Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 409

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

In 1991 the Chartered Institute of Building initiated a multi-institute task force and a Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development was published in 1992, with second and third editions in 1996 and 2002. Like previous editions, this fourth edition has been extensively updated.   The fourth edition includes a range of new illustrations and high profile examples, and features new guidance on:

• CDM regulations
• Project planning
• Change management
• Project management software
• Mobile technology
• The range of procurement options
• The European perspective
• Contracts

Effective project management involves the assessment and management of risk, and this is a strong theme throughout the Code. The Code of Practice provides an authoritative guide to the principles and practice of construction project management. It will be a key reference source for clients, contractors and professionals, irrespective of the size and nature of the project.

Leseprobe

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Chris Blythe

List of tables and figures

Introduction

Project management

Raising standards

Adding value

The task of project management

Part 1: Project management

Chapter 1: Inception stage

Introduction

Client’s objectives

Project manager

Managing people

Thinking sustainably

Chapter 2: Feasibility stage

Client’s objectives

Outline project brief

Feasibility studies

Sustainability in the built environment

Towards sustainable development

Site selection and acquisition

Project brief

Design brief

Funding and investment appraisal

Market suitability

Decision to go ahead

Project execution plan

Chapter 3: Strategy stage

Client’s objectives

Interlinking with feasibility

Project team structure

Selecting the project team

Strategy outline and development

Project organisation and control

Procurement

Appointment of project team

Chapter 4: Pre-construction stage

Client’s objectives

Interlinking with previous stages

Managing the design delivery

Suggested task list for the design team leader

Duties of the project manager at this stage

Project co-ordination and progress meetings

Design team meetings

Managing design team activities

Statutory consents

Technical design and production information

Pre-start meeting

Quality management

Dispute resolution

Avoiding common project management pitfalls

Contractual arrangements

Chapter 5: Construction stage

Interlinking with previous stages

Responsibilities of project manager at this stage

Role of project team members

Environmental management systems

Commissioning and operation and maintenance manuals

Chapter 6: Engineering services testing and commissioning stage

Client’s objectives

Interlinking with construction

Commissioning generally

Procurement of commissioning services

Role of the commissioning contractor

The testing and commissioning process and its programming

Differences between testing and commissioning

Main tasks to be undertaken

Chapter 7: Completion, handover and occupation stage

Client’s objectives

Completion

Project management actions

Actions by the design team

Planning and scheduling handover

Procedures

Client commissioning and occupation

Operational commissioning

Client occupation

Chapter 8: Post-completion review/project close-out report stage

Client’s objectives

Introduction

Project audit

Cost and time study

Human resources aspects

Performance study

Project feedback

Close-out report

Benefits Realisation

Appendix 1 Typical terms of engagement

General objective

Relationships

Detailed responsibilities and duties

Extra-project activities

Terms of engagement: the services contracts

Appendix 2 Health and safety in construction including CDM guidance

CDM 2007 Regulations

CDM 2007: further advice

Appendix 3 Project planning

Appendix 4 Site investigation

Appendix 5 Guidance on EU procurement rules

What are the key changes?

What about mixed contracts?

What is the advertisement requirement?

What are the procurement options?

What is the impact of the regulations on private sector projects?

Endnote

Appendix 6 Performance management plan

Objectives

Performance management process

Checklist for PMP

Suggested contents for the PMP

Appendix 7 Implications of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, Amended 2009

Payment under the Act

Adjudication under the Act

A overview of adjudication

Who pays for the cost of adjudication?

Appendix 8 Guidance on partnering

What is partnering?

Definition of project partnering

Definition of strategic collaborative working

Essential features of partnering

Feedback

Maintaining partnering throughout projects

Appendix 9 Project risk assessment

Risk register

Contingency planning

Mitigation action plan

Project risk assessment checklist

Appendix 10 Guidance on value management

Value management and value engineering

The process

Link to risk assessment

Potential pitfalls

Appendix 11 Guidance on environmental impact assessment

Introduction

The regulations

Environmental impact assessment (EU regulations)

Establishing whether EIA is required

Planning applications

Preparation and content of an environmental statement

Procedures for establishing whether or not EIA is required (‘screening’)

Provision to seek a formal opinion from the local planning authority on the scope of an ES (‘scoping’)

Provision of information by the consultation bodies

Selection criteria for screening Schedule 2 development

Information to be included in an environmental statement

The characteristics of a good environmental impact assessment

Appendix 12 Application of project scheduling software

Primary software considerations

Secondary software considerations

Appendix 13 Change management

Changes during the design development process

Example of change management process

Change order request form

Change order register

Appendix 14 Procedure for the selection and appointment of consultants

Guidance for selection process

Checklist

Example of consultancy services at different project stages

Appendix 15 Characteristics of different procurement options

Selection of the procurement method

Selecting a procurement route

Appendix 16 Dispute resolution methods1

Non-binding

Non-binding or final and binding

Final and binding

Appendix 17 Regular reports to the client

Notes for guidance on contents

Appendix 18 Practical completion checklist

Appendix 19 Facilities management

Appendix 20 Value for money project framework

Appendix 21 Leadership in project management

What is leadership?

Leadership and project manager

What are the traits of effective leaders?

Leadership styles2

Are there any quick wins?

Appendix 22 Framework agreements

What are the advertising requirements?

How is the framework agreement awarded?

What is the process for a call-off?

Appendix 23 Guidance on e-procurement

e-Procurement in the public sector

e-Procurement and Europe

EU Directives

e-Procurement best practice

Appendix 24 Guidance on good practice contract management framework

Appendix 25 Communication plan

Appendix 26 Good practice project management1

Appendix 27 Compliance with Site Waste Management Plan Regulations 2008

Introduction

What is a SWMP?

How does a SWMP manage the waste?

Who is responsible for SWMP?

What are the benefits of SWMP?

An example of a SWMP

Appendix 28 Alternative procurement option

Private finance initiative/public–private partnership projects

Brief history

The structure of a PFI/PPP company

Project management of PFI/PPP projects

Risk transfer

Appendix 29 Building information modelling

Introduction

The use of BIM for improved management of construction projects

Appendix 30 Business case development

Appendix 31 Key sustainability issues

Appendix 32 Environmental sustainability assessment methods

BREEAM:

Home and dwellings

Part 2: Project handbook

Project handbook

Introduction

Aims of the handbook

Parties to the project

Third parties

Roles and duties of the project team

Project site

General administration including communication and document control

Contract administration

Design co-ordination

Change management design

Site instructions

Cost control and reporting

Planning schedules and progress reporting

Meetings

Selection and appointment of contractors

Safety, health and environmental protection

Quality assurance: outline

Disputes

Signing off

Reporting

Construction stage

Operating and maintenance

Engineering services commissioning

Completion and handover

Client commissioning and occupation

Appendix A Typical meetings and their objectives

Appendix B

Selection and appointment of contractors B1 Pre-tender process

Selection and appointment of contractors B2 Initial questionnaire

Selection and appointment of contractors B3 Selection questionnaire

Selection and appointment of contractors B4 Pre-qualification interview agenda

Selection and appointment of contractors B5 Tendering process checklist

Selection and appointment of contractors B6 Tender document checklist

Selection and appointment of contractors B7 Mid-tender interview agenda

Selection and appointment of contractors B8 Returned tender review process

Selection and appointment of contractors B9 Returned tender bids record sheet

Selection and appointment of contractors B10 Post-tender interview agenda

Selection and appointment of contractors B11 Final tender evaluation report

Selection and appointment of contractors B12 Approval to place contract order

Selection and appointment of contractors B13 Final general checklist

Appendix C Engineering services commissioning checklist

Appendix D Engineering services commissioning documents

Appendix E Handover checklists

Appendix F Client commissioning checklist

Glossary

Bibliography

Past Working Groups of Code of Practice for Project Management

Third Working Group for the Revision of the Code of Practice for Project Management

First and Second Working Groups of the Code of Practice for Project Management

For the second edition of the Code changes were made to the working group which included

Index

Foreword

It would be fair to say that back in 1992 when the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) first produced the Code of Practice for Project Management it was a groundbreaking publication.

Whereas modern project management has only been defined over the past couple of decades, the concept of project management has been with us since civilisation began. The need to complete great works and projects within a defined scope, time and cost is not a new idea. It has been central to our past successes, but is just as fundamental for our future achievements.

As an industry that produces many bespoke projects with varying levels of complexity, construction is arguably the world’s leading sector when it comes to this kind of management. Our products and the way they are delivered are exemplars for other industries. We lead the way because we challenge ourselves to improve our techniques, innovation and standards constantly.

While this Code has been developed specifically for the UK construction industry, its value has been tried and tested in other countries. There has been a steady demand for previous editions from around the world. Indeed the second and third editions have been translated into Chinese and published in China.

This fourth edition of the Code continues to drive the practice forward and importantly reflects the current challenges that the industry faces today. As technology has progressed so has its involvement in project management. Making best use of the range of software packages, and e-procurement systems now available is increasingly vital. These products when used appropriately are able to connect even the most complicated networks and processes.

The ingredients which make up modern project management also recognise the need for strong communication that creates valuable relationships with multiple stakeholders. Important agendas like sustainability also have their place in project management. The content within this book provides the reader with helpful and insightful knowledge across a wide range of issues. It is a key reference source for clients, contractors and professionals, irrespective of the size and nature of the project.

To be the best you need ability, experience and knowledge. This essential Code provides the latest thinking and guidance for those wanting to achieve that aim.

Professor Li Shirong

President

Chartered Institute of Building

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have helped the Chartered Institute of Building with the fourth edition of this Code of Practice. In keeping with the third edition, I am pleased to note that the fourth edition has also been prepared by a broad representation of the industry, with representative contributions from built environment and interdisciplinary co-operation between professionals within the built environment. A list of participants and the organisations represented is included in this book.

Particular thanks must go to Sue Belbin for co-ordinating all the disparate elements of the review of the Code of Practice by maintaining the information flow.

This new edition benefited from the capable project management skill and stewardship of Saleem Akram, the CIOB’s Director for Construction Innovation and Development, whose efforts to collate and complete this revision deserve a special acknowledgement.

I would also like to thank Arnab Mukherjee for his contributions particularly for technical editing, collating and managing the information flow towards the delivery of this document.

Chris Blythe

Chief Executive

Chartered Institute of Building

Fourth Working Group for the Revision of the Code of Practice for Project ManagementSaleem Akram BSc Eng (Civil) MSc (CM) PE MASCE MAPM FIE FCIOB – Director, Construction Innovation and Development, CIOB Alan Crane CBE CEng FICE FCIOB FCMI – Chair, Working Group, Vice President CIOB Roger Waterhouse MSc FRICS FCIOB FAPM – Vice Chair; Working Group, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Association for Project Management Neil Powling DipBE FRICS DipProjMan(RICS) – Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Gavin Maxwell-Hart BSc CEng FICE FIHT MCIArb FCIOB – Institution of Civil Engineers John Campbell BSc (Hons), ARCH DIP AA RIBA – Royal Institute of British Architects Martyn Best BA Dip Arch RIBA MAPM – Royal Institute of British Architects Richard Biggs MSc FCIOB MAPM MCMI – Construction Industry Council Paul Nash MSc MCIOB – Trustee of CIOB Ian Caldwell BSc BARch RIBA ARIAS MCMI MIOD Professor James Somerville FCIOB MRICS MAPM MCMI PhD Professor John Bennett DSc FRICS David Woolven FCIOB Artin Hovsepian BSc (Hons) MCIOB MASI Eric Stokes MCIOB FHEA MRIN Dr Milan Radosavljevic UDIG PhD MIZS-CEng ICIOB Arnab Mukherjee BEng(Hons) MSc (CM) MBA MAPM MCIOB – Technical editor The following also contributed in development of the fourth edition of the Code of Practice for Project ManagementKeith Pickavance – Past President, CIOB Howard Prosser CMIOSH MCIOB – Chair, Health & Safety Group, CIOB Sarah Peace BA (Hons) MSc PhD – Research Manager, CIOB Mark Russell BSc (Hons) MCIOB – Co-ordinator, Time Management Group, CIOB Andrzej Minasowicz DSc PhD Eng FCIOB PSMB SIDiR – Vice Director of Construction Affairs, Institute of Construction Engineering and Management, Civil Engineering Faculty, Warsaw University of Technology John Douglas FIDM FRSA – Englemere Ltd Dr Paul Sayer – Publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Oxford

List of tables and figures

List of tables

1.1 Duties of project manager

2.1 Contents for project brief

2.2 Client’s decision prompt list

3.1 Selection and appointment of the project team

4.1 Specimen agenda for pre-start meeting

4.2 Value engineering job plan

4.3 Result accelerators

4.4 Changes in the client’s brief: checklist

5.1 Value engineering job plan

5.2 Result accelerators

List of figures

0.1 Key project constraints

0.2 Project life cycle

2.1 Outline project brief

2.2 Development of project brief from objectives

2.3 A summary of sustainable development. Adapted from CIRIA C571 ‘Sustainable construction procurement: a guide to delivering environmentally responsible projects.

2.4 Site selection and acquisition

2.5 Relationship between scope for change and cost of change

3.1 Stages of the project development

3.2 Project team structure

3.3 Elements of the strategy stage

3.4 Examples of: (a) construction expenditure graph and (b) cash flow histogram

3.5 Tender procedure

4.1 Design team activities

4.2 Development of design proposals

4.3 Co-ordination of design work up to design freeze

4.4 Changes in the client’s brief

6.1 Smaller project installation works checks, testing and commissioning process and sign off

6.2 Large project installation works checks, testing and commissioning process and sign off

6.3 Project drawing issue flow chart

6.4 Services installation, testing and commissioning data sheets flow chart

6.5 Specialist maintenance contracts flow chart

7.1 Occupation: structure for implementation

7.2 Occupation: scope and objectives

7.3 Occupation: methodology

7.4 Occupation: organisation and control

Introduction

Project management

Project management has come a long way since its modern introduction to construction projects in the late 1950s. Now, as an established discipline which executively manages the full development process, from the client’s idea to funding co-ordination and acquirement of planning and statutory controls approval, sustainability, design delivery, through to the selection and procurement of the project team, construction, commissioning, handover, review, to facilities management co-ordination.

This Code of Practice positions the project manager as the client’s representative, although the responsibilities may vary from project to project, consequently project management may be defined as ‘the overall planning, co-ordination and control of a project from inception to completion aimed at meeting a client’s requirements in order to produce a functionally and financially viable project that will be completed safely, on time, within authorised cost and to the required quality standards’.

The fourth edition of this Code is the authoritative guide and reference to the principles and practice of project management in construction and development. It will be of value to clients, project management practices and educational establishments and students, and to the construction and development industries. Much of the information contained in the Code will also be relevant to project management operating in other commercial spheres.

Raising standards

Project management principles of strategic planning, detailed programming and monitoring, resource allocation and effective risk management are widely used on projects of all sizes and complexity. Nevertheless, many projects do not meet their required performance standards or are delivered late and/or over budget and are sometimes not even ‘fit for purpose’. These issues can be addressed directly by raising the standards of project management within the construction and development industries and, more specifically, by improving the skills of project managers in managing the balance of the key constraints of time, quality, cost along with function (end-user requirements) and the important, overriding requirements for sustainability within the built environment (Fig. 0.1).

The three areas of sustainability, economic, social and environmental, have become a core focus for today’s projects as the need for greater consideration for the world’s climate places an increasing responsibility on all clients and project team members to realise the need for carbon reduction and meaningful, sustainable development.

Past reports such as those by Egan (1998, 2002) and those from cross-industry representative bodies such as the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), Construction Industry Best Practice Programme (CBPP) and Strategic Forum for Construction (SFC), have collectively made an impact along with similarly focused EU Directives. However, reporting the sustainability message is just the start, informing, training or educating all stakeholders up to the highest level is what is necessary. Effective project management can co-ordinate, broadcast, advise and implement the changes needed, but the raising of this awareness throughout the supply chain and with the client, must come first.

Project managers, as the executive leaders of the project teams, have a responsibility to prepare themselves for this major shift in project thinking, where cost is balanced with the need to conserve energy, minimise emissions, reduce waste, recycle and to construct flexible buildings or facilities with longer life cycles through adaptation and intelligent conversion.

The informed project manager and project teams can encourage the use of modern materials and methods, reduced transportation and greater option appraisals in respect of:

material choices

methods of construction

current account reduction through the use of more efficient equipment

better insulation materials

greater recycling of materials.

Continuing professional development or life-long learning is not just about keeping abreast of events; professionals, suppliers, workforce operatives and end users, all need to upgrade their skills and knowledge if we are collectively to achieve the raising of standards needed to meet the new challenges which our industry and environment require.

Figure 0.1 Key project constraints.

Adding value

The raising of standards should lead significantly to the adding of value. Greater awareness can result in better design, improved methods and processes, new material choices, less waste, decreases in transportation costs and ultimately more efficient buildings, all of which can bring added value to the whole development process.

The task of project management

Construction and development projects involve the co-ordinated actions of many different professionals and specialists to achieve defined objectives. The task of project management is to bring the professionals and specialists into the project team at the right time to enable them to make their best possible contribution, efficiently.

Professionals and specialists bring knowledge and experience that contributes to decisions, which are embodied in the project information. The different bodies of knowledge and experience all have the potential to make important contributions to decisions at every stage of projects. In construction and development projects there are far too many professionals and specialists involved for it to be practical to bring them all together at every stage. This creates a dilemma because ignoring key bodies of knowledge and experience at any stage may lead to major problems and additional costs for everyone.

The practical way to resolve this dilemma is to carefully structure the way the professionals and specialists bring their knowledge and experience into the project team. The most effective general structure is formed by the eight project stages used in this Code’s description of project management.

The different stages of project lifecycle as identified by common terminologies as prevalent across the industry have been summarised and compared in Figure 0.2.

In many projects there will be a body of knowledge and experience in the client organisation which has to be tapped into at the right time and combined with the professional and specialists’ expertise.

Each stage in the project process is dominated by the broad body of knowledge and experience that is reflected in the stage name. As described above, essential features of that knowledge and experience need to be taken into account in earlier stages if the best overall outcome should be achieved. The way the professionals and specialists who own that knowledge and experience are brought into the project team at these earlier stages is one issue that needs to be decided during the strategy stage.

The results of each stage influence later stages and it may be necessary to involve the professionals and specialists who undertook earlier stages to explain or review their decisions. Again, the way the professionals and specialists are employed should be decided in principle during the strategy stage.

Each stage relates to specific key decisions. Consequently, many project teams hold a key decision meeting at the end of each stage to confirm that the necessary actions and decisions have been taken and the project can therefore begin the next stage. There is a virtue in producing a consolidated document at the end of each stage that is approved by the client before proceeding to the next stage. This acts as a reference mark as well as acting as a vehicle for widespread ownership of the steps that have been taken.

Figure 0.2 Project lifecycle.

Having considered the social, economic and environmental issues, projects begin with the inception stage which starts with the business decisions by the client that suggest a new construction or development project may be required. Essentially, the inception stage consists of commissioning a project manager to undertake the next stage which is to test the feasibility of the project. The feasibility stage is a crucial stage in which all kinds of professionals and specialists may be required to bring many kinds of knowledge and experience into a broad ranging evaluation of feasibility. It establishes the broad objectives, and an approach to sustainability for the project and so exerts an influence throughout subsequent stages.

The next stage is the strategy stage which begins when the project manager is commissioned to lead the project team to undertake the project. This stage requires the project’s objectives, an overall strategy and procedures in place to manage the sustainability and environmental issues, and the selection of key team members to be considered in a highly interactive manner. It draws on many different bodies of knowledge and experience and is crucial in determining the success of the project. In addition to selecting an overall strategy and key team members to achieve the project’s objectives, it determines the overall procurement approach and sets up the control systems that guide the project through to the final post-completion review and project close-out report stage. In particular the strategy stage establishes the objectives for the control systems. These deal with much more than quality, time and cost. They provide agreed means of controlling value from the client’s point of view, monitoring time and financial models that influence the project’s success, managing risk, making decisions, holding meetings, maintaining the project’s information systems, and all the other control systems necessary for the project to be undertaken efficiently.

At the completion of the strategy stage, everything is in place for the pre-construction stage. This is when the design is developed and the principal decisions are made concerning time, quality and cost management. This stage also includes statutory approvals and consents, considering utility provisions such as water and electricity, monitoring of the environmental performance targets, and bringing manufacturers, contractors and their supply chains into the project team. Like the earlier stages, the pre-construction stage often requires many different professionals and specialists working in creative and highly interactive ways. It is therefore important that this stage is carefully managed using the control systems established during the strategy stage to provide everyone involved with relevant, timely and accurate feedback about their decisions. Completion of this stage provides all the information needed for construction to begin.

The construction stage is when the actual building or other facility that the client needs is produced. In modern practice this is a rapid and efficient assembly process delivering high-quality facilities. It makes considerable demands on the control systems, especially those concerned with time and quality. The complex nature of modern buildings and other facilities and their unique interaction with a specific site means that problems will arise and have to be resolved rapidly. Information systems are tested to the full, design changes have to be managed, construction and fitting out teams have to be brought into the team and empowered to work efficiently. Costs and time have to be controlled within the parameters of project objectives and the product delivered to the quality and specification as set previously.

The construction stage leads seamlessly into a key stage in modern construction and development projects: the engineering services commissioning stage. The complexity and sophistication of modern engineering services makes it essential that time is set aside to test and fine tune each system. Any environmental performance targets such as Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification will be finalised as a measure of the project’s performance. Therefore, these activities form a distinct and separate stage which should predominantly be complete before beginning the completion, handover and occupation stage which is when the client takes over the practically completed building or other facility. In some instances there may also be some post-occupation commissioning and testing.

The client’s occupational commissioning needs to be managed as carefully as all the other stages because it can have a decisive influence on the project’s overall success and environmental performance. New users always have much to learn about what a new building or other facility provides. They need training and help in making best use of their new building or other facility. It is good practice for their interests and concerns to be considered during the earlier stages and preparation for their move into the new facility at the right time so there are no surprises when the client’s organisation takes occupation.

The final stage is the post-completion review and project close-out report stage. This provides the opportunity for the project team to consider how well the project’s objectives have been met and what lessons should be taken from the project. A formal report describing these matters provides a potentially important contribution to knowledge. For clients who have regular programmes of projects and for project teams that stay together over several projects, such reports provide directly relevant feedback. Even where this is not the case, everyone involved in a project team, including the client, is likely to learn from looking back at their joint performance in a careful objective review.

Part 1: Project management

Chapter 2: Feasibility stage

Client’s objectives

The main objectives for the client at this stage include identifying and specifying the project objectives, outlining possible options and select the most suitable option through sustainability, value and risk assessment. At this stage establishing the project execution plan (PEP) for the selected option should be the key output.

Outline project brief

For most clients a building is not an end in itself, but merely the means to an end: the client’s objectives. The client’s objectives may be as complex as the introduction and accommodation of some new technology into a manufacturing facility or the creation of a new corporate headquarters; or they may be as simple as obtaining the optimum return on resources available for investment in a speculative office building.

The client’ sobjectives are usually formulated by the organization’s board or policymaking body (the investment decision-maker) and may include certain constraints – usually related to time, cost, performance and location. The client’s objectives must cover the function and quality of the building or other facility.

If it is considered that the objectives are complex enough to merit the engagement of a project manager, the appointment should ideally be made as early as possible, preferably after approving the project requirements at the inception stage. This will ensure the benefit of the special expertise of the project manager in helping to define the parameters and in devising and assessing options for the achievement of the objectives.

The project manager should be provided with, or assist in, preparing a clear statement of the client’s objectives and any known constraints. This is the initial outline project brief to which the project manager will then work. A typical example of a template for an outline project brief is shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1 Outline project brief.

Feasibility studies

There is seldom, if ever, a single route available for the achievement of the client’s objectives, so the project manager’s task is to work under the client’s direction to help establish a route which will best meet the client’s objectives within the perceived constraints that are set. In liaison with the client, the project manager will discuss the available options and initiate feasibility studies to determine the strategy to be adopted. In order that the feasibility studies are effective, the information used should be as full and accurate as possible. Much of that information will need to be provided by specialists and experts. Some of these experts may be available within the client’s own organisation or be regularly retained by the client: lawyers, financial advisors, insurance consultants and the like. Others, such as architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, project planners, planning supervisors, town planning consultants, land surveyors and geotechnical engineers may need to be specially commissioned. In some instances it is desirable to involve constructors (e.g. in case of framework contracts or even design and build contracts) in preparation and completion of the feasibility study.

Feasibility study reports should include the following:

Scope of investigation (from outline project brief) including establishing service objectives and financial objectives.

Studies on requirements and risks.

Public consultation (if applicable).

Consultation with stakeholders and third parties.

A geotechnical study (if applicable).

Environmental performance targets (e.g. BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes and EcoHomes; refer to Appendices 31 and 32).

An environmental impact assessment (refer to Appendix 11).

A health and safety study.

Legal/statutory/planning requirements or constraints.

Risk management strategy.

Estimates of capitals and operating costs (demolition costs, if applicable).

Assessment of potential funding.

Potential site assessments (if applicable).

Outline schedule.

The client will commission feasibility studies and establish that the project is both financially viable and deliverable. The client may instruct the project manager at this stage and, if so, his input will be made alongside the reports and views of the various consultants.

The client may ask the project manager to engage and brief the various specialists for the feasibility studies, co-ordinate the information, assess the various options and report on his conclusions and recommendations. The feasibility report should include as a minimum a ‘risk assessment’ for each option and will usually also determine the contractual procurement route to be adopted and an outline development schedule applicable to each. The client may also require comparative ‘lifecycle costings’ to be included for each option. The issue of sustainability is now a significant part of all development projects, whether new build or refurbishment, and the three elements of environment, economy and society must be considered from the earliest stages of each project. Further guidance to prepare the feasibility report as part of the business case is available in Appendix 30.

During the progress of the feasibility studies, the project manager will convene and minute meetings of the feasibility team, report progress to the client and advise the client if the agreed budget is likely to be exceeded. Feasibility studies including revenue assessment are the most crucial, but also the least certain phase of a project. Time and money spent at this stage will be repaid in the overall success of the project. The specialists engaged for the feasibility studies are most commonly reimbursed on a time–charge basis and without commitment to engage the specialist beyond the completion of the feasibility study, although often some or all members of the feasibility team will be invited to participate in the selection process to become design team members.

The project manager will obtain a decision from the client on which option to adopt for the project and this option is designated the outline project brief. The process of developing the project brief from the client’s objectives is shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2 Development of project brief from objectives.

Sustainability in the built environment

The impact on the environment of construction and related activities is now well publicised and governments around the world are challenging construction processes, methods, practices and procedures and are monitoring the industry’s outputs. The aim is to both question and change the way modern buildings are constructed and used. It is expected that such changes to processes and so forth will have a great impact on both embodied energy and also on energy input requirements of buildings, both existing and new and thus positively impact global emissions of greenhouse gases. Such change will not come cheap as construction processes are adapted and building standards and regulations set new challenges to meet future human requirements and governmental goals.

Towards sustainable development

There is a tendency by many people to consider ‘sustainability’ as just the ‘environment’ , perhaps because there is so much written about climate change and the emphasis on reducing carbon emissions and pollution. It is these drivers that appear to be leading the sustainability agenda. However, the other two important elements of the ‘triple bottom line’ which comprise ‘sustainability’, are social (people) and economic (profit). Of these it is the latter – economic – which many believe is the greater concern, for saving the environment is not expected to be cheap and it is only natural that most stakeholders want to protect their profits.

The Stern report believes extreme weather, created by global warming, could reduce global GDP by up to 1% with the worse-case scenario predicting global output per head falling by 20%. This cost of ‘doing nothing’ however can arguably be much greater than the costs associated with reducing carbon emissions, although there are many who show reluctance to the implementation of the preventative actions needed to reduce such emissions, on the grounds of associated costs and hence loss of profit.

However, many consultants are successfully demonstrating that if sustainability is approached holistically, using integrated design with modern materials and systems, it is entirely possible to create a built environment that is both sustainable and economically viable. Furthermore, the argument now held by the majority of industry experts is that we really have no choice, the planet is in need of environmental adjustment and the only way for this to happen is by reducing carbon emissions through changes to our built environment, our energy sources and consumptions, transport systems and lifestyles. But such changes are not simple in today’s world of politics and limited resources, consequently there is a need to consider holistically the ‘triple bottom line’ of environment, economic and social, which means that profit and people must remain as key considerations of the overall solution.

In terms of social (people) acceptance, the construction industry needs to build facilities which do not adversely affect the external environment through pollution, excessive size, unsightly design, overcrowding, high maintenance and indulgent consumption of materials and resources. At the same time, homes must be affordable and available, with adequate communal green areas and spaces within environments which are comfortable in terms of light, noise, density and within reasonable commuting distances of workplaces. Travel is a key source of carbon pollution and natural resource consumption, hence creating shorter commuting distances is part of the overall aims for developing a healthier environment.