For clients commissioning construction projects, there’s nothing more stressful than delays, unexpected costs or poor workmanship. We believe that one of the most effective ways to prevent these problems is through regular architect led site inspections.

We are an Edinburgh based firm of architects who work on projects throughout Scotland with build costs ranging from £100K + VAT to £5M + VAT. Over many years of practice, we have found that far fewer problems arise during the building works when we remain closely involved, and we therefore almost always use what are known as ‘Traditional’ Building Contracts, to allow this ongoing involvement.

How Traditional Contracts Support Better Oversight

The main difference between Traditional and other types of building contracts, such as Design and Build contracts, is that for Traditional Contracts, the architect will have an ongoing role during the building works both to ‘administer’ the contract and to carry our regular site inspections.

This type of contract in Scotland is usually an ‘SBCC’ contract, which is the Scottish equivalent of the ‘JCT’ contracts used in the rest of the UK. There is a lot to say (in a separate blog) about how to pick the contract which is right for your project, but this blog is about what is involved in site inspections and monitoring progress for us as Architects when using Traditional Contracts.

The Main Contractor

Once the proposals for a project have worked their way through the different design stages leading up to the Building Works (typically Feasibility, Planning, Building Warrant and Tender Stages), a Tender Package will be issued to either one or a small number of Main Contractors for pricing. Once a price has been agreed, allowing for any cost savings required, a Main Contractor is then appointed to the Client.

On Traditional Contracts the Architect remains appointed directly to the Client, rather than being ‘novated’ to the Contractor. By contrast, on non-traditional Design and Build contracts, the architect is usually working for the Contractor, and may not be in a position to report any faults with the construction work to the Client, or may not be carrying out regular site inspections at all.

Setting Out the Project Arrangements at the Start

Once the project cost and the start and finish dates have been agreed for the Building Works on a Traditional Contract, the Main Contractor can be appointed, and we organise a ‘Pre Site Start’ meeting to agree the arrangements during the building works. Part of this would include setting up a schedule of dates for Progress Meetings and Site Inspections.

Progress Meetings will usually be on a monthly basis and will usually be formal meetings following a specific agenda and will be minuted by us as the Architect. The Contractor will be asked to circulate their own monthly report in advance of this meeting. The meeting will cover issues such as whether the project is on programme and budget, the required timing of any additional information or decisions and whether there are any problems. Site Inspections for our projects will usually be on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

The Project Programme

One of the Main Contractor’s responsibilities is to put together a Project Programme, which is the plan for how all of the different elements are to be sequenced by day and by week. It is very important that this is put together realistically before the building works start, so that the Main Contractor can properly plan when to order materials, appoint sub-contractors, etc.

Some parts of the building works have to follow a particular sequence, for example the foundations going in before the external walls and the plastering being done before the decoration, but the contractor will often have some flexibility with the timing of other parts.

We ask the Main Contractor to identify the ‘Critical Path’ on their programme, to show where there are critical connections and sequences are between different parts of the works. It is unusual (in our experience!) for a project to exactly follow the Programme that is put together at the start, and it is usually considered a guide. It is sometimes agreed to update a Project Programme in the latter parts of the project with what is called a ‘Programme to Completion’.

Some Main Contractors will use proprietary software like Microsoft Project for their programmes, but an effective programme can be written using Excel or something similar.

What Happens During Site Inspections

Dependent on the size and stage of a project, our site inspections would typically last anywhere from an hour to a full day. There will usually be a joint walkthrough with the Main Contractor’s Site Agent, their Contracts/ Project Manager the Client and any other key people. Dependent on the size and stage of the project, this may also include a Quantity Surveyor, sub-contractors or other design consultants, such as engineers.

During the walkthrough, we as architects are taking a record of progress across different parts of the project, checking that what is being built matches the drawings and specification, and trying to help identify any problems or mistakes as early as possible. Where problems are identified early, they are generally easier and cheaper to fix.

There are obvious limitations on what can be seen if you are not on site every day, as parts of the works will be covered up or otherwise inaccessible. If a greater frequency of Site Inspection is required, Clients can consider also appointing a Clerk of Works, who would carry out additional, interim site inspections. This is generally only on larger projects.

We take a LOT of photos during these site visits and will frequently need to refer back to them if there are any problems. For example, on our East Lothian Farmhouse Refurbishment, we took around 4,000 photos during an 18 month build.

Monitoring Actual Progress Against the Programme

As part of the monthly progress meetings, we will take a record of actual progress for each element of the programme, compared to the planned progress. We call this a ‘Manhattan Line’ overmark, but there are other ways of doing this.

If a project is broadly on programme, then we would typically expect to see some elements of the works on programme, some a little behind and some a little ahead. If the majority of the different elements of the works are behind, then this more than likely means that the project is falling behind.

We will then raise this openly with both the Main Contractor and the Client, and ask the Main Contractor for their take on whether or not the project is running behind. This can be a tricky conversation, as there can be a tendency towards optimism and not wanting to give bad news. If it is clear to everyone that a project is delayed, then we ask the Main Contractor what they can do to make up the time, for example by increasing the number of people working on the project.

This is sometimes not possible, but in any event it is better for a Client to know as soon as possible if there is going to be a delay to their project, so that they can make plans for a different completion date.

Using Cash Flow to Monitor Progress

Another method we use to monitor actual progress is Cash Flow, which is usually just on medium or larger sized projects. At the start of the project, we will ask the Main Contractor to provide a Cash Flow Forecast, to show what they expect their monthly interim invoices to be for completed work. We take the figures and put these into a graph to show monthly and cumulative ‘spend’. The graph will typically show a  bell curve (for monthly payments) and an S curve (for cumulative payments).

As the project progresses, we can plot the actual monthly and cumulative spend against what was planned. If progress is drifting behind, this is usually clear in the actual cashflow and this can be a useful early warning system.

Using Plan Diagrams to Monitor Progress

A third method we have used for monitoring progress is a system of Red/ Amber/ Green overmarks on plan diagrams. On the example image, the red shows work not yet started, amber shows work in progress and green shows work completed. A record can then be taken at every site inspection and used as a graphical record of how the building works have progressed. This is not suited to every project, as many projects will have work in progress in most areas for the majority of the building works. The example shown was for an Edinburgh Listed Building conservation project, where the works were mainly external and followed a ‘rolling’ sequence along a street.

The Snagging Process

Towards the end of the Building Works is the well known ‘Snagging’ process, where there is a formal inspection of the building works area by area, carefully checking for any problems with the construction. This is then collated into a detailed schedule for the Main Contractor to rectify. This topic is a blog (or book) in itself!

Summary

Hello, I’m Roderick Binns, a Director at Edinburgh based Fernandes Binns Architects Ltd. The blog is just a high level summary of the process we use for our own site inspection and keeping an eye on progress, but I hope that you find it helpful! We specialise in Residential, Education, Workspace and Conservation projects in and around Edinburgh, and if you are considering a project we can help with, please get in touch!