BUQS 2006: SITE MANAGEMENT:

SITE MANAGEMENT (2)

Dr. H.A. Quainoo
July/August 2016

THE SITE HAND OVER MEETING

Takes place after the contract award following the selection of
the right contractor during the adjudication process
Clients representative (i.e. the Project Manager) calls for a
meeting at a predetermined date
Purpose: the construction site is legally handed over to the
prime contractor with an authority to start construction work
Members: all project participants
Other issues discussed:
Potential problems with the project (e.g. consultations with
relevant public authorities, suppliers of major construction
materials, etc)
Action plans / resolutions and assigning responsibilities
Critical dates (start, milestone dates and completion date)
Boundaries and benchmarks

Roles of major parties defined at the Site Handover meeting (Austen & Neale, 1995)

Roles of different parties at the site meeting prior to the start of

construction activities are summarised as follows:
Project Management Team (Project Manager & supporting
services):
- Check contract documents and submit for clients and
contractors signature
- Examine contractors programme and negotiate satisfactory
solution to any problems
- Appoint site inspectorate
- Check clients and contractors insurance
- Arrange site handover to the contractor
- Arrange site meetings
- Authenticate daily work records of materials, labour and plant (as
required)
- Monitor compliance to design and specification
- Monitor health & Safety standards on site
- Maintain control of final costs, clients cash flow and payments
- Prepare regular progress reports

Designers (architects, engineers, QS & other specialists):

Provide necessary detailed production information
Review contractors programme
Prepare programme for quality control, including special
tests
Make regular inspections and establish (if necessary) site
inspectorate
Prepare periodical site reports
Check drawings on-site in advance of work
Authenticate daily work records of materials, labour and
plant (as required)
Examine and adjust priced bill of quantities
Prepare interim valuations
Inspect works prior to practical completion
Monitor health and safety compliance

 Construction team (contractor, contractors project manager,

site manager/ management, subcontractors & suppliers):
-

Check contract documents

Appoint site staff and project workforce
Appoint subcontractors and procure construction materials
Prepare construction programme
Prepare materials, plant and manpower schedules
Prepare cash flow budgets and forecast
Prepare site layout
Conduct detailed inspection of adjoining properties to the site prior
to construction activities
- Arrange contractors insurance coverage
- Arrange production meeting
- Direct and coordinate construction work, subcontractors, and
deliveries
- Conduct final inspection prior to consultants visits
- Satisfy the health and safety regulations
Public Authorities: Make periodic checks that all statutory
requirements are being observed

CONSTRUCTION PLANNING & MANAGEMENT

Construction planning - vitally important in the

management & execution of construction projects
It includes:
Choice of construction technology
Definition of tasks (from Work Breakdown Structure, WBS)
Estimation of resources & durations for individual tasks
Identification of any interactions among the different work
tasks
A good construction plan forms the basis for developing the
budget and schedule of work
Cost control and schedule control oriented
NB: Cost control
(direct costs and indirect costs)
Schedule control (Time, sequence / precedence
relationships
among activities, critical path analysis,
resource
requirements for each activity)
(Hendrickson, 2009)

Construction Management:
- Is the management of the physical construction process within the built
environment and includes the coordination, administration, and management
of resources (SACPCMP)
-

Main objectives of a construction project

Good construction practice is essential in maintaining efficiency, cost
effectiveness, and control of projects (Social Housing Foundation, 2006)

Hendrickson (2009) summarises the functions of Construction Project

Management to include:
(i) Specification of project objectives and plans including delineation of scope,
budgeting, scheduling, setting performance requirements, and selecting
project participants
(ii) Maximisation of efficient resource utilization through procurement of labour,
materials and equipment according to the prescribed schedule and plan
(iii) Implementation of various operations through proper coordination and
control of planning, design, estimating, contracting and construction in the
entire process
(iv) Development of effective communications and mechanisms for resolving
conflicts among the various participants

Construction Site Management & Objective:

- Main objective is to deliver the highest quality product
within the constraints of cost and time, and highest safety
standard
Problems (Gray, 1992):
- lack of skilled workers
- idle workers
- poor subcontractors
- poor motivation
- poor pay
- complex and unfavourable contract conditions

Site Management / contractors site Team (Fletcher & Lavan, 1987):

(i) Site agent / contractors project manager responsible for the
managing /running the contract, s/he has the authority to hire men and
plant, purchase materials and employ sub-contractors
(ii) Site engineer responsible for setting out the works (e.g. taking site
levels, levelling construction work), planning and design of temporary
works (e.g. access roads, concrete batching plant), foundations, drainage
of the site; and dealing with power and water supplies. The engineer also
keeps progress and quality records of the work. He is an adviser to the site
agent.
(iii)Plant Manager responsibility of keeping all the mechanical plant in
good working condition and make them readily available when required for
the programme of construction
(iv) General foreman keeps the contract running to programme; issues to
the trades foreman the detailed instructions of works to be executed and
demonstrates how it is to be done (if required)
(v) Office manager responsible for the administration of work (e.g. issuing
orders for materials, receiving and checking accounts)
(vi) Health and safety officer
NB: For large contracts, a contract manager is usually appointed who
works from the head-office

NB: The site management must have a thorough

understanding of the entire construction process and
ensure that site operations result in the planned production
aims (Gray, 1992)
Recall the activities in the construction phase of the project
life cycle, and responsibilities of the construction team and
the site management

Site Management Practice Site layout and planning

Introduction:
- There is no single, perfect, one-size fit all site layout design
- Each site is unique with its own problems and opportunities
- However, a poor layout can trigger construction problems such as
inadequate space for positioning / mounting plant and equipment,
limited access for materials and personnel, and restrictions on the
use of certain construction methods (Hendrickson, 2009)
- Thus, a good site layout design is central to site
productivity
Site layout:
- The planning and organisation of site area around the proposed
building to accommodate the resources necessary to erect that
building (Davies, 1982).
- Site planning is an art of evaluating a site, determining an
appropriate programme of activities and organising those activities
and facilities on the site (USARMY Corp of Engineers, 1994)
- Objective of planning the site layout is to provide the conditions
for effective production / most efficient and economic methods of
production (Davies, 1982)

 Main items for consideration in site layout

planning:
- Access to site and on-site roads, and egress
- Storage of materials
- Plant requirements and movement of plant
- Temporary buildings for the contractors team
and other persons resident on the site
- Temporary services (e.g. telephones, electricity,
water, sanitation, etc)
- Fencing and hoardings (Fletcher & Lavan, 1987)

Guidance to site layout (Davies, 1982)

Ascertain contract requirements

Determine statutory requirements
Request sub-contractor requirements
Conduct a site investigation
Define and secure site boundaries
Ascertain requirements for temporary works and
services
Study safety aspects of the methods of work
Quantify office and administrative buildings
Quantify material storage requirements
Locate static plant and plant parks
Plan the site layout
Communicate the plan and layout
NB: The best method of ensuring the effective
organisation of a site is by a number of checklists (ibid)

Site Layout (Contd.)

Recall:
Site layout design has significant implications for
- Productivity
- safety
- total construction / project cost
Site layout should therefore aim at producing a
working environment that maximises efficiency and
reflect the companys attitude to the project, its
commitment to safety and well-being of the workforce
Poorly designed site layout constrains easy and safe
movement of labour-force and vehicles often causing
accidents such as fall of materials, collision of vehicles,
(pedestrian) accidents on site, etc.
(ILO/ Neale, ed. 1995)

 Thus, inadequate or poor site planning can

trigger, for example:
- costly project construction
- inefficient work (e.g. double handling of
materials)
- demoralised workforce
- unsafe environment
- non-conducive environment to produce a high
quality product
- wrong location for tower cranes
- hiring of additional mobile craneage, etc.
(ILO/ Neale, 1995)

LABOUR-RELATED & MATERIALS-RELATED

FACILITIES LAYOUT DESIGN (ILO/Neale, 1995)
Site layout and facilities planning is complicated and
time consuming
Each facility on construction site is affected by or will
affect the key resources:
- labour
- plant and equipment
- materials and components

Relationship between construction site facilities & resources

(labour, plant and materials)

Sizing and location of labour-related faciities

(ILO/Neale, 1995)
Site managers often draw on a combination of
knowledge from previous experience, company
policy and statutory legislations to plan site facilities
Main factors affecting the sizing and location of key
labour-related facilities:
- statutory reqmts., company policy, past
experience, size of workforce, number of package
contractors, phase of the project, size of site, location
of related facilities, minimum
travelling time, etc.
NB: - The site plan changes as construction
progresses and this must be considered and planned
- Failure to plan adequately will significantly reduce
worker morale and efficiency, and finally increase
construction time
and cost and reduce quality
Fundamental principle: Allocate the best
space to the most important facility

Sizing and location of labour-related facilities: key factors (ILO/Neale, 1995)

Simplified representation of the decision process for planning labourrelated site facilities (ibid)

Example: Labour-related facilities Sizing and locating the canteen (ILO/Neale, 1995)

Sizing and location of material-related facilities: key factors (ILO/ Neale, 1995)

The sizing of a storage area is principally

dependent upon:
- amount of material needed at different stages of
the construction
- Its location depend upon the position and lifting
capacity
of the cranes or lifting plant
- Storage location has a secondary effect on the
workforce for smaller items that are carried to the
workforce

NB:

Simplified flowchart for planning materials-related site facilities

Select matls.-related facility

ExpEeeEerienti
Experiential
al
Knowledge

Decide which matls. affect this

facility
Calculate permanent works reqmts. throout
the project
Decide maximum on-site
storage time

Drawings, matls.
Sched.
Project policy, matl.
deterioration
Permanent
Determine actual reqmts. for each week of
wrks. Reqmts. &
the project
Determine the size, weight & special features of storage time
Matl. Schedules,
each matl.
Exptial & Expert
Determine type, & size of
knowledge
facility
Allocate closeness rating

Reassess
as
required
Reconsid No
er

Actual matl.
Reqmts & matl.
size
Exptial know. &
company policy

Consider other interrelated

facilities
Locate facility on site plan
Is space
available for

Yes

Proceed to next
facility

Example of plant-related layout: An Algorithm for Sizing

and locating of site craneage (ILO/ Neale, 1995)
Select facility:
Craneage
Decide which materials affect, or are affected by this facility:
E.g. major items of plant, structural frame, cladding,
prefabricated elements, etc
Craneage may also be used for non-essential activities such as
off-loading of materials, rubbish removal, etc.
Calculate permanent works reqmts. throughout the project:
From the drawings & schedules the site manager must establish
matls. and components required and relate these to the
construction programme
Decide maximum on-site storage time:
The manager must decide in advance delivery dates for various
items. This depends on the type of material or component, and
the availability of on-site storage space
There is compromise between holding minimum stocks on site to
prevent damage & ensuring sufficient materials are available for
efficient working

 Decide actual reqmts. for each week of the project:

Some items will be delivered and installed immediately,
others stored for future use
First priority will be the items which must be installed using
craneage
Second list of items are those that could craneage if available,
but could also be transported by other means if necessary
Determine size, weight and special features of each
material:
These parameters will influence the decision on type of
facility, and its location
Determine type and size of facility:
Depends, for example, upon items to be lifted, available
space, possible locations, and relative merits of mobile cranes
and tower cranes
Allocate closeness rating:
For craneage, weight and position for pick-up and final
installation or laydown are overriding factors

Consider other interrelated facilities:

Manager must relate the craneage to other facilities such as
unloading areas, laydown and storage areas
Proximity to adjacent buildings, highways
The size and closeness rating will need to be reconsidered due
to the influence of other related facilities
Locate facility on site plan:
The weight and position of the items to be lifted are the key
criteria
Other factors such as the pros and cons of cranes sited inside
or outside buildings, and the practicality of moving the crane at
completion of the project must also be given due consideration
Reconsider the size and closeness rating (if necessary) along
with the possibility of reducing the size of prefabricated
components in certain areas
In practice, cranes are sized and located based on items that
must be crane-handled, with additional capacity used on noncritical activities

CONGESTED & UNCONGESTED SITES (ILO/Neale, 1995)

NB:
- A major challenge in construction is that each project is unique
(even where the design is similar)
- Differences in location, ground conditions, workforce and site
management will demand a flexible management style in order to
complete the project on time, within budget and to the required
quality.
- Where the project is situated (city or rural area) has significant
influence on the sizing and location of site facilities

Congested sites:
Building plan area 90% of the overall site area
Often city centre projects

Uncongested sites:
Building plan area 90% of the overall site area
Often rural area projects

Major conclusions: Site layout and facilities (ILO/Neale, 1995)

The construction site is one of the primary resources

available to the contractor
Efficient planning of site facilities and layout is essential for
a well-managed site
Most site facilities can be described as mainly labourrelated or materials related
The method of planning site facilities are complex and
iterative and require both labour and materials related
facilities to be planned simultaneously
Fundamental principle: allocate the best space to the most
important facility
Congested and uncongested sites produce different
problems for the site planning team

Site Organisation and Safety:

Functions of Management:
- Planning
- Organising
- Staffing
- Leading
- Coordinating
- Controlling
Organising:
- The function of analysing all tasks that have to be
performed in order to achieve the objectives set down in the
plans
- Creating a structure of tasks and relationships in which
each is
delegated to an individual
- Tasks are further divided into subtasks and allocated to
individuals
until the whole of the actions in the plan are
specified as teams or
individual tasks (Neale, 1995)

Construction site organisation:

Involves relationships between the site, the ongoing
construction, and the completed building / project
(Sauce & Mommessin, 1995)
Organisation is site specific with significant implications
for productivity, safety and total project cost
Draws extensively on site managers knowledge and
experience (ibid)

Organising a safe and healthy construction site

Site Traffic Management: ingress and

egress
Protection of the public
Materials storage and waste management
Provision of welfare facilities (canteens,
toilet and washing facilities, potable water,
changing rooms, lockers, etc)
Administration: paperwork required to
manage the site legally and safely