COMMERCIAL AWARENESS FOR SITE SUPERVISORS AND ENGINEERS

 

A full day course

 

This course is set at a basic level, is very practical and is based on “The Streetwise Subbie”, emphasising commercial awareness, record keeping, site diaries, giving of delay notices, reasons why needed, protection from commercial disaster etc

– for Site Supervisors, Foremen and Charge hands.

 

 

 

CONTENTS :

 

·       INTRODUCTION  -    WHY WORK FOR FREE?

·       THE VITAL ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR

 

·       GETTING ENQUIRIES, TENDERING, THE ORDER

 

·       CONTRACT CONDITIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

 

·       DISASTER -  DAMAGES, SET OFFS AND CONTRA CHARGES

 

·       DISASTER AVOIDANCE  BY SAFETY FIRST STEPS

 

·       PROTECTION AND ENTITLEMENTS –     EXTENSIONS OF TIME

·       RECOVERY OF LOSS AND EXPENSE -

 

·       VITAL IMPORTANCE OF  SITE RECORDS AND NOTICES

 

·       HOW GOOD RECORDS HELP IN GETTING PAID

 

·       SOME TRUE STORIES FROM REAL LIFE 

 

·       WHAT MAKES A GOOD NOTICE ?

 

·       GETTING PAID FOR  VARIATIONS –

 

·       CHANGE OF CHARACTER AND CONDITIONS

 

·       DITTO - ENGINEERING AND SUPERVISION COSTS

 

·       TYPICAL PROBLEMS AND PITFALLS – “THE STREETWISE SUBBIE”

 

o                BEWARE STARTING THE CLOCK !

 

o                FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE BUILDER

 

o                PROGRAMME PITFALLS

 

o                BEST ENDEAVOURS OR ACCELERATION ?

 

o                ADVERSE REACTIONS

 

o                LITTLE TIN GODS

 

o                ALLIGATORS !

 

o                THE TWILIGHT ZONE

 

·       GOOD AND BAD CORRESPONDENCE/NOTICES

 

·       CONCLUSION – BE CAREFUL OUT THERE !

 

John Russell   

Contracts and Training Consultant

Cheshire CW4 7DP

Tel:  Mobile   07770 986444 

Email: swsubbie@globalnet.co.uk

Web site:  www.jrconsultant.co.uk

 

 

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COMMERCIAL AWARENESS FOR MANAGERS AND ENGINEERS***

*** Our most popular course and strongly recommended.

 

A full day course

 

A more “senior level” course, emphasising the actual job, concentrating on “real life” problems, protection and getting paid, programme pitfalls, securing extensions of time, loss and expense entitlements, recording and maximising of variations, good and bad correspondence etc. 

– for Contracts Managers and Engineers, Planners, and Senior Supervisors.

 

 

 

CONTENTS                                                                                                                                                                                                   

INTRODUCTION                                                       

WHY WORK FOR FREE?                                               

PUT IT IN WRITING AT THE TIME!                                     

THE REAL WORLD                                                     

THE TYPICAL JOB                                                                                                                              

 

STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD FORMS OF CONTRACT                                                  

STANDARD AND NON- STANDARD FORMS                                                                          

COMMON FEATURES                                                                                                                                   

TWO KEY SOURCES OF FINANCIAL DISASTER                                                             

PROTECTION BY EXTENSION OF TIME                                                                              

ONEROUS CLAUSES                                                                                                                  

DEALING WITH “RISK”                                                                                                                                 

 

STARTING OUT ON THE RIGHT FOOT                                                                               

PROGRAMME PERIODS AND DATES                                                                                          

BEWARE STARTING THE CLOCK                                                                                             

ADVERSE REACTIONS – EDUCATING YOUR BUILDER                                                                

ALL ON BOARD – VITAL ROLE OF THE SUPERVISOR                                                        

SITE RECORDS AND NOTICES – THE KEY TO SURVIVAL                                                                      

 

BATTLING THROUGH THE JOB                                                                                                                 

LITTLE TIN GODS – CHECK THEIR AUTHORITY                                                            

BEWARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE BUILDER                                                            

WORKING OUT OF SYNC                                                                                                             

JUST A MINUTE                                                                                                                                                 

BEST ENDEAVOURS OR ACCELERATION?                                                                            

PREMATURE OCCUPATION BY THE CLIENT                                                                         

THE ALLIGATOR PROBLEM                                                                                                            

GOOD AND BAD CORRESPONDENCE

                                                                                                           

PROGRAMME AND PROGRESS                                                                                               

PROGRAMME PITFALLS                                                                                                               

DISASTER BY DAMAGES AND SET OFF                                                                              

EXTENSION OF TIME                                                                                                                 

DON’T BE SHY – GET NOTICED !                                                                                             

WHAT MAKES A GOOD DELAY NOTICE?                                                                             

PROGRESS REPORTS                                                                                                                 

KEEP AN EYE ON THE BUILDER’S PROGRESS                                                               

GET THE PICTURE?                                                                                                                                              

 

GETTING PAID FOR WHAT YOU DO                                                                                          

GET IT IN THE BUDGET                                                                                                               

VARIATIONS – HOW TO ESCAPE FROM THE  BILL RATES                                                   

VARIATIONS CHECK LIST                                                                                                             

ACCELERATION – THE TRUE COSTS                                                                                

CLAIMS FOR LOSS AND EXPENSE                                                                                            

HEADS OF CLAIM                                                                                                                              

CAUSE AND EFFECT                                                                                                                                             

 

CONCLUSION                                                                                                                                  

PERFORMANCE, AWARENESS, READINESS, EARLY ACTION,                                                

PROACTIVITY, PROTECTION OF ENTITLEMENTS                                                                             

 

 

John Russell   

Contracts and Training Consultant

Cheshire CW4 7DP

Tel:  Mobile   07770 986444 

Email: swsubbie@globalnet.co.uk

Web site:  www.jrconsultant.co.uk

 

 

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COMMERCIAL AWARENESS – ADVANCED LEVEL

 

A full or half day course

 

 

This course covers the  formation of a contract, enquiry, tender, letter of intent, checking of the order, onerous terms and conditions, an overview of bonds and warranties, some typical “design problems” including “fitness for purpose”, payment problems, and an introduction to the Construction Act and the associated problems and benefits

       for Contracts Managers, Estimators and Quantity Surveyors.

 

 

        

FORMATION OF CONTRACT                                                         

Marketing                                                         

Enquiry                                                           

Sub-contract conditions                                           

Onerous terms and conditions                                     

Tender submission                                                

Sub-contractor’s own conditions                                   

Letter of intent       

Order and/or Agreement                                          

Acceptance by conduct                                            

The battle of the forms - offer and counter offer                  

Programme incorporation                                                  

 

BONDS AND  WARRANTIES                                        

Introduction                                                       

On demand bonds                                       

Termination dates                                       

Sources of bonds                                                 

Parent company guarantees

Design warranties                                                          

 

SOME TYPICAL “DESIGN” PROBLEMS                              

Introduction                                                       

Clarity of tender offer                                             

Duty to warn                                                              

Fitness for purpose                                                        

Liability in tort                                                    

Approval periods                                                  

Drawing register                                                  

Preferential engineering                                           

Confirmation of all communications                               

Technical queries                                                 

Little tin gods                                                     

Conclusion                                                        

 

PAYMENT                                                 

Original sub-contract terms                                                

Why the PQS ?                                                             

Keep variations up to date                                        

Nice guys get ignored                                             

Release of retention

                                                 

CONSTRUCTION ACT 1996                                                          

Introduction                                                       

Payment under the Act                                           

Basic features                                                     

Set-off                                                            

Adjudication under the Act                                        

Basic requirements                                                

“Any dispute arising under the contract”                                   

Adjudication - the Government Scheme                           

Enforcement of awards                                           

Mini claims, notices and records                                   

Amendments to standard forms                                   

Sub-sub-contractors                                              

Conclusion  

    

 

 

John Russell   

Contracts and Training Consultant

Cheshire CW4 7DP

Tel:  Mobile   07770 986444 

Email: swsubbie@globalnet.co.uk

Web site:  www.jrconsultant.co.uk

 

 

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COMMERCIAL AWARENESS FOR SUB-CONTRACTORS

 

A full or half day course

 

 

Set at a basic level, a practical course which emphasises early identification of all problems, proactive flagging up of delays, keeping good site records and notices, minimising of risk and protection of the subcontractor’s entitlements to time and money.

– for Contracts Managers, Engineers and Supervisors.

 

 

 

Objectives

 

Introduce/increase commercial  awareness by:

 

·       Early identification of all problems and pitfalls

·       Proactive and prompt written notice of all delays and preventions

·       Keeping of good site records throughout the job.

·       Insistence upon written confirmation of all instructions with a financial implication

·       Minimising of risk

·       Protection of entitlements to extension of time, loss and expense etc.

 

Contents

 

SECTION 1 – STANDARD AND NON-STANDARD FORMS                

Standard and non-standard forms of sub-contract            

Common features                                                     

Two key sources of financial disaster                                                    

 

SECTION 2 – GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT                      

Programme, periods and dates                               

Beware starting the clock

Site records and survival                                              

 

SECTION 3 – BATTLING THROUGH THE JOB

Programme pitfalls                                           

What makes a good delay notice?                            

Just a Minute – Site minutes                                 

Little tin gods – do they have authority?                      

Best endeavours or acceleration?                             

Premature occupation                                                          

 

SECTION 4 – TIME AND MONEY                                       

Extension of time                                                     

Variations                                                    

Valuation of variations                                        

Valuation of variations

Check list of character and conditions

Acceleration – the true costs                                  

Get it in the budget                                          

Claims for loss and expense                                  

Heads of claim  

 

 

John Russell   

Contracts and Training Consultant

Cheshire CW4 7DP

Tel:  Mobile   07770 986444 

Email: swsubbie@globalnet.co.uk

Web site:  www.jrconsultant.co.uk

 

 

Back to Training page


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEC (ECC) CONTRACT  -  Introduction/Workshop

 

A half day introductory course or a full day workshop.

 

 

A practical and “down to earth” introduction to this increasingly used form of contract, with its complex and onerous requirements for “early warning” and resolution of all problems – as a half day  overview to  Directors and senior managerial staff and/or as a full day pre-commencement “workshop” for project teams who have to administer these demanding rules. Includes a summary of the key changes in the July 2005 edition of NEC3.

- for all Directors and staff who may be involved in an NEC contract.

 

 

ORIGIN

Authors, initiation and key supporters

 

PHILOSOPHY

Mutual trust and co-operation

Flexibility

Clarity

Simplicity  (written in “ordinary language”)

Stimulus to good management

 

FORMAT

Main options, core clauses, secondary options.

 

KEY FEATURES

Contract data

Introduction of the various parties

(eg Employer, Project Manager, Supervisor, Designer, Adjudicator etc).

Others  (ie direct contractors of the Employer)

Early warning  procedure - compulsory notice and meetings

Claims, variations and extensions of time (ie “compensation events”)

Compensation events and their assessment

Forecasts of cost and delay effects for each event

Stringent notice requirements and penalties

Adjudication - strict procedures and notice periods

Actual costs and Fee percentage

Payment arrangements

Programmes and “floats”

Acceleration

Taking over

Delay damages

 

Sub-contracting under the NEC

How the subbie fits into the scheme.

 

Considerations arising

Are the procedures and time scales too rigid?

Will the parties be able to comply?

Will additional staff be required?

If so, how will such staff be paid for ?

Will the “ordinary language” lead to disputes as to interpretation ?

Can “co-operation” really be enforced?

Vital nature  of “accepted programme” as baseline

 

NEC3 – the key changes.

 

 

 

 

John Russell