Posted: September 13th, 2017

Case Study Report

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Coursework 3: Case study report

Introduction

This piece of coursework represents 30% of the overall module mark. The task is to prepare a report for a potential construction client who is not yet certain whether to go ahead with a proposed development. The client has located a potential site and has agreed with the owner an option to buy. There is no planning permission of any kind but the planning officers have indicated that an office development would fit in with the local plan. Finance is arranged in principle, but the funders will need to see the feasibility study before making a commitment. The client has indicated that if he goes ahead you will be appointed as Project Manager. The client has only a general idea of the construction process and could be considered as inexperienced with particularly limited in-house capacity. No consultants have been appointed as yet. The report consists of two sections A and B.

Section A

Prepare a network in linked barchart  form for a project similar to the Great Brigham’s Mead

Office Development. For further details about the project please see appendix A as well as presentation on Moodle (folder: Your Coursework; subfolder: Resources CW3). The network should start with Stage A of the RIBA Plan of Work. Appendix B includes the 2007 version of this but you can also use the most updated version.

The client needs advice on which consultants to appoint and wants this to be done for key consultants (architect, quantity surveyor, structural engineer and services engineer) on a competitive basis where quality is the main criterion and price the secondary criterion. The programme  should assume that the traditional route will be used. In this the main contractor is appointed after competitive tender on the basis of drawings, bills of quantities and other standard documents. Also it is assumed that there will be another separate contract covering the preparatory works such as demolition, perimeter fencing and works at the entrance. The main aims of the programme  include providing the client with a clear idea of the sequence of events, when consultants’ input will be required and the approximate completion date. It is suggested that the network should include 70 to 80 activities or milestones. Around half of these activities should be part of the Construction Stage which will be developed in more detail. These activities should be in the form of an ‘expanded task’.

The network should include at least the following activities/milestones linked in a logical order, using overlapping of activities as appropriate. Note that this list is not in a logical sequence and is not complete.

1. Assume that that the first event, the milestone which represents the client’s decision to proceed to Stage A, takes place on 1st June 2014.

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P33508 Process Management 2014-2015

2. Appointments of each consultant and contractor have to be preceded by a process which includes seek expressions of interest, invite tenders, tender, assess tenders/negotiate, appoint, lead-in time before the firm is able to start work.

3. Obtain commitment from funders.
4. Project manager considers alternative procurement arrangements.
5. Select architect, quantity surveyor, structural engineer, building services engineer. Each of these consultants will have their work to perform at an appropriate time. Assume that the same consultants used during the feasibility stages will be used for the remainder of the project if it proceeds.

6. Apply for planning permission – outline and full.

7. Apply for building regulations approval

8. Carry out a) initial survey and desk study and b) full site investigation.

9. Clear site including demolition of existing structures.

10. Erect fencing around the site (it is important to make the site secure at the earliest opportunity).

11. Service diversions by the entrance (it is important that this is done ASAP as the alternative entrance is down a side street, much to the annoyance of residents). Once this has been done the culvert by the entrance can be re-roofed and the entrance made serviceable. Service diversions, as well as connections of services to networks have to be done by contractors working for the statutory undertakers. These normally require at least 6 weeks notice.

12. Landscaping and planting.

13. Paving and white lining of service roads and car parking areas.

14. External works including drainage, laying service ducts/services such as telephone, electricity, gas, water and sewerage. Only the telephone and electricity cables will be laid in ducts.

15. The main building consists of the following (the main building takes around 11 months from start of site strip to ‘practical completion’).

a) Set-up site

b) Piling

c) Pilecaps and ring beam.

d) Ground floor (laid on the ground beams).

e) Central concrete linking core (provides stability for the steel framed parts of the building).

f) Steel frame erection (the two halves can proceed independently).

g) Precast concrete floors.

h) Wall units fixed to frame – windows in wall units.

i) External brickwork (can proceed at any time after the wall units have been fixed to the frame – independent of internal structure).

j) Roof structure (purlins, rafters, felt, battens and tiles).
k) Gutters and drains.
l) Internal finishing works including services, finishes, suspended ceilings, floorings etc. (this will take at least 5 months but can be treated as a single activity).

16. Find tenant(s).

17. Internal fit-out to tenant’s specification (cannot start until ‘practical completion’ of the building and external works).

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P33508 Process Management 2014-2015

18. Tenant occupation of building after fit-out.

19. Defects liability period followed by agreeing of the final certificate.

Where the assumption behind a link is not obvious it is suggested that the assumption is explained by attaching an annotation to the task (using the relevant Powerproject facility). In many cases links are likely to be finish to start links, but there are some situations where activities can be overlapped – but overlapping may need explanation, and would normally be associated with two links – one to the start of the following activity and one to its finish. Further assistance and details on developing the programme can be found in Appendix C.

Section B

Prepare a brief1 accompanying the project network that explains the key risks involved and suggests improvements or alternatives to the traditional procurement process. The suggestions will not be necessarily better or worse but rather a different approach to risk. The purpose of this brief is to give the client and stakeholders confidence that you are looking carefully after their interests by considering risk factors and process efficiency. The brief will be no more than 600 words in length (excluding appendices) and will involve the identification of:

a) two risk items related to the traditional (selected) procurement process2

b) the stages of the project when each risk could occur3

c) the activities or groups of activities (processes) of the project that could be affected4

d) how each risk could affect the project schedule and completion date

e) how each risk could be minimised by selecting a different procurement process(s)5.

It is strongly recommended that points b, c, d and e above should be explained and demonstrated using the project schedule developed in Section A.