Tom Questions - Case Study Flashcards
What is covered by RIBA stage 4 to 6?
RIBA stage 4 is a technical design, which is where the tender pack or employer requirements are finalised, and the project is procured through the chosen route. Additionally, statutory consent will typically be obtained at this point if they were during stage 3.
Stage 5 - is construction/ manufacture; this covers the time the project is on-site.
Stage 6 is the handover
What is the purpose of the RIBA workstages and how do these assist surveyors?
The RIBA plan of works helps to break down and organise the construction process.
In this project, I used it as a checklist during the project and to define the limitations of the project’s scope of services, to which our fee draw could also be linked.
What did the client’s construction budget include?
The budget included for the main works to the property, external landscaping and a construction contingency.
Why is it important to understand what is included/excluded from the client’s budget?
To avoid scope creep, allow a design to be tailored to the budget, ensuring the budget is spent on the project’s key elements.
What did you consider when formulating a fee proposal for your services?
The project fee proposal was based on the framework percentage rates that were agreed upon with the client—however, specific exclusions such as applying for listed building consent.
For the additional services, such as the roof survey the anticipated time to complete the work, specialist equipment such as the drone, an allowance for expenses.
What did you exclude from your fee proposal?
Our project bid excluded the outbuilding, obtaining listed building and planning consent, it also excluded additional design work as the intention was to procure the existing design.
Why is it important to identify the exclusions within a fee proposal?
Exclusions limit the scope of the project and the surveyor’s liability. They also set client expectations.
What do you understand from the term ‘value engineering’? Is it just cost saving?
Value engineering should be the process of achieving better value for money on a project without compromising the project outcome. In terms of the case study project, an element that I identified for cutting out in the VE exercise was the Accoya orangery; the high cost of this element would not add a proportionate amount of value to the project in comparison to opening this area up as a patio.
What method did you follow for obtaining competitive tenders?
The project was procured through a traditional tender to the two framework contractors and we under took a pre-tender estimate
The returns were judged on 60% price 40% Quality
As far as possible, we asked negotiated with the contractors to fix the provisional sums included in their tenders.
What went into the tender documents?
ITT
The pricing document
existing and proposed drawings
The specification document
The ASHP heating system design pack
Pre-construction information, including the surveys carried out to date
What were the rental rates identified by the estate agent?
The estate agent believed that the property could reach a rental value of £5,000 a month.
How did you inform the estate agent of the proposed market expectation for the standard of accommodation?
I gave the estate agent the project brief and details of the property such as location and size.
What was the expected payback period based on the investment? How was this calculated?
The payback period was calculated by dividing the project funding envelope by the yearly rental income, which gave a payback period of around 16 years.
Why was the contractor entitled to loss and expense due to programme prolongation?
The contractor would be entitled to loss and expense to cover the cost of their additional preliminary costs such as the extended period of hire for welfare units where a relevant matter caused the delay.
What was the format for the design workshops? Who attended, how were they recorded, what did they cover?
Design Workshops were held both in person and via teams. They were chaired by myself and attended by the client team during stage 4 to agree on material specifications and designs. I recorded minutes from the meetings confirming the choices made by the client. We had a separate meeting for different elements of the work, such as hard landscaping works.
How did you go about commissioning external consultants’ flood risk and ecology reports?
For the ecology report I suggested that we approach the consultant who had previously produced the PRA survey for the property a number of years ago as they may be able to offer a reduced cost for the updated report.
I recommended the provider of the flood risk assessment as someone who had previously provided me with a good level of service, and had previously been the most cost-efficient of three quotes obtained.
Were the external consultants appointed by you?
No, the external consultants were appointed directly by the client. However, I facilitated their appointment.
What did you need to consider when obtaining proposals from other consultants?
How they will be appointed, as a matter of policy Ridge do not appoint third parties on behalf of clients so the cilents must appoint directly.
Addtionaly the clients must satisfy themselbes that they are happy to proceed with the recommend 3rd parties and Ridge takes no responsibility for the quality of their services
What did you consider when evaluating the tender returns from contractors?
I reviewed the tender returns with the project QS; we looked for discrepancies in the tenders, which might indicate a misunderstanding of the required scope, such as very high or low prices.
We also considered the number and sum of provisional sums provided by the contractors.
What went into the tender report? Overford
I jointly prepared the tender report for the project QS.
it included:
-a summary of the tender costs and any changes made during the clarification period and proposed programme period
-it directly compared the costs from the two tenders including for prelims etc
-Our recommendation to appoint Kingerlee
How did you conduct the clarification process?
We used a scott schedule to record answers and responses to queries we raised following a review of the tenders.
When we closed out as many as possible via email, we invited each tenderer to a sit down meeting to work out the remaining items. These meetings were minuted for the record.
What guidance is available for dealing with clarifications under a JCT contract tender process?
Both the RICS and JCT publish guidance on tendering.
It is important that clarifications during the tender process are issued to all tender’s to insure they have access to the same information.
Clarifications agreed with tenderers as part of their return will be included in the contract documents.
