Client’s advice for tendering process
Question:
Discuss About The Estimating Tendering For Construction Work?
My advice to the client would be that he should select the tendering process of negotiated contract. This is because the client requires value for money and completion of the project in a specific time. In a negotiated contract the owner of the building and his consultants without former agreement of time or price selects a builder to whom they find it appropriate for work. The reason for selecting single builders are that the owner of the building knows the builder and has received good services before, the builder somewhat has experience in producing high quality work, there is business relationship with the owner and the builder is allied company (Brook 2016).
- As the costing period of normal tender is eradicated there is minor time saving
- A builder with capacity, reliability and good financial stability is selected.
- Through this method an experience builder having a strong financial background along with reliability will be selected
- If the preliminary cost is transferred then this could be a source of difficulty that is considerable and controversy.
- The viable constituent in costing the building work is vague.
My duties towards the client as a building contractor would be to complete the project in proper time and manner. The very initial duty as a building contractor would be to implement an idea to transmit the project. This can range anywhere from hiring the workers to the development of the project. To work on a particular project my responsibility would be to hire, supervise and at times fire them from the work. My duty is to look after the payment of the employees and to hire a person to do this work on behalf. I am also responsible for getting the materials for the construction. As the construction cannot be finished without the proper materials, my work is to obtain better goods to build the project. I am also responsible to get all the legal work done before starting up the construction work (Hughes, Champion and Murdoch 2015). These may range from licenses to permissions and regulations that are related to the documents which is my duty to follow them up. There are many laws and regulations regarding the construction process which is my responsibility to look after it and there are some laws which should be followed to know how my team and me should build the project in some areas and it is my responsibility to abide by all the laws and regulations to finish the project. My duty is to set a budget for the project and the budget should be followed as strictly as possible. This will help me in buying other supplies, hiring laborers and finish the project is the set budget. The budget should be followed in a serious manner and the project should be completed as it was thought that it would be. It is also my duty to review the progress of the workers and implement any changes needed. My responsibility is to follow carefully the particular building project and should make changes accordingly. My work is to deal with all the emergencies and revelations which relates to the construction and which might occur suddenly (Chappell 2015). Many parties who meet with such problem and emergencies often come to me for assistance so i would provides these functions to you as well.
The term specification means a document which is in a written form and it describes in detail the possibility of work, the materials which are to be used, installation methods and the excellence of workmanship. It is a detailed explanation of materials, requirements etc. of a machine, a construction project or equipment etc. It is an act of mentioning details of any particular thing. As defined above, specifications are involved in several type of projects which includes large scale projects municipal and commercial projects. Generally there are four types of specifications, namely Performance specification, Prescriptive specification, reference specification and direct specification (Davenport 2009).
Building contractor’s duties towards the client
Specification plays an essential role in the vital success of every production. Specification which are clear, transparent , written in a good form and it is organized can help in resulting great requirements, less of complications in any field of work, clarity of requirements of clients, accuracy in results. The element of construction and installation method should be stated clearly in specification so that the method of construction is correct. In the absence of specification, the value of finishing, construction method and depiction of every element of construction would be essential on the project illustration. Specification provides us with instructions that are clear to every client. The requirements of referencing the quality of products and standard are defined clearly. While writing specification one need not require detailed information which helps the client to understand properly. With the help of specification, contractual document is formed and it helps to minimize the risk of project and it provides support if there is any legal dispute. Specification helps with the brief details and assures the client with the delivery of the product which they have purchased (Schaufelberger and Holm 2017).
The correct way to construct specification is the installation method and construction element. Deprived of the specification, the construction method, the value of finish and depiction of element of each building should be needed to note on the project diagram.
Essential in writing: the capability to connect with the adequate knowledge for a construction to be carried out successfully by others is the important need in writing of specification. There are two important facts for drafting a specification like to know the requirement of the client and the ability to meet the requirements. A Lack of knowledge in methods of construction and materials along with lack of thought while writing specification results in deficiency of subject knowledge and information. The specifier should be updated with enough information on latest trends, products and storage, handling and installation process. There should be regularity to visit the sites and the specifier can get feedback continuously from the contractors so that they could verify the materials’ accuracy and the methods which are specified.
Design document function: the specification writer should design the document with some figures and conditions so as to meet all the requirements of the client.
The costing function: a detailed specification permits a quantity surveyor or an estimator to plan a costing phase to show where addition or reductions should be done.
The on-site function: specification not only works as a contract document but it helps in being a working document for many subcontractors, suppliers and site personnel who are linked with project (Davenport 2009).
There are several other functions which involve tendering requirements, insurance conditions and alternative options.
- The client who makes an agreement, engages and pays the contractor and design team to build the work.
- The builder or the contractor decides with client to work on the construction.
- The client may wish to hire his representative to manage the construction on his or her behalf.
- The design team comprises of only an engineer and an architect on a small scale project. But on a large scale project the design team includes consultants like structural engineers, building service engineers, architects and quantity surveyors.
- The builder employs the suppliers and subcontractors to accomplish the part of the project work of the building.
- Nominated subcontractors and nominated suppliers are those organization or person to whom the client nominates to look after the building project.
Essay writing or a novel writing is not the same as specification writing. There are certain methods which are used by writers to present instructions and information which is exceptional in a way in specification writing. In order to deliver any message or instruction by a specifier, the drawings and the specification should be in compliance with each other and should not oppose each other.
Role of specifications in construction
The specifier should deliver the client with some important written information that is clear and simple. One should avoid using clauses which are long and it should be precise and concise. The detail should be specific and should be arranged in logical order format. Apart from the technical side of writing specification, the essential requirement is the ability to deliver a message in good and presentable English. In essay and novel, the topic is explained in a wide manner but in specification the topic should be explained in precise manner. Constructing a project is very much diverse and different in nature. There are many variables which may comprise the substructure, shape and size of structure, site, façade types, services, structural fabric, furnishing and etc. to name some of them. As we know, a writer of specification may not have complete and intimate knowledge of the methods, materials which are used for the project or the improvements that are being continually made by the manufacturers. Besides, the specifier should make use of some reference sources where required and they should become acquainted with the availability of reference services (Davenport 2009).
There are several other sources of reference for specification writing. These are guide specification, textbooks, building codes, material standards, association standards, journals and periodicals, materials investigations, manufacturers’ catalogues, etc.
Guide specifications: guide specification is also known as master specification. It is generally developed to help as a usual aid in preparing specification. It helps the specification writer to use appropriate sections in the exact ordered format which is given. Since there will be a section with the same designation and title, the master specification permits cross referencing which are easy within the documentation of contract.
Textbooks: textbooks are a good reference source as many authors have expressed various opinions, examples and formats for writing specification. The exposure of the books of specification writer is important as it assists people in deciding the best method of specification writing.
Building codes: building codes are constituted and restructured by the state and national government and the local authorities. The building codes and regulations comprises of safety, zoning of structures and buildings, fire, electrical codes and plumbing. These codes are made to cover laws of the building and methods to safeguard life, health and property.
Material standards: several government experts and material manufacturers have formed standards for regularity in material, testing and grading procedure. There are examples of association of manufacturers who provides us with reference materials such as: steel reinforcement of Australia, plywood association of Australia and Australian furniture research and development institute ltd.
Association standards: a standard association or the central government authority provides us with issued and documented standards. It is essential for the specification writer to understand the restriction and whether the standard to a reference is applicable.
Journals and periodicals: the publishing of construction and building journals is consistent and it contains data on method and material testing, availability and failures. This information can be a useful source for the specification writer to be organized with the knowledge and contact of the industry.
Material investigation: The government organizations have laboratories of research and frequently conduct testing of technical items. This valuable service is provided by CSIRO or NCRB of Australia. These research laboratories inspect the properties of elements of structure of buildings and building materials. They also investigate the performance of equipment which is used for mechanical purpose for buildings. The reports which are given by the laboratories are accumulated on the knowledge and experience of the work of every individual who has direct connection with some materials and methods.
Manufacturers’ catalogues: the manufacturers who present catalogues is another source of reference. Different manufacturers’ have different information described and presentation. Some publications have been drawn precisely and the rest are in concise, ambiguous and certain items of information which are criticized and work are left out. The specifier should understand the information, clarification and modifications so that the requirement of specification is correctly read.
There are other source of references which include standards, materials, general information and workmanship.
The technical information and sections is the important part of specification. It is important in specification that the matter of subject is organized in systematically and orderly. It helps the subcontractors, contractor, suppliers and estimators to trace the information in specification. A technique of isolating the sections of trade information into a format that is logical, the specification data requires to be practical. There is a course which needs to be followed by the specifier so that they do not miss anything and the format should make sense. Immense amount of care is required while writing the technical part as the might have complications in design, construction process and estimation. The physical look of specification requires the similar attention as the look and format of the diagrams. Overall appearance and presentation of technical sections can be a great help for the reader (Walker 2015).
References
Brook, M. (2016). Estimating and tendering for construction work. Taylor & Francis.
Chappell, D. (2015). Construction contracts: Questions and answers. Routledge.
Hughes, W., Champion, R., & Murdoch, J. (2015). Construction contracts: law and management. Routledge.
Hughes, W., Champion, R., & Murdoch, J. (2015). Construction contracts: law and management. Routledge.
Schaufelberger, J. E., & Holm, L. (2017). Management of construction projects: A constructor’s perspective. Taylor & Francis.
Uher, T. Davenport, P (2009) Fundamentals of building contract management
Walker, A. (2015). Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons