Mock Questions Flashcards
What are clients responsibilities under CDM ?
- ensure other duty holder are appointed
- make sure other duty holders are appointed
- To provide PCI
- Ensure that welfare facilities are provided
- Notify the HSE if a project is notifiable
- Mange HS file
- ensure the PD and PC carry out their duties
What are the contractors responsibilities under CDM
- prepare CPP
- Plan, Manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in construction
- suitable site induction
-welfare facilities
-reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access
-liaising with PD and client
What are the principals of the data protection act?
Lawfulness, fairness and transparency.
Purpose limitation.
Data minimisation.
Accuracy.
Storage limitation.
Integrity and confidentiality (security)
Accountability.
What do you do if there is a breach of confidentiality ?
Report it to the information commissioners office (ICO)
How would you describe RICS to a friend ?
a leading professional body working in the public interest to advance knowledge, uphold standards, and inspire current and future professionals.
What was your hierarchy of stakeholders?
How did your communication differ from end users to that of the client ?
Communication with end users is typically more focused on their needs, concerns, and day-to-day requirements. It often involves simplifying technical details and using clear, straightforward language. In contrast, communication with the client is more strategic and involves discussing project progress, budgets, risks, and overall objectives. This communication may include more technical or financial details, as well as aligning project goals with the client’s business interests.
What process do you undertake when dealing with conflicts of interest.
did you consider any other types of surveys?
What did you consider when instructing scaffolding - check
The Work at Height Regulations 2005. National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) Safety Guidance SG4 ‘Preventing falls in scaffolding operations’
Why did you decide planning permission was required ?
did you consider any statutory requirements
What approved documents needed to be considered
what retention was on your project and why did you decide upon that level ?
5% - allows for suffient funds to cover potentail works that may need to be carried out in the defects liability period but does not hinder cash flow
what is an alternative to retention ?
Retention bonds
what happens if the contractor does not submittt a programme under NEC ECC
ECC has a provision to retain 25%of any sums due until the programme is submitted for approval
what is the purpose of retention ?
to provide the client with security that the contractor with return to correct any defects during the defects correction period
what would you say if your client said they did not want retention ?
I would advise my client that this would not be recommend as it removes the motivation for the contractor to return and correct any defects during the defects correction period.
why is a high retention level bad ?
may reduce the appetite for contractors to bid and also reduce cashflow for the contractor who wins
What documents are included in a party wall award?
Schedule of condition:
Drawings: Architectural and structural drawings of the proposed works
Clauses: Clauses relating to the rights and obligations of the building and adjoining owners
Details of the parties: The addresses of the properties, the owners of those properties, and the owner’s home addresses
Details of the surveyors: The details of the surveyors who have produced the award
Notices: Notices or statutory notices
Letters of appointment: Letters of appointment
Location plan: A location plan
what works would not prevent PC?
Minor issues that dont affect the use of the site
What is included on a completion certificate ?
Employer - name and adress
site adress
description of work
Job reference
contract date
issue date
notes
date of completion
contractor name and address
expiry date of defects liability period
signiture
When you have worked on a NEC contract, are compensation events approached differently between the different types of NEC contracts?
Not between the contracts I have worked on.
PM notifies the contractor of CE and requests a quote - three weeks for the contractor to respond to submit the quote - within two weeks the PM must respond
The contractor notifies of CE - within 1 week if the PM hasnt responded - contractor issues notification of failure - 2 weeks - the event is deemed as accepted
Can you instruct a CE after a completion statement has been issued?
Yes you can up until the issuing of the defects certificate. Either this issued at the defects date (52 weeks ) or after the last defect correction period (usually 3 weeks) - when all notified defects have been corrected
what is a defect ?
a part of the works which is not as stated in the works information or not in accordance with applicable law or the accepted design
Can you talk me through the timescale for evaluation of the payment certificate?
Contractor is required to make an interim payment application before each interim valuation date which is 7 day prior to the due date. 5 days after the due date the interim certificate must be issued.
between the due date and the final date for payment is 14 days.
5 days before the final date for payement is the last date for a pay less notice to be issued
what are the updates to JCT 2024
- Similar to NEC
- Collaborative working now a core requirement
- increased emphasis on environmental considerations
- The building Safety Act compliance - new duty holder roles - PD PC
-Gender neutral language
BSA duty holder additional regulations
client - plan, manage, monitor the project - appoint ther duty holders if required - provide Building info - adise if work is to a high risk building
PC - plan, manage, monitor the project, co’orporate with the clinet, leasise with the PD share all reveant info, review PD comments
In relation to DVSA Blackpool, you determined that the time scales were excessive. How did you do that? Did you refer to any guidance notes or documentation?
Because as in accordance with ECC Clause 31.3 - have to accept the programme within two weeks of submission. It does not represent the contractors plans realistically
What if the programme isnt accpeted ?
E4 has sanctions with programme - if the PM doesn’t accept the programme with two weeks - contractpr to notify PM of lack of response - another week the porgramme is accepetd
Can you tell me about how different drawings are to be titled under the design & specification competency? Is there a RIBA guidance to refer to as to how to title drawings?
project number, company name, part of the building reference, level within the building,what type of document it is, number of the document, what stage of the project is it for, revision number, file type
How would you keep up to date with the latest design guidance?
Iutultise Modus and BRE Digest
Examples
Modus - How much water can your flat roof tolerate?
How can commercial properties reduce its energy bills
BRE - 245 - rising damp
BRE - 345 - Wood decay
What have the new documents for RICS changed too
Professional standards = requirements for competent and ethical practic
Practice information = advice/practical support to memberss
What other surveys could you instruct at design stage
- ecological survey
-CCTV drainage survey
-Measured survey - Thermal imaging survey
With project briefs, how do you handle changes within the pre-contract period?
So i ensure to track conversations and discussion, to start with i make sure to take comprehensive brief, i track changes using a communications tracker, i advise client of the time, cost and quaility impliactions of the changes
Can you name some key fire risks within a building?
Electrical and mechaical installations
heat sources - tea points
storage - blocked fire exits
building mainatnace - faulty smoke dectior alrms
combustible materials
You have an awareness of the control of asbestos regulations. Can you tell me about the different types of asbestos works and the differences between them?
Must do a risk assessment prior to deciding this
Non-licensed work = must be sporadic and low intensity - short non-continuous maintenance task, with only non-friable materials, examples : Drilling of textured decorative coatings for installation of fixtures/fittings. Encapsulation and sealing-in work on asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that are in good condition
- appropriate controls in place
Notifiable Non-Licensed work:
- notify LA for hops offices, entertainment ect HSE, factories, construction or demo sites
- identify areas where work is being done
- ensure medical examinsations are carried out
- maintain registers of work (health records )
- examples = asbestps cement product removals where the material has been susbustantailly damaged or broken or will break
- large scale removal of teaxureed coatings using steaming or gelling methods
Lieneced work with asbteos:
- more higher-risk work with asbtesos
risk assessment cannot clearly demonstrate that the control limit will not be exceeded
- examples = removal of sprayed coatings , work involving loose fill insulation, work which may distrub pipe lagging
- must notify
You have submitted a heritage statement with a planning permission. What are some of the headings included in a heritage statement?
Overview
site location and discribion
the conservation area
listed status
description of the property
proposals
Heritage asset imact
- What would you do if the client said you hadn’t met one of their SLA’s or KPI’s. How would you deal with this to manage the client relationship?
Set up a meeting to identify targets missed, discuss events that caused it to be missed, how can it be improved and avoid it happening again. If the client wanted to make a formal complaint i would refer them to the RICS/RLB complaints handeling system
What is RLB’s complaint handleing sytem ?
In line with RICS CH GN:
Complaint receievd
Notify PII insurers
(RICS acknowedlge within 21 days ) Key cleint contact requests a written complaint
send CH procedure
compliaint acknowedged within 2 days
liase with them for resolution plan - target time 5 day
if they disatisfied - attemplts to resolve through negations (settlement?)
mediation opertated by RICS
Refer to surveyors and evauluer arbitration scheme -operated by charted insuituate of arbitrators
What are the types of ADR?
adjudication = AIM OF ADJUDICATION IS TO RSOLVE THE DISUPTE, QUICKLY, FAIRLEY AND COST EFFECTIVE. 28 days. impartial adjudicator to make a decision on how to resolve the issue
Mediation = Parties who opt to use mediation agree that they want to try to negotiate a settlement of the issues. It is non-binding and focuses on collaboration.
Arbitration – A neutral arbitrator hears both sides and makes a decision that is binding . It is more formal than mediation but less than court proceedings.
Expert determination : Like arbitration, expert determination is a private process where an independent technical expert is appointed (by the parties themselves or by an appointing body such as RICS) to conduct their own investigation and reach a decision on the dispute. Expert determination is often used when the dispute focuses on a technical issue rather than a legal one.
You mentioned service reviews, tell me about your service review process
Risk assement
- is it on track
- any risk
- are the KPIs being met
When is a project notifiable under CDM?
If it last longer then 30 days with 20 workers on site
500 person working days
What would you do if you had a notifiable project?
submit an F10 form to HSE
Where should a form F10 be displayed?
In the site cabin
What regulations would you refer to for undertaking works to a fragile roof?
Work at height regulations 2005
- avoid
- control using fall restraint, fall arrest
- communication - warning notices
- co-operation = work with the client
What was the page from HSE on welfare facilities?
Have the right workplace facilities
What does net zero mean
balance of greenhouse gasses taht is produced and removed from the atmoshere
What are some barriers to using renewable energy?
- Hertitage - listed/conservation area
proximity to aminties such as grid/ river
cost
storage
materials of the building
- What contract did you use for the DVSA Leicester project?
a. What role were you fulfilling under the contract?
b. Whose responsibility was it to identify defects under the project?
c. What is the NEC supervisor’s role under that contract and how does it differ to project managers?
NEC3 ECC option A
a. NEC Project manger, deisgner and superviour
b. the contractor and the supervior
c. PM issues payment cert, EW, CE . Superviorr = defects notices, search for defcets and defects cert
Who is responsible for issuing a defects notice?
NEC supervior
How did you decide what the appropriate level of accuracy was for the measurement?
a. Do you always measure to the same level of accuracy?
RICS Professional standard - code of measuring parctice:
- what is the purpose of the measurement exercise
- what is being measured
- what are the site conditions at the time of measurement
- what would be the ramifications should the level of accuracy be deemed insufficient.
a ) no - They might pace out the extents of a tarmacadam car park
when valuing an application for interim payment for building
works undertaken, but use a hand-held laser measuring
device or some technically advanced surveying equipment
when measuring the net internal area of office space in a
building in the City of London
For the DVSA Leeds project, can you talk me through what elements you considered to deal with deadening sound?
used white specifier - identified the agreed upon db rating. - so considered the platerboard use two layers of sondbloc and the profiled metal roof - specifie insulation t be installed in the undulation as part of the defeclection head.
For the Great Moor food store, how did you determine the cause of the defect?
Investigated the basment - high levels of saturation and wet rot directly below the chillers - evidneeced there was a leak
Can you talk me through the process of condensation?
when warm, moist air touches a cooler surface, causing the water vapor in the air to change int
What are the benefits of having diversity?
better decision making - more view points
increased creativity and innovation
attracting and retaining talent
attracts wider range of clients - improved marketing
better problem solving
What does unconscious bias mean?
Unconscious bias is when people make decisions or judgments without realizing they are influenced by their own assumptions, interpretations, or past experies
How do you address unconscious bias?
training
diverse workfose
speak out
make a conious effort to lean more about different cultures and peoples background
What is typically in a business plan?
Finance, who’s going to be employed, profit goals, clients
What is in a balance sheet ?
our assets (what the company owns), your liabilities (what the company owes) and the shareholders’ equity
What is 3 way reconciliation?
Three-way reconciliation is an accounting process employed by law firms. It aligns internal trust ledgers with client trust ledgers and trust bank statements.
You negotiated over price on a DVSA RAAC propping job. How did you prepare for that negotiation?
so following the contractors submittal of the AFP, i reviewed it against the works completed to date, The additional site, hadn’t been undertaken nor was it due to undertaken that month. Therefore i explained to the contractor as in accordance with the i ensure clause 50, i can only certify payment for the price for work done to date, plus other amounts to be paid to the contractor (advance payments ??) d i had the relevant information in including evidence.
What happens if no programme is submitted
1/4 of the works done to date in assement of the amount due is witheld
when is the final assessment of payment due ?
Four weeks after the supervisor issues the defects certificate
