Though Construction Project Managers are not responsible for Drafting construction Bids and contracts, they are

responsible for providing input for these documents, reviewing the contract terms and conditions and monitoring work to ensure that work has been performed completely. Thus the PMS are the Key persons between the Client and the contractors thus it is important that they successfully manage the project to avoid any disputes. Three main areas where the Construction Project Manager plays an important role are Scope Management. Contract Administration & Management and Performance Management (Monitoring & Control).

Scope Management: The PM must have a clear understanding of the Construction Project Site and the scope of the construction. He should understand the goals and objectives of the client. He should go through all the final drawings and be clear of what is going to be constructed.PM should ensure that the architects and other consultants have laid clear specifications in the drawings. The final detailed BOQ should be verified and checked by the PM, before it is issued for construction/ Bidding. Importance of Constructability Review (CR) is evident in complex projects. Constructability is a Project Management technique for reviewing the construction process from start to finish during the pre construction phase. It will identify obstacles before a project actually commences and thus helps in preventing errors, delays, and cost overruns. It helps in understanding the extent to which the design of the building facilitates construction. IPENZ Engineers (2008). Pettee S.R defines Constructability Review as an independent and structured review of construction bid documents by Construction professionals to make certain that the work requirements are clear, The documents are coordinated, and that they assist the contractor in bidding, Construction and project administration to result in reduced impacts to the Project. One of the Goals of a CR is to prevent conflicts among documents. (Drawings and specification) Contract Administration & Management:

Since the PM has an important role in selecting the contractor he should conduct a due diligence of the contractor. This can be done by asking the contractors to fill a RFQ Form and Levy (2010) has given a list of detailed information required from the contractor including safety and issues like scaffolding falls, electrical faults etc in his previous Projects. The PM should ensure that a provision for Proper Quality Control checks and quality Assurance, Lab Testing, mockups construction tolerances and inspections are incorporated in the Contract. Once the bid and the drawings are given to the contractor , the PM Should arrange for pre tender Site meeting to enable the contractors to get familiarized with the site conditions and project and also discuss and clear all doubts of the contractor, to enable the contract to prepare a correct Bid. A clause stating that the contractor has understood the drawings should be incorporated in the contract to ensure there is no ambiguity. The contract documents should be clear about the site safety and security and who is responsible for the materials at site. Levy 2010 also mentions that a contract should have all broad categories of clauses containing description of work, with clear definition and specifications, date of commencement, date of completion, Contract Sum, Payment Schedules as per milestones, deliverables, and the procedures for contract modifications. The PM should ensure correctness of the above, for example in case of date of completion, he should ensure that unrealistic time targets are not agreed upon and should consider the actual task durations, site conditions, availability of material and weather conditions. Suitable contingency clause should be incorporated in the Contract for changes in scope due to unforeseen or site conditions, weather conditions, costs to expedite or accelerate the progress in work. Performance Management: The PM should ensure that work done is in line with the plan specifications. Proper site records with daily measurements, Materials and Labor Log register would help

a long way to avoid any dispute. A PM should have increased awareness of improved components, materials and construction methods and involve the contractor in these methods. Increased interest in tools and techniques to improve efficiency and quality , like benchmarking, Value Management, Just in time management, Lean Construction, Concurrent engineering and Total quality Management would help the Project Manager not only to satisfy the client, but also the delivering the Project successfully. Proactive Issue resolution , which encourages open communication and solving problems and issues as soon as possible by reaching to an agreement at the site level, instead of waiting for the issue to blow up is what the Project Manager should encourage team members to practice, Kumaraswamy ( 1997) cited in CRC Construction Innovation common causes for claims as perceived by contractors are Inaccurate design information, slow decisions form client, Poor Communication, Unrealistic time targets, inadequate construction management, uncontrollable external events, incomplete tender information, and unclear risk allocation. Regards Gangu References: Levy.S.M (2010) Construction

process

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Oxford:

Butterworth-Heinemann. The Report for the Construction Task Force, Rethinking Construction, [online] available from http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/pdf/rethinking%20construction/rethinki ng_construction_report.pdf (Accessed 30th November 2013) Kumaraswamy, M. (1997) Common categories and causes of construction claims, Construction Law Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 21-34. CRC Construction Innovation Dispute avoidance and Resolution: A Literature Review, Report [online] available from: http://www.construction-

innovation.info/images/pdfs/Literature_Review.pdf (Accessed: 30th November 2013) IPENZ Engineers New Zealand, (2008}, Constructability, [online] available from: http://www.ipenz.org.nz/IPENZ/Forms/pdfs/PN13_Constructability.pdf (Accessed: 30th November 2013) Pettee S R, Constructability Reviews- an Introduction, [online] available from http://cmaanet.org/files/Constructiblity%20Reviews%20-%20a%20primer%2066-12%20versionFINAL.pdf (Accessed: 30th November 2013)