Ensure that the project documentation is of a high quality. Ok, so say you’ve decided to go ahead with your project and engage a builder choosing a “Construct Only” delivery method. Firstly, you need to ensure that the project drawings and specifications have gone through the proper design coordination process and have been reviewed and approved by all the design consultants. The documentation needs to adequate and fit ‘For Construction’ purposes. If your documents are not complete and you need budgeting advice, ask a Quantity Surveyor (QS) or experienced Project Manager (PM) to provide independent advice before engaging a builder based on documents which are not complete. Another option would be to engage a builder on a ‘Design and Construct’(D&C) basis upon the confirmation of the project’s main elements. ARK ensures that all our D & C projects have a high standard of design and documentation to ensure clarity of scope and a quality build process.

Only allow certain minor elements of the build to be a provisional sum Ensure that builders or project managers only set provisional sums for minor items which cannot be confirmed at tender stage or during negotiations due to the lack of information/design. The common industry scenario is that the contractor will allow an extremely low provisional sum that is not realistic, so their price looks competitive. The reality is that the sum might not be realistic and once the contract is awarded and it needs to be confirmed the amount increases to reflect a suitable rate and the client is liable for the overrun. ARK ensure that we don’t set these unless it’s a must and when we do, they are realistic to the proposed scope of works.

Engage a suitably qualified client-side Project Manager or quantity surveyor to deal with the contractor. Unless you’re providing a D & C project delivery method, we highly recommend that you engage a client-side Project Manager (PM) to act on your behalf. This person will deal with the contractor and be the intermediary between the end user and the building contractor. This ensures that there is an independent party looking out for your best interest and coordination of the project on a day to day basis to make critical decisions. CCS advise all our clients that they obtain independent advice or services for projects which are on a Construct only basis to ensure the project outcomes are achieved working together with the client-side PM.

It’s critical to have a mutually agreed construction program and adhere to it. Allow for you and the contractor to set a suitable and reasonable construction program. There needs to be proper calculations carried out to establish the time and resources required to deliver the project. So, ensure your builder provides you with a detailed program before commencing on-site, that can be used to track your construction progress regularly. ARK provides you with a detail construction program from quoting/tender stage. Then a monthly updated construction program is also provided to ensure complete transparency.

It’s imperative to establish a procedure regarding managing projects issues and notices. Agree a procedure for managing design, cost and time elements with the contractor prior to starting construction. When both parties follow an agreed process correctly, unforeseen quality, cost & time issues (which commonly occur on poorly managed projects) will be avoided and or reduced. ARK provides you with a detailed procedural report on how these items are managed (Request for Information, Variation Notices, Extension of Time Claims etc). They are all set-out and adhered to following the arranged procedure set out in the agreement.

Make sure you compare “apples with apples” when reviewing builder’s tender submissions When obtaining quotes from contractors, it’s important to undertake a proper tender comparison. A proper tender comparison will allow you to determine a contractor’s inclusions & exclusions as well as confirm if they have conformed to the project documentation. Once completed, you will be best placed to choose the builder that is best suited to your project. Please note that you need to consider performance on many factors such as; experience, quality level, adequate resources, safety performance, financial stability and these are just some of the factors which need to be taken into consideration when deciding on a suitable company. ARK provides you with a detailed submission which includes all our details, project experience, qualifications, clarifications, complete break-up of costings to allow you to make a comprehensive comparison/assessment of our submission.

Ensure that your chosen building contractor is reputable and has experience in the market sector for your specific project. Firstly, check the validity of a contractor’s licenses and insurances, to ensure they are in the legal position to undertake your project. Secondly, it is also recommended you review your builder’s quality and safety performance by undertaking site inspections of their current and past projects. Verbal references from past clients are also an extremely beneficial way to confirm the reputation of your builder. ARK will provide you with written references, client contacts and site inspections to ensure that you are comfortable that you have engaged a reputable and professional contractor.