Avoiding Construction Claims by Improving the Quality of Drawings, Specifications and Bidding Documents

Introduction

One of the crucial means for controlling construction costs and reducing claims is to keep change orders and costs to a minimum. This can be achieved by exercising greater care during the preparation of design, bidding, and construction documents; ensuring the viability of design; improving the quality of working drawings and specifications; and being wary of the common causes of claims leading to cost overruns. This practical program explains where we are now, where we want to go, and how to get there. The program prepares you to focus your attention on design and production control, the review and evaluation of contract documents plus the bidding and contract award process.

Main topics:

• Legal Issues
• Producing Documents: Difficulties & Shortcomings
• Change Orders & Delay Claims
• Avoiding Problems: Drawings & Specifications
• Construction Costs: Cost Planning & Cost Control
• Selecting Professionals
• Owner Assessments of Documents
• Planning & Design Stages
• Workshop & teamwork
• New Approaches

Objectives

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• Improve communications and design-review procedures
• Implement quality enhancement measures in the production of construction documents
• Improve the quality of design, bidding, and construction documents
• Integrate a checking process into the production of construction documents
• Avoid future errors in the communication of construction information and prevent claims

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practices. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

• Designers
• Architects
• Engineers
• Professionals
• Project Managers
• Planners
• Contractors
• Owners
• Government, Institutional & Private Sector Owners
• Construction Personnel

Course Outline

 Module I the Problems: Where Are We Now?

• Scope of program-types of facilities
• Industry trends that give rise to major concerns
• The scale of losses resulting from changes and claims
• Stages of a project-architectural and engineering
• Components of the bidding documents
• Recent claims-weaknesses in the documents?
• Project delivery methods-their impacts

 Legal Issues

• Consultants liability
• Owners liability
• Contractors liability

 Contracts-A Synopsis

• Contract forms
• Who is responsible for what?
• Client/consultant agreements
• Special consultants-their roles
• Owner/contractor agreements
• Contractor/subcontractor agreements

 Inconsistencies in the Documents-An Owner's Perspective

• Where do they start?
• What do owners expect from their consultants?
• Project initiation
• Planning and design stages
• Cost planning and cost control
• Document preparation and bidding stages
• What do owners expect from contractors/subcontractors
• Construction stages
• Construction modifications

 Difficulties In Producing The Documents- A Consultants Point of View - What Are They?

• What do consultants expect from owners
• Project Team-Owner/Consultants
• The process of preparing drawings and specifications
• Cost planning and control
• Coordination with owner requirements
• Coordination with authorities
• Coordination with consultants
• Computer-aided design and drafting

 Shortcomings in the Documents- A Contractor's Point of View

• In the bidding documents
• During the contract award
• In the "issued for construction" documents
• Instructions issued during construction
• Claims from contractors resulting from imperfect documents

Reasons Why Change Orders and Delay Claims Happen

• Owner caused
• Design team caused
• Construction team caused
• As Found conditions
• Authorities having jurisdiction
• Logging of changes

 Avoid Problems – Drawings

• But first-what are they?
• Demolition
• Architectural and landscaping
• Civil and structural
• Mechanical and electrical
• Specialty trades

Avoid Problems Specifications 

Here are some for discussion

• Supplemental conditions
• Instructions to bidders
• Bid form(s)
• Trade sections
• Coordination between sections/between drawings and specifications

Avoid Problems - Bidding Documents

Most have legal implications

• Supplementary conditions
• Invitation to Bid
• Instructions to Bidders
• Bid forms and attachments/alternate, identified, separate, unit prices, allowances
• Bid security forms
• The information available to Bidders
• Inquiries-pre bid briefings
• Addenda

Avoid Problems - Construction Costs: Cost Planning and Cost Control

• Conceptual versus actual estimates
• Cost limit established
• First cost plan prepared
• Cost checks made through design development and preparation of drawings and specifications
• Identifying critical cost control measures
• Document review for major cost-impact items
• Final estimate and cost check (pre-bid estimate)

Cost Control during Bidding and Construction

• General contractor selection
• Assessing the often unknown impact of the marketplace
• Cost analysis of bid
• Cost-saving exercises
• Assessing substitutions
• Assessing the schedule of values and construction schedule
• Cost control of delays and changes

Selection of Professionals- Consultants and Contractors

• Excellence is the objective
• Prequalification
• Approaches/direct selection, invited, open competitions
• Request for proposals/responses
• Interviews/reactions
• Evaluation criteria

 Owner Assessments of Documents

• Costs contingencies
• Design and document reviews-creating an effective process
• QA and /or QC requirements
• Contract modifications during construction
• Use of project site representative and/or construction manager

 Planning and Design Stages-Being Right from the Start

• Concepts that need to be understood by the entire design team before the first line is drawn
• Coordination between design team members
• Use of checklists integrated into the design/contract document quality assurance programs
• Importance of design development
• Client signoffs at each design stage

Working Drawings - New Approaches and Better Uses of Those We Already Have

• Starting point-approved design development documents
• Evolving a systematic internal review process
• Creating a team review process; 60%, 90%, 100%
• Incorporating design changes at this stage
• Involving project managers and field administration personnel from the early stages
• Increased interference studies and related coordination
• Study the difficult details first, typical after
• Third-party reviews
• Client signoffs

 Specifications and Bidding Requirements - Consistency a Must

• Integrated drawing and specification systems
• Use of internet for product selection
• Specification binders
• Meeting client’s scheduling requirements

 Bidding, Contract Award, and Construction Modifications

• Ensuring that the bidding period proceeds smoothly
• Evaluating bids effectively
• Preparing the contract correctly
• Using the pre construction meeting to advantage
• Issuing supplemental instructions clearly
• Reviewing quotations and time changes fairly

 Partnering - A Concept for Success

• What is it?
• How is it implemented?
• Why a charter?
• Is the concept effective?