Client Care L2

Question 1

Identifying all clients/colleagues/third parties who are your clients

Answer 1

Construction work is highly collaborative with multiple consultants/parties working together to deliver projects.
It is important to perceive all parties that you encounter as a client
as their perception of you is likely to impact on me/my firms performance

Question 2

Appropriate behaviour to establish good client relationships –

Answer 2

Understand clients objectives.
Good communication.
Respond quickly and comply with deadlines. Add value by seeing the clients perspective but
being careful to point out extent of expertise.

Question 3

The systems and procedures that are appropriate for managing the process of client care, including complaints

Answer 3

We invite clients complete a brief questionnaire every 6 months to a year to confirm what we are doing well and identify what we could improve upon.
Adhering to deadlines is very important. Establish when a client requires something and ensure that is achieved.
If the deadline cannot be achieved then this should be communicated to the client as early as possible

Question 4

RICS Client

Answer 4

Fundamental to surveying industry. Reputation is based on the enhanced service and protection RICS surveyors provide

Question 5

Complaints Procedure

Answer 5

Stage 1; review by senior member of firm
7 days acknowledge
21 days respond)
Stage 2; Referred to redress scheme

Question 6

Data collection, analysis and defining the needs of clients –

Answer 6

regular questionnaire/feedback platform
Fundamentally always listen to the client and be responsive to their needs

Question 7

Specialism

Answer 7

Identify work outside of your specialism
e.g. VAT.
Legal disputes
Whole Life Costing
fall outside standard scope of service

Question 8

Insurance

Answer 8

Cover against negligence up to say up to £5m. Policy covers cost of defending claim
subject to excess payment.

Question 9

How stakeholders are identified and how their status within the project is established =

Answer 9

Project team,
client team,
MC,
SC,
Suppliers,
Site Investigation etc,
Statutory (LPA, utilities),
Public/local residents/business.

Question 10

Formal comms with client and where things can go wrong

Answer 10

Failure to understand the brief,
poor communication is the next main cause of client relationship problems;
Lead client contact,
Information management (SharePoint), Escalation (separate point of contact – Senior Director),
Confidentiality (confirm position on external communication – project access only to those allocated to project)

Question 11

KPI’s

Answer 11

Measure performance;
satisfaction,
safety,
productivity.
Measure through questionnaire

Question 12

Client Objective

Answer 12

Cost certainty
Programme certainty
Cost vs Value over building use?
PEP; requirements, roles, responsibilities. Value hierarchy

Question 13

Client Brief example Wrexham site 2

Answer 13

Client - speculative build to rent
design/scope - distribution warehouse
budget - tbc
programme 9 months
3rd party stakeholders - funder
legal issues - n/a
procurement - single stage D&B
constraints - pre commencement butterfly mound

Question 14

QS Scope (Limits of PI insurance)

Answer 14

Pre-Contract;
Feasibility estimate,
tendering & procurement advice,
cost plan development,
tender documents,
tender process

Post-contract;
Valuations,
variations control/costing,

Supp. Services;
life cycle reports,
L&E and EoT assessments
contract admin (EA)

Question 15

Appointment doc

Answer 15

Details,
Obligations,
warranties,
payment terms,
scope of services,
additional services,
termination,
fees,

Question 16

Customer Feedback approach

Answer 16

Forms or meeting.
Cheap & less bias vs
personal & time consuming.
Overall service,
value, quality, time

Question 17

Prequalification Questionnaires (PQQ) –

Answer 17

Establish suitable prospective contractors for inclusion within the next stage of the tendering process
e.g. Accounts,
Credit rating,
Relevant experience

Question 18

Invitation to Tender (ITT) –

Answer 18

Cleary sets out tender process for contractor. Certificate of bona fide tender can help in sorting out contractors who may not be willing to commit / do not have capacity.
Can aids in creating competition by discounting contractors not serious early on.

Question 19

Site investigation –

Answer 19

Basis for design and overall programme. Establish if ground needs remediation or specialist foundations?
If existing building it should be confirmed Asbestos is not present.
Confirm planning pre-commencement conditions are satisfied.
e.g. is there any biodiversity or species protection measures required?
Failing to understand components such as this could significantly impact on cost and programme so clarification of investigation should be sought from the outset.

Question 20

Feasibility studies

Answer 20

Benchmarking exercise to identify from the outset of the project if the design proposal is feasible
(i.e. does the GDV fit with the development costs)

Question 21

Procurement reports –

Answer 21

Meole Brace;
Exec summary,
Intro,
Analysis – D&B, Traditional, Comparison and Risk allocation,
Conclusion.
Advise the client on what the best approach to take based on their requirements.

Question 22

Project programme –

Answer 22

Are there any dates that must be met or is time secondary to cost?
Are there elements of work that could risk the programme?
E.g., Derby demolition removal of asbestos. Advise best to remove asbestos separately as enabling works (prior to demolition).
Due to funding, the work had to be undertaken collectively.

Question 23

Communication strategy –

Answer 23

Dependent on how involved the client is. Hands off or involved day to day?
Minimum expectation to provide monthly cost report –
outlining variations, prov sum, claims, programme.

Question 24

Establishing a client’s objectives –

Answer 24

(Time, Cost & Quality)
Wrexham;
Good value,
Programme (quick but secondary to cost)
cost and
design risk to contractor

Question 25

Confirming a client’s brief –

Answer 25

Background,
design/scope,
budget,
programme,
3rd party stakeholders,
legal issues,
procurement,
constraints

Question 26

Establishing a scope of services –

Answer 26

Feasibility estimate,
tendering & procurement advice,
cost plan development,
tender process

Post-contract;
Valuations,
variations control/costing,

Supp. Services;
contract admin (EA)
VE,
life cycle reports

Question 27

Establishing project stakeholders and their status –

Answer 27

Wrexham;
Client
EA / PM
QS,
CDM,
MC
Architect
Civils & Structural

Question 28

Setting up communication systems with a client and stakeholders –

Answer 28

Wrexham;
SharePoint project information folder for all parties.
Instructions to be made and requested to the EA. - (CRE8)
QS (Arcadis) -
Client (FIREM) -
Project team (Arc, SE, CE, CDM) -
Statutory (LPA, Utilities) –
Main Contractor,
Sub-contractors
Suppliers

Question 29

Dealing with a complaint –

Answer 29

Not done but understand process;
Stage 1; review by senior member of firm (7 days acknowledge – 21 days respond)
Stage 2; Referred to redress scheme

Question 30

Measurement of KPIs

Answer 30

CDM
1=Non-Compliant Immediate Action Required.
2=Improvement Required Rectification Required.
3= Legally Compliant
4= Beyond Compliance.
5 = Best Practice Standards Identified. Performance questionnaire to client.

Question 31

Calculating fees for professional services –

Answer 31

Whitwell;
Resource required for initial report –
time & cost
(seniority e.g. GEC vs Director).
Ongoing
Site visits,
meeting,
information review,
compilation of report

Question 32

Fees =Components;

Answer 32

1. T&C’s (Insurance, Payment, Dispute resolution)
2. Scope,
3. Exclusions,
4. Assumptions (programme)
   Calculate cost; Individual resource, rate, time, scope, profit

Question 33

Issuing reports to a client example

Answer 33

e.g. cost reports –
UPS every month have face to face meeting to outline key changes along with their cost status.

Question 34

Compiling an appointment document -

Answer 34

Details,
payment terms,
scope of services,
PI (£2m each & every)
termination,
fees (£5?? then £1500PM)