Construction Method Statement - Guideline
When submitting a tender you will generally be requested to submit with the Tender an Outline Method Statement describing how the Works are to be designed, procured, constructed and completed and it should refer to the technical specification to ascertain the requirements for each element of Works. Generally within 28 days of the award of a Project the Contractor will be required to submit a General Method Statement describing how each stage of the Project is to be designed, procured, constructed, commissioned and handed over. A General General Method Statement should be supplemented supplemented during during the duration of the Contract by Detail Method Statements that describe how key works, trades and MEP systems are to be designed, installed and commissioned. In addition to the above all hazardous work activities should be described by the issue of Detail Method Statement. Method Statements should always be issued to the Engineer for his consent. As a guideline each Method Statement should be structured and prepared in the following format:1) Scope of Works 2) Access/Egress 3) Lighting
Safety Lighting Task lighting Lighting
4) Plant and Equipment
General Plant and Equipment Schedule Personal Protective Equipment Power Working Platforms
5) Materials 6) Sequence / method of work 7) Programme 8) Risks and Controls
Hazards/Risks Control Measures/Permits 3rd Party Protection. Environmental Considerations
9) Technical Information 10) Emergency Arrangements
General Fire Precautions Communication
11) Training 12) Supervision 13) Working Hours 14) Housekeeping 15) Other Information In addition to the foregoing you should amplify the provisions of the Method Statements with layout drawings, site plans, design drawings, sequence drawings, craneage plans and traffic management. Refer to a good method statement template which is part of our Quality Control Package
Pricing Preliminaries
When it comes to the pricing of Prelims or oncost expenses, much thought is to be applied to determining the extent of this allowance when tendering. Preliminaries and General by virtue of its scope and broad definition can easily contribute or result in huge losses if not correctly understood or determined at the tender stage. There are many schools of thought on this subject, and all of them follow some sort of predefined checklist to ensure that all aspects are accounted for. When pricing preliminaries always start with your supervision, site establishment, methodology of construction, access restrictions, plant and programme requirements, doing this will determine the basic plan of construction and reveal all the obvious elements to price. In getting the preliminaries correct, careful attention to detail is required. Reading through the specifications and guidelines might show obligations to allow for in your preliminaries. Once all of these variables are established, the information needs to be priced in a logical manner which allows quick and logical calculation adjustments.For example, if you change the price of diesel in a certain cell then in an instant all the preliminaries should be adjusted taking into account the effect of all other diesel related calculations. In order to build such a spreadsheet takes years of experience and understanding of Excel and pricing. We do however offer a solution in this regard that is we have included such a template as part of the Tendering package. This template (view template) simplyfies the entire process and also calculates the cashflow in terms of Fixed, Value and Time related costs as required by the FIDIC Contract. All of the following categories are completely linked, priced and tabled in a logical manner.
Salaries (Management & supervision per category) Establishment (offices, telephones, infrastructure, etc) Plant (Plant utilization, fuel consumption and operators) Protection, Safety, Scaffolding, Financial (Bonds, insurance, etc)
Completing this template certainly provides more science in calculating P&G's and will leave you assured that the price accounted for meets your obligations. All contractors use some sort of process in establishing their P&G's and this template document certainly provide a tried and tested solution in reducing this risk when tendering. Refer to the Tendering / Estimating Package .
Monthly Progress Reports Guideline
In Accordance with FIDIC a Contractor must submit monthly updates of the Programme demonstrating progress to date to the Engineer for review. This will include attending progress meetings and submitting Monthly Progress reports. Progress Meetings At the end of each month the progress of the design, procurement and construction works must be reported to the Engineer. This report should be a detailed progress report supported by an updated programme and submitted 24 hours prior to the meeting. The report should include, as a minimum but not limited to, the following details in regard to the Contract:-
1) Contract Summary 2) Executive Summary
Progress of Works to date Significant challenges and delays Reasons for delays and actions taken to mitigate the delays
3) Financial Summary
Outline Statement of Final Account Payments
4) Occupational Health & Safety & Environment 5) Procurement
Long lead procurement schedule Tender Event Schedule Schedule of Subcontractors employed on site (start/finish dates) Schedule of Provisional Sums
6) Programme & Logs
Forecast completion date Current construction programme Current commissioning programme As-built Programme 8 week look-ahead programme Extension of time requested/awarded. Summary of the progress of the Works Cumulative labour return for preceding month. Cumulative plant and equipment return for proceeding month
7) Progress Photographs
Progress Photographs Progress photographs should be taken each month and incorporated into the Monthly Report. The locations of these photographs must be agreed with the Engineer both internally and external to the Project. In addition, take other photographs that will support or illustrate the points described in the summary of the progress of the Works. Daily Reports There are however certain information which is included in the Monthly Report that the Engineer may require be submitted on a daily basis. Such information may include daily resources in terms of plant, labour subcontractor, etc. Here are an example of a few reports that are generally submitted on a daily basis:
Daily Labour Returns for the Contractor and Subcontractors. Daily Construction Plant and Equipment Returns (in particular the arrival and departure dates). Daily Delivery Schedule (e.g. bulk deliveries or key plant and equipment).
