inspection staff at the jobsite as well as conducting factory inspection as required. • Observe work in progress to assure compliance with drawing and specifications. • Confer with architects and engineers with clarification or interpretation of the documents become necessary. • Obtain and transmit in writing to all concerned any contract interpretations where any possible dispute may arise. • Set up on-site lines of authority and communication to be sure progress of work of all contractors is unhampered and the intent of the architects and engineers is accurately fulfilled. • Set up assurances, perhaps in the forms of organizational charts, showing the project administrator exactly what on –site personnel and organization channels are provided and see that no changes are made without the written approval of the administrator. • Establish procedures for coordination among administrator, architects, engineers, separate contractors, and construction management organization. • Conduct conferences among successful bidders as may be necessary to maintain schedule and clarify any matter in dispute. • Revise and refine estimates as construction proceeds and as required to incorporate approved changes as they occur. Monitor estimates and changes to be sure that neither the schedule nor the budget is in danger of being exceeded. • Establish procedures for processing shop drawings, catalogs, and samples the scheduling of materials requirement, and prompt cash flow as job phases are completed. • See to it that each contractor’s labor and equipment are adequate for the work and the schedule. • Be aware of safety programs develop by each contractor and specially safety provisions for the overall job as provided by the general contractors. • Assist the owner and the various contractors in the development and administration of an overall labor relations program for the projects. • Update and keep current the CPM or other computerized overall control and be sure that all parties with the need to know are informed. • Maintain record at the jobsite of all contracts, shop drawings, samples, purchases, sub-contracts, materials, equipment, applicable codes and standards, etc. • Maintain cost accounting of the cost consequences of any change order and its effect on schedule. • Keep accurate progress report during all stages of construction. • Review and process all applications for progress payments. • Review all request for changes and submit recommendations to the architects, engineers, and the owner. • Implement any special client requirements regarding processing forms or job conditions. • Be prepared to supply documentation required in the handling of claim or disputes. • Advise owner to obtain from qualified surveyors such certified records of site conditions, elevations, floor levels, etc. • Ensure that contractors maintain a current set of working drawing and specifications. • Set-up joint inspection of the whole project prior to completion, in the company of the owner, architects, engineers and contractors. A punch list should be prepared showing incomplete and/ or faulty installations. The Project Manager’s agreement does not relieve the contractor of his responsibility to provide the best quality work and materials in accordance with the drawing and specifications. CONSTRUCTION POST EVALUATION • Evaluate initial program versus actual use of facility. • Determine the effectiveness of the various building systems and the material systems in use. • Evaluate the functional effectiveness of the plan. • Study the application and the effectiveness of the design construction process undertaken. Engr. Fe Barrientos is 2011 IIEE National President. Formerly hold a position as Chief of Mechanical –Electrical Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 03:20:08 +0000
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