BCT 100

Overview of the Construction Industry

PRECON Meeting and Documentation

• Preconstruction Job Conference

• Documentation

Site Office

Protocol

Preconstruction Meeting

The Pre-Construction Meeting

• This is the first team meeting in which all of the participants meet one another and have an opportunity to share information with the GC and with one another.

• It is important for the GC to control this meeting and make sure everyone leaves with the same expectations, and with all of the information they need to stay on track and on time.

PRECONSTRUCTION MEETING• Identification of any Errors in the Construction

Documents. Coordinating RFI’s to the Architect

• Subs meet Arch and Owner for first time

• Rules for Use of the Site . Contact Personnel.

- Staging Areas

- Deliveries, Parking, Storage, etc.

- Security Provisions

- Water, Telephone, Power, Toilet

- Hours of Work, Limitations.

- Any other critical information to subs

PRECONSTRUCTION MEETING• Architect Statement on Design Intent

• Owner may or may not make a statement

• Rules for Substitutions

• Progress Schedules

• Recordkeeping Practices

• Communications Protocol

• Architect Site Visits

• Request for Payment Protocol

• Testing and Inspections Requirements

PRECONSTRUCTION MEETING• Request for Information RFI Protocol• Review the Schedule• Review the Critical Path• Discuss the Importance of Timeliness with all

parties in the room, including Owner and Architect

• This is the ‘Group Hug’ that gets everyone focused on a singular goal: Successful completion of a project on time, on budget, to a high standard, profitably, so we can all work together again in the future.

Private Meeting w/ Owner Architect and General Contractor

Private Meeting to review:• Confirm Owner’s Financial Arrangements• Schedule of Values; Unit Pricing• Allowances and Alternates• Contractor Overhead and Profit• Any Owner Separate Contracts – Schedules and

Scopes of Work for these• Insurances and Bonds• Liquidated Damages / Performance Incentives• Architects Decisions and Change Order Process

and Requirements

Private Meeting w/ Owner Architect and General Contractor

• Allowances and Alternates– It is important that the Owner understand what information is

still outstanding, and that the GC is depending on a timely response in order to plan construction processes. Identify DEADLINES on the Schedule prior to this meeting.

• Any Owner Separate Contracts – Schedules and Scopes of Work for these– Any separate contracts must be placed on the schedule so

that staging and workplace designation can be incorporated into the schedule without disruption to the Main Contract.

• Architects Decisions and Change Order Process and Requirements

Private Meeting w/ Owner Architect and General Contractor

• Shop Drawing Procedures. Identify Timeliness Requirements.

• Filing Procedures on Site

• Drawing File Protocol on Site

• Submittal Procedures for Samples, Cut Sheets, Etc. Identify timeliness requirements

• All of the Above is primarily directed at the Architect, but a benefit of having the Owner present is they realize how much work the GC and Arch have to do on the project already

Private Meeting w/ Owner Architect and General Contractor

• Most Importantly,

• Review the process and timeline for review of Requests for Payment with the Architect and the Owner

• Submit bills on a rigid, regular schedule

• Review the overall Schedule and key in dates for shop drawings review, and other submittal reviews

Site Office

Protocol

Filing and Documentation Protocols

• Have a system

• Make sure the system is understood by all parties involved

• Discuss your system with your people and with the Architect and Owner

Filing must be intuitive, and

understood, so things don’t get filed AND lost

• Submittal Transmittal

• Substitution Request

Site Office

Protocol

Too Much Paper May Kill Your Staff

Not Having it Documented in Writing Will Leave You

Documentation / Communication

• Documentation for Communication Purposes

• Crucial for Job Success

• Financial Success of the Contractor may hinge on successful Communication Documents

• Finger Pointing STOPS when a circulated document is produced

Documentation / Communication

• Find ways to systematically file generated documents

• A document that is not filed properly is of very little use if it cannot be produced

• Do not rely upon others to maintain copies of your documentation. Remember the 5th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

Typical Site Documentation Includes

LOGS• Daily Log• Shop Drawings Log• Site Activity Log• Submittal Log• Photographic Progress Log- Important Conditions- Unusual Conditions- Lack of Progress- Rehabilitation and Renovation work Documented

from step to step

• Daily Report

• Daily Report

• Submittal Log

• Submittal Log

• Submittal Log

Shop Drawings Log• The Shop Drawings log is a vital tool in

keeping a project on schedule.

• The procedures for following shop drawings approvals must be clearly understood by all parties at the pre construction meeting.

• All members of your team must understand the vital nature the log plays in following Shop Drawings

Shop Drawings Log• The Shop Drawings log should indicate the date

the drawings were received by the GC.

• They should have the date that they were reviewed, YOU MUST LOOK AT THEM FIRST, and then send to the Architect for approval.

• The date they need to be approved should be on the submittal transmittal.

• The dates of approvals, rejections, revisions, should all be logged in the log.

PHOTOS

• Make sure the photo makes sense in the viewfinder. Will you be able to tell what the photo is supposed to be showing in a few months time.

• Include a tape measure for scale

• File them regularly and make notes.

• Make sure date and time appear in photo

“Proper documentation saved my __ss!”- Stephen Colbert

Change Orders and Bulletins

• A Bulletin is a modification to the contract documents issued by the Architect or the Design Team after the contract has been signed.

• Bulletins may be issued from time to time to update the drawings to reflect changes that have taken place, or to correct errors or omissions in the contract documents.

• Change Order

Change Orders and Bulletins• A Change Order is an official recognition by the

Architect, Owner and Contractor that a change has effected the contract documents, that the change has a specified impact on the Cost, and/or on the Schedule.

• In the event the change only impacts the cost, indicate the schedule impact as zero days, do not leave this blank. It will be a point of contention later.

• In the event the change only impact schedule, indicate the cost as zero.

• Request for Information

Request for Information• A Request for Information, or RFI, is a document

generated by the Contractor asking the Architect to provide additional information because the current instructions are insufficient to construct the portion of the project in question with making assumptions.

• Don’t assume an interpretation. If it is not clear, request more information. However, make sure it is not clear before you ask.

• Assumptions can kill you or your company.

Conflicting Information• Hierarchy of Drawings. The specifications

govern over the drawings. Details and larger scale drawings govern over smaller scale drawings. Always go by the detail if the plan or section is in disagreement with the detail.

• Don’t assume an interpretation. If it is not clear, request more information. RFI. However, make sure it is not clear before you ask.

• Assumptions can kill you or your company.

Conflicting Information• Bear in mind, the Request for Information is not

a Golden Ticket. You may get information in an RFI that is more cumbersome and requires more work/energy/manpower than you would have had you followed the information in the spec book or on the detail.

Purchase Order• The Purchase Order confirms the placement of

an order for a particular item.• The Purchase Order can be used by the

Contractor to prove outlay of funds toward long lead items. This proof allows the Architect to confirm that those funds have been expended toward the project.

• Bottom Line: You can usually be reimbursed against your Schedule of Values with a Purchase Order Confirmation.

• Purchase Order Form

Update the Drawing Set• Nothing can cause confusion faster, and result

in expensive replacement of work, than working from out of date drawings.

• As Bulletins are issued, update your site and office sets immediately.

• Advise members of your team that a new Bulletin has been issued.

• Do not fight revisions. They are a necessary evil of the process.

Update the Drawing SetRegularly

• Keep track of your drawings.• Do not allow subcontractors to walk off with the

main set of drawings. If they need a copy, get them one.

• Don’t skimp on drawings for your subs, and, don’t allow them to make your office a mess

Minutes and Status Reports• Keep meeting minutes.• Have action required column so everyone knows

who is following up on what.• Read and modify the minutes of the Architect or

the Owner if you disagree with their minutes.• Don’t allow their correspondence to

misrepresent the truth, because these documents may be used against you later in arbitration or in court.

Minutes and Status Reports• Keep a weekly status report issued to the

architect and all other parties, including sub contractors and consultants, on outstanding items.

• Update each item on the list weekly.• Indicate the date it was added to the list.• Indicate the critical date the information is

required. Remove items as they are completed. • Replace items with new items if they are

modified and new deadlines are developed.

Request for Payment• The contract stipulates the payment period and the terms

for review.• The Architect will review you request, then approve it and

send to the Owner for payment. The Architect has time in the contract to review.

• The Owner has a few days to sit on it before they pay. This time period is stipulated in the contract.

• You must be able to float the cost of the project while you wait for payment.

• Do not miss the opportunity to file a Request for Payment. Keep the submissions on a regular, predictable schedule.

Payment Certificate• Upon review and approval of your Request for Payment,

the Architect will issue a Payment Certificate to the Owner.

• The Architect may not certify all of your request.• If any of the items for which you are requesting funds

have not been completed to the percentage of completion you are claiming, in the opinion of the Architect, they will not approve the difference for payment.

• Goods purchased and stored off site may require insurance and a bill of sale to the owner in order to be approved by the Architect.

Finishing the Job: Punch List• The last two vital documents are the Punch List and

the Certificate of Substantial Completion• The Punch List is based upon a final walk through to

identify errors and omissions which must be addressed before the project can be completely closed out.

• The Punch List is not a To Do List of outstanding items. If you still have a To Do List, you do not need the Punch List yet.

• A really good contractor will pride themselves on having ‘No Punch List’ because all work by them and their subs has been satisfactorily completed.

Certificate of Substantial Completion

• The Certificate of Substantial Completion is issued to the Contractor by the Architect.

• This is done once the Architect deems that the vast majority of the work has been completed, all inspections for occupancy have been received, and the building is in a proper condition whereby the Owner can occupy and use the building for its intended use, even if some minor outstanding items remain to be completed or installed.

Lien Releases and Final Payment

• Once all sub contractors have been paid, and their lien releases have been forwarded to the client, then the contractor can apply for Final Payment.

• Then the Contractor can pray that he or she receives it in full from the Owner.

The End