Tom's questions - SoE Flashcards
Can you give an example of a gift you would need to record in a company register, and what you would need to record?
Any gift or offer of hospitality above a nominal value of £15 should be recorded.
Why is it important to undertake conflict of interest checks.
Carrying of CoI checks is professional due diligence; an undisclosed conflict of interest could call into question the impartiality of the work carried out.
What type and/or age of building would you associate with RAAC.
I suspect RAAC in local authority built buildings such as schools, hospitals, colleges, social housing and fire stations built between 1950 and 2000
How could you manage a conflict of interest if it arose?
Depending on the conflict, if it is deemed to be manageable, this can be done by being open with all parties about the conflict and receiving written.
If the conflict is with the company such as working for two rival firms, the projects could be covered by use of a NDA and internal management such as keeping the projects in separate offices
What do you understand by the term ‘non-intrusive’ inspection, and what is the importance of identifying this as part of your appointment?
Non-intrusive means that any concealed or covered areas will be outside the survey’s scope. And further opening up would be required before reinspection.
What would you expect to include in a fee draw?
The total anticipated fee, the contract value of a percentage-based fee, and a schedule of expected invoicing amounts. I also include details of invoices sent and if they are paid.
What is the purpose of a fee draw?
A fee draw can help project managers to plan their income and invoices. and it clearly sets out what is remaining to be invoiced.
It can also be shared with the client so they can plan their cash flow.
What is the purpose of a cash-flow forecast and why is it important?
A cash flow forecast helps to manage finances, insuring they have enough cash to cover outgoings over a set period of time.
Why is it important to identify project stakeholders and manage their expectations?
Identifying the relevent stakeholders makes it more likely the project will successfully meet the needs of the people who will use the building.
stakeholders whos expectations are suitably managed will be less inclined to complain or be disappointed in a service if it does not match what they ere expecting
What would you include typically in a well-defined fee proposal?
a Fee proposal should inculde;
- a outline of the client request and our understanding of their needs
- The property it concerns
- Our reccomended services
- exclusions, limitations and caveats
- the terms and conditions
- the proposed fee
Why would you obtain a record of appointment from the client?
-a written confirmation of appointment is the acceptance of the terms of business and the proposed fee
- having a record can help with disputes, such as the client claiming you have caused a delay when they did not formally appoint you until late
In your example of Ledbury market House, are there any risks of providing advice to a client without an appointment agreement? What action would you take?
Providing professional advice without an appointment still creates a duty of care, and negligent advice could result in a claim.
by keeping advice broad and generic, not specifying that the advice given is not to be relied on or acted upon without liability.
In your Franks Lane flood reinstatement works project, what did you include in your weekly update report?
The weekly update was only a short email rather than a report, that would cover the current project programme and where we were up to and set out any information required from the client.
In our industry where there is a lot of technical detail language, why is it important in some circumstances to use plain language?
When talking to people from outside the industry, technical jargon can be a barrier to clear communication.
Can you give an example of limitations you might include in a fee proposal?
Limitations might include that only high-level areas safely accessible from a three-meter ladder will be inspected, and unboarded roof voids will have a ‘head and shoulders’ inspection only.
What different formats of reports might you use in different circumstances?
The format of report is dictated by the clients needs. When under taking PPM surveys on a portfolio of buildings a lengthy written report for each building could be information overload for a client. A simple photographic report with cost data is more suited to the level of detail required.
In your Fire Service Training Centre project, what do you mean by the term ‘real-time’ when assisting stakeholders to visualise proposed layouts?
During the in-person meeting I brought up AutoCAD on my laptop and cast it onto the big screen. Using pre-drawn shapes indicating rooms I was able to move these around on the screen to show different suggestions from the client.
When undertaking surveys of domestic properties, what risks might there be to consider and how do you manage them? What action / precautions do you take? What guidance is available to assist you?
During surveys at domestic properties there are various risks I might encounter;
-The tenants/ home owners are unknown to me - They may be vunerable, or have issues such as drug/ alcohol abuse
- The properties could be in poor condition - there may be trip/ fall hazards as well as mould spores
- there may be dogs at the address
I use the RICS surveying safety guidance and my company’s internal health and safety guidance. During lone working I make sure a manager or, at minimum, another colleague knows where I am and when I expect to leave.
Can you explain what was included in your ‘Quality Monitoring’ role for Norham Gardens? Can you give some examples of what you identified and included within your reports?
My role at Norham gardens was to act on behalf of the client to identify risks to the project programme or quality as it was a design and build project.
for instance, I identified that the CLT moisture management plan specified that weep holes should be included in the roof structure to provide an early warning system for roof leaks. However, it also specified that these were taped over during the air tightness testing, which I queried as this would give a false reading on the air tightness and building performance (Passivhaus).
In respect of your role as a Building Surveyor, what are the Principal ‘regulations’ and considerations under the Building Safety Act?
it has introduced new duty holders similar to those of the CDM regulations, these apply to almost all building projects:
- principal designer must be appointed in writing before construction begins
-Principle Contractor
- the Client
The BRPD’s role is to audit the design process and challenge design changes to ensure compliance with building regulations.
What are the hazards associated with entering basements and roof voids?
Basements and roof voids, can both be confined spaces where I could encounter hazards such as vermin faeces, asbestos, unstable surfaces (put foot through a ceiling), low lighting levels, fall hazards at access hatches. ladders
What regulations cover these activities? (entering basements and roof voids)
The health and saftey at work act
The working at height regulations
In using the drone for Rectors Lodge, what did you assess when compiling a Flight Plan? What goes into a Flight Plan?
The flight plan looks at the site location, potential risks in the area and mitigation for those risks or restricted flying areas, the details of the nearby hospital, and where the pilots will locate themselves during the flight and the planned path of the flight.
Whose responsibility is it to provide pre-construction information under the CDM regulations?
This is a duty of the client. However, it is typically passed with an agreement to the principal designer.
In your Lobelia Road project, what did you identify for the PCI?
The details of the PD, PM and client
I identified that the project site had limited space for site set-up and being on a residential street consideration would need to be given to vehicle access and parking
I included the CCTV drainage survey and refurbishment and demolition survey
The requirements of the health and safety file to be provided by the contractor
What must be included in PCI?
a description of the site and the works including access requirements
a risk assessment of the site
a designer risk assessment
details of any known hazards materials on-site, or site specific hazards
client requirements for management of the works such as permits to work
Survey reports
Requirements of the health and safety file
Why is it important to issue clear invoices to clients?
Confusion over what an invoice covers or has already been paid can cause payment delays and worry for the client.
What are the main things you would include in a Business Plan?
- Overview what the bussiness plan aims to achieve
-the strategy for reaching the aims and analysis of the situation (swot or pestle)
-end goal and road map what are the KPIs, timescales, review periods and intermediate goals.
How would you monitor the effectiveness of a business plan
By setting targets or KPI’s
What do you consider to be the main influences currently on construction sector risks/opportunities?
Risks:
- High construction costs continue
- Lack of labour and skills
Opportunities:
- Governmental change - focus on housing and retro fit, MEES
- Cladding remediation
-defence work
What is the role of a mediator in dispute resolution?
The mediator is a facilitator of the negotiations
How would you go about appointing a mediator?
Through a nominating body such as the RICS dispute resolution service
Why is it necessary to- store documents / data for up to 15 years?
Firms may need information to respond to claims made against them. RICS Risk, liability and Insurance Practice infomation recommends that members retain their files for 15 years after providing any professional services,
Building saftey act What effect has there been on liability?
The building safety act increased the limitation period in the Defective Premises Act from 6 years to 15 years for new work and up to 30 years for retrospective works on dwellings.
a non-dwelling project limitation period will depend on the contract - under hand is 6 years and as a deed is 12 years.
there are grounds for extensions to this depending on when issues are identified. long-stop position of 15 years if the claimant did not know a loss was suffered earlier
Why is it important to maintain records of site notes?
Site notes provide a record of your on-site observations and can be useful as evidence in any negligence claim or complaint. they form a retrospective record of conduct and behaviour, and are prima facie evidence of the surveyor’s competence.
What are the main principles of the GDPR Regulations as far as they affect your role? In what circumstances do you need to consider the requirements of the GDPR Regs?
During my role on behalf of my company I will sometimes act as a data processorfor the purposes of GDPR, for instance when working with clients, I will collect personal details from them such as addresses names and phone numbers as part of the project.
I need to be careful when personal data is shared with me that it is not accidentally shared with any other person and it is securely stored. One of the most common forms of data breach is human error – either sending emails by mistake to the wrong recipient.
What are the limitations of using BCIS data?
BCIS data can be very high level, or there can be limited results for niche building types; for instance, I undertook a BRCA on a small airfield which had a control tower. There were only 2 or 3 analyses of air traffic control towers on the BCIS, and they were for large-scale airports, so they were not representative of the building I surveyed.
How do you use BCIS data and when would you use it?
I have typically used the BCIS when undertaking building reinstatement cost assessments and dilapidation schedules to inform the costs I input into them.
What is an EPC and what is it for?
An energy performance certificate aims to show how energy efficient a building is by giving it a rating and recommending some improvements that can be made.
When does an EPC have to be produced?
EPCs are needing on residential properties when they are sold or rented, and on commercial buildings when they are rented
What is the purpose of the MEES for commercial property?
to set a minimum efficiency standard of an E for new leases. to help encourage landlords to improve their premises.
Why was the Joint Statement on Moisture Movement produced? What does it say?
the joint statement aims to provide a standard methodgy that could be used to diagonse damp in buildings.
It focuses on looking at the issue in a hollstic manner and following the trail of evidence
How would you diagnose sulphate attack in concrete? What would you see?
map cracking and swelling of concrete slabs caused by affected hardcore.
in mortar it will appear as horizontal cracking following the mortar beds. and can cause chimneys to lean.
How would you diagnose cavity wall tie failure?
horizontal cracking at regular intervals, such as every 6 courses of brickwork. and potentially bowing of the wall, or roof movement.
Remedied cavity wall tie failure is often identifiable by patterns of patched bricks or render. if often similar properties have had cavity wall tie repairs done.
What would you recommend as a remediation approach for sulphate attck and cavity wall tie failure ?
Sulphate attacks cannot be remedied and can be a structural risk. The contaminatnted materials must be removed and the slab or wall rebuilt.
Cavity wall tie failure can be remediated with retrofitted walls ties.
In your Gloucester hospital roof example, describe the roof build up? Where does the VCL go?
What typical flat roof form of construction / repair would you propose for a hospital flat roof with cable trays?
The build up was a warm deck roof made up of a plywood deck, then the VCL, then mineral wool insulation and a single ply membrane.
Due to the potential maintenance requirement, I would specify a covering that was suitable for access, such as a bitumen or GRP roof with rigid insulation suitable for the point loading of the cable trays.
What do you understand by the term ‘load-paths’?
Load paths are the routes in which the weight of a structure is transferred to the ground; for instance, a lintel transfers the weight of the wall above to its bearing ends, and they transfer it downwards.
In your Bath housing defect survey, how did you eliminate other potential causes of cracking?
I looked at pervious engineers reports on the ground conditions and drainage which raised no issues.
I compared the cracking to typical cracking patterns. and looked at the direction of movement/ arrows of tension.
The cracking did not match the symptoms of subsidence (did not pass through the DPC) and it was consistent to all elevations of the property. two brick arches had previously been replaced, however the cracking had persisted.
How did you decide that vibration from the railway was the cause? What would you recommend in that situation?
The cracking did not match the symptoms of subsidence (did not pass through the DPC) and it was consistent to all elevations of the property. two brick arches had previously been replaced, however the cracking had persisted. so the movement was ongoing but was not progressive. it was also evident on the surrounding buildings.
I recommended the moratr joints be raked out and repointed in a flexible resin mortar to allow for continued movement but prevent water ingress and ongoing monitoring to check that the cracking remains stable.
Merton College – 1 Hollywell Street – how does cement based mortar on soft clay bricks cause spalling?
Cement-based mortar sets very hard, as it is harder than soft brick. Water is retained in the brick and does not escape through the mortar joints. This leads to issues such as freeze-thaw damage, salt damage and erosion of the bricks, leaving the cement pointing behind.
