CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN DESIGN AND BUILD CONTRACT

Abstract

The term " Project Management " was denined in this dissertation by the writer as : "The management of a development project by a client's representative commencing from the conceptual stage, through the site acquisition, design development and construction of the project and subsequent estate management of the completed project, all the while involving the functions of planning, coordination, motivating and control." In the course of developing the "new concept" of project management, many new concepts and techniques have been established such as the networking planning techniques. It is noted that in a Design and Build Contract, the contractor is involved both in the design development stage as well as in the construction stage of the project cycle. Hence, an interesting question arises Can the Project Manager of the Design and Build contractor adopts the concepts and techniques developed primarily for the client project management. In other words, Is that such thing of Contractor Project Management? In this dissertation, the writer proposed to look into this question by examining the current practices of two Design and Build contractors with regard to the key management functions of coordination, planning and control. The aim of the exercise is to assess the applicability of techniques in the areas mentioned. In terms of coordination, it is concluded that the contractor's project manager has a heavier coordination load in the area of coordination with third parties in comparison with that experienced by a client's project manager. Moreover, he also faces more interference in the design process. However, he can expect a better coordinated design as both the design team and the construction team are under his direct control. In the area of planning, the conclusion is that the contractor's project manager. has effectively incorporated the project management planning techniques and concepts in the planning of his project.Time, quality and cost are the three most important aspects of project management. Hence, proper control of these three items is essential to successful project management. The study shows that the control system for the progress of works adopted by the contractor is effective in detecting delays as well as quantifying the delays. However, the system requires heavy capital investment and it fails to suggest remedial action to the management. As for the quality control system, the system proposed by the contractor is very effective and meets the twin concepts of full participation and objective evidence of quality. It is felt that the cost control system used by the contractor did not meet the requirements of modern cost control theory and an alternative cost control system was suggested for the reader's consideration. In conclusion, the answer to the above question is a simple "YES'. Contractor Project Management is a- viable concept.