Civil Engineering Project Management (4th Edition)

14
Programme and
progress charts
14.1 Responsibilities for programming the
construction
The contractor is responsible for producing a programme for construction
for the job, though he must comply with any special requirements laid down
in the contract documents. Under the ICE conditions the contractor must submit
his proposed programme within 21 days of being awarded the contract
(Clause 14(1)). Within a further period of 21 days (see Section 9.5 Item 4), the
engineer must accept or reject it, or call for more information on it; if not, he is
deemed to have accepted it (Clause 14(2)). If the engineer calls for more information,
the same time limits are repeated.
The programme for construction may therefore have been agreed before
the resident engineer goes to site. But the resident engineer needs to check
what it requires with respect to (1) the provision of further drawings and
information to the contractor, and (2) the provision of any materials or services
to be supplied by the employer under separate contracts he has entered into,
or which are to be obtained by the contractor from nominated suppliers.
The delivery times for nominated suppliers and sub-contractors should
have been quoted in the main civil engineering contract, requiring the contractor
to allow for them when drawing up his programme. It is prudent to
add ‘margins of safety’ to the delivery times quoted in the contract because
(a) the contractor can only place orders with them after he is awarded the
contract, and (b) the nominated firms might not deliver on their promised
time, causing a delay to the contractor’s programme enabling him to claim
for delay.
Hence the resident engineer should check the current delivery times
quoted by nominated firms and advise the contractor of the latest times he
must place orders.