Chapter 1: The Construction Industry
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Base Isolators
Large shock absorbers made of alternating layers of rubber and steel attached to a buildings foundation to allow movement of the structure without causing damage.
Brownfield Sites
A property that is abandoned or underused because of historic environmental contamination.
Constructibility Review
A design review process in which experienced contractors and construction managers work with designers to ensure that the details of the design actually can be built in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The process entails review of materials, appli
Cofferdams
Temporary watertight enclosures erected to prevent water from seeping into an area
Curtain Wall
Nonload-bearing exterior wall used as a weather barrier but not for structural support
Infrastructure
Basic roadways, bridges, and railroad networks that support a community or society.
Lean Principles
Customer focus
Culture and people
Workplace organization and standardization
Elimination of waste
Continuous improvement and built-in quality
Architectural Program
the research and decision making process, initiated by an owner, usually with help of an architect or other programming specialist, that identifies the basic needs of the client and the parameters of the project to be designed and ultimately built by a co
Project Delivery
process by which all the procedures and components of designing and building a facility are organized and put together in an agreement that results in a completed project.
Self-Performed Work
construction work that is performed with the general contractors own forces or labor. This work is not subcontracted
Slip Forms
concrete forms that rise up the wall as construction progresses
Specifications
detail the requirements/characteristics of a project
Review Questions:
What is the name of the stone carvings dating back to the pyramids that contained the first written regulations pertaining to construction, the first building code?
Code of Hammurabi
By what measurement is construction used as an economic indicator for the U.S. economy?
housing starts
Five Primary Sectors of Construction Industry:
Residential
Commercial
Heavy civil
Industrial
Environmental
Name of organization credited with promoting construction management as a legitimate area of study at a four year university:
Associated Schools of Construction (ASC)
Role of Owner:
driving force behind the industry.
develop the programs
define the scope
create budget
provide funding
Weekly Construction Magazine:
ENR- Engineering News Record
Three Associations Affiliated with Construction Industry:
1. Associated General Contractors
2. Associated Builders and Contractors
3.National Association of Home Builders
LEED
Stands for: Leadership in energy and environmental design.
Purpose: rating system that evaluates a building's environmental performance over its life cycle.
Construction Associations that offer voluntary certification programs for construction managers
1. American Institute of Constructors
2. Construction Management Associated of America
Lean Construction
Stems from manufacturing industry- Toyota
Philosophy that focuses on adding value with less work and the elimination of waste in the building process
Chapter 2: What is Construction Management?
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Six factors that must be controlled in order to ensure a successful project
Cost: determined through estimate or budget, contract. Change orders, poor weather, unforeseen conditions are challenges. Goal is stay within or below estimates.
Time: determined through schedule and contract. Goal is to complete tasks in timeframe set by
ENR
Engineering News Record
Agency CM
Fee based service in which the construction manager is responsible exclusively to the owner and acts in the owner's best interests at every stage in the process. CM does not perform any of the actual construction
Architectural Programming
Defining the owner's needs.
The owners responsibility.
What is needed to meet their needs?
Who is responsible for what.
Owner ->
Architect & General Contractor
Engineers & Subcontractors
At-Risk CM
General contractor provides both pre-construction services and construction services.
A project delivery method where the CM commits to deliver the project within a guaranteed maximum price.
Benefits:
CM is involved in the project early in the design proc
Constructibility Reviews
A design review process in which experienced contractors and construction managers work with designers to ensure that the details of the design actually can be built in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The process entails review of materials, appli
Construction Management
entails the planning, scheduling, evaluation, and controlling of construction tasks or activities to accomplish specific objectives by effectively allocating and utilizing appropriate labor, materials, and time resources in a manner that minimizes costs a
Design-Bid-Build
The Traditional Method
Owner hires the Architect to design the structure and produce contract documents
Owner selects the General Contractor
GC selects Subcontractors
Characteristics
Linear structure - no contractor involvement during design
Owner warrant
Design-Build
Owner contracts with the design/build entity, which is responsible for the design and construction of the project
Advantages:
Ability to fast-track
Early contractor involvement
Single point of contact
Fast Tracking
a practice utilized to speed up a job by overlapping the design phase and the construction phase of a project.
its often applied in design build or construction management project delivery.
Integrated Project Delivery
an project delivery method that contractually engages the contractor responsible for constructing the project at the beginning of the design process. Both design-build and at risk cm are considered this method
Multiple Prime
A contracting methodology in which the owner bypasses the use of a general contractor and enters into multiple separate contracts with trade or specialty contractors for the various sections of the work associated with the project, such as concrete, frami
Scope of Work
Generally defined in the Plans and Specs
Sets the parameters of the project, and identifies what work needs to get done.
Challenge: Ensure that the scope of the project is being delivered as intended
A well defined scope sets the project in the right dire
Review Questions:
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Construction Management as a function:
Construction Management as a project delivery method:
As Function: tasks performed by contractor: estimating, scheduling, cost control, contract administration in order to monitor, manage, and control the work of the contract
As Project Delivery: contractual arrangement where the construction manager is hire
Three characteristics that make the construction project unique from other industry sector projects:
1. One of a kind structure or facility
2. Different building site
3. building process takes place outside
Four Primary Project Values to be managed, monitered, controlled:
1. time
2. cost
3. quality
4. safety
Why is the 'scope definition' so important?
it describes the extent of work that is to be performed by contractor
Project Delivery:
The overall structural or organizational framework used to put all aspects of designing and building a project together
Three Project Delivery Methods & how they differ:
1. Design-Bid-Build: owner has separate contracts with the designer and contractor
2. Design-Build: only one contract between owner and the design-build entity
3. Construction Management: owner holds three contracts: construction manager, designer, contra
How is Agency CM different from At-Risk CM?
Agency CM: construction manager has no liability for construction and acts only as an advisor to owner
At-Risk: construction manager acts as an advisor to the owner during design phase and is liable for construction
Three ways a design-build entity may be configured:
1. contractor and designer can create an informal partnership
2. full service design-build firm in which the designers and contractors work for the same company
3. or establish a legal joint venture for single project
Eight Functions of Construction Management:
1. estimating
2. contract administration
3. managing jobsite and construction operations
4. planning & scheduling
5. controlling performance
6. managing quality
7. managing safety
8. managing risks
Chapter 4: The Construction Contract:
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CSI
Construction Specification Institute
founded in 1948 and serves all major disciplines involved in the design and construction industry.
Developed CSI MasterFormat which is the standard format for construction specifications.
Addendum
part of bidding documents
Change Order
Errors or omissions in the contract documents results in them
result in extra work and/or extra time, both of which result in extra cost to the owner. Change orders should be anticipated on any design-bid-build project.
Contract Documents
Contract documents consist of two major components:
Drawings (Plans) discuss the quantity of the work
Project Manual (Specs) discuss the quality of the work
In a traditional project delivery method, the contractor is typically not involved in the design o
GMP
Guaranteed Maximum Price
a variation of the cost-plus-fee contract, and is popular in design-build delivery.
Owner pays cost-plus-fee, but only up to the GMP.
Allows construction to start earlier since a price can be guaranteed before the plans are 100 %
Perspective Drawings
3D drawing showing height width length
Time and Materials
Another name for cost + fee contract
Review Questions:
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Two components that make up contract documents:
1. Drawings
2. Project Manual
When did artictects first begin to use drawings to communicate their design intent?
the Renaissance
CAD
Computer Aided Design
Order of Drawings in a Set of Plans:
Civil
Architectural
Structural
Mechanical
Electrical
Plan View:
horizontal cut through structure
Section View:
vertical cut through structure
Detail
Blown up picture of piece of buildinf
Order of importance:
Specifications
Details
Sections
Elevations
Plan
*specifications take precedence over all
Four Sections of a project manual:
1. bidding documents
2. general conditions
3. supplemental conditions
4. technical specifications
CSI Masterformat 2004:
Construction Specification Institute
48 Divisions
Building Insulation under which CSI division:
Division 7: Thermal and Moisture Protection
Four Types of Construction Contracts
1. Lump-Sum
2. Cost-Plus-Fee
3. Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
4. Unit-Price
1. Lump-Sum:
Most common type of contract.
Contractor agrees to complete the work for a single, lump-sum fee.
Contract assumes the plans and specs are accurate.
2. Cost-Plus-Fee:
Referred to as a time & materials contract
the owner reimburses the contractor for the labor and material costs of the project plus a fixed fee or percentage of the cost.
Often used when scope is hard to define.
Significant risks to the owner while it gua
3. Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP):
is a variation of the cost-plus-fee contract, and is popular in design-build delivery.
Owner pays cost-plus-fee, but only up to the GMP.
Allows construction to start earlier since a price can be guaranteed before the plans are 100 % complete.
4. Unit-Price:
Used when work to be performed cannot be accurately measured ahead of time.
Heavy civil and highway type jobs
Contractors apply a unit price to each bid item (e.g. a dollar amount per cubic yard of dirt excavation) and these unit prices are multiplied by
If the actual cost is less that the guaranteed cost under a GMP contract:
Owner receives the amount saved
Chapter 5: Project Stages
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Needed for estimating
Point of reference
As-Built Drawings
Completed drawings turned over to owner with changes included
Commissioning
Process can be conducted by general contractor, subs under direction of GC, or the architect or engineers involved.
Testing
Training end users
Punch List
a tool used to keep track of loose ends, minor repairs, adjustments, and missing items
Substantial Completion
Punch list completed
Architect determines facility can be utilized for intended purpose
Marks the official end of project and establishes beginning of warranty period
All payments due to contractor are released
Unforeseen Conditions
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Working Drawings
final detailed drawings
portion of contract document
Review Questions:
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Four Stages of Construction Management after design:
1. Pre-Construction
2. Procurement
3. Construction
4. Post-Construction
Four Stages of the Design Process:
1. Programming and Feasibility
2. Schematic or conceptual design
3. Design development
4. Contract documents
The quality of design drawings and their impact on the quality of construction:
because the contractor has to build in accordance to the plans and change orders need to be submitted if there is an error. Owners would not be happy.
Due Diligence:
Identifying any problems associated with the project early on so that those problems can be factored into decision making during pre-construction
Two procurement instruments used to buy out the construction job:
1. Subcontracts: used to buy labor
2. Purchase Orders: used to buy materials and equipment
On Site Construction Management Team
1. superintendent
2. assistant superintendent
3. field engineers
What marks the official end of a project?
when the architect releases a certificate of substantial completion
Used to keep track of the completion of loose ends, minor repairs, adjustments, and missing items at the end of a project:
a punchlist
Value Engineering & its Purpose
is the process of analyzing the design, products, and materials associated with the project to determine if proposed application, installation, execution is the best approach or solution
purpose is to optimize resources to achieve greater value for money
Why is it so important to have a clear distinction between the project punch out and the warranty period?
the completion of punch out denotes substantial competition of project
If items continually get added, it becomes difficult to mark the end of a project
Chapter 6: Estimating Project Costs
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Add-Ons
Taxes, overhead, profit added into estimate after other costs have been calculated
Direct costs
- Costs that actually go into building the facility such as materials, labor, equipment and subcontracts.
"Hard
Indirect costs
- Expenses incurred in order to manage and deliver the materials, labor, equipment, and subcontracts employed on any job. Often referred to as overhead or general conditions and include supervision, job trailer expense, temporary utilities, testing and in
Conceptual estimates
- Used when there are no drawings at all or when you are in the idea or concept stage of a project. Often the owner does no know if they're project is feasible so they do not wish to start spending money on design.
Factors impacting cost
Size
Complexity
Site location
Time of construction
Quality of work
Market conditions
Management factors: good management can minimize effect of bad estimate
Preliminary estimates
- Used when you have a preliminary set of drawings with overall dimensions and it provides a somewhat higher level of accuracy to establish initial budgets and financing scenarios. However it should never be used to commit to a contract price.
Detailed estimates
- Used whenever you have a complete set of plans and specs. Counts every brick and stick but as accuracy of plans/specs increases, so does the time and effort and skill that is required to complete the estimate.
Digitizer
An electronic pen used with software to assist in quantity takeoff portion of estimating
Lead Time
Amount of time it takes for products or equipment to be delivered to job site
Liquidated Damages
amount of money per day the contractor is required to pay the owner if the project goes over schedule
Quantity Surveyors
People who count up and calculate quantities of materials, labor, and equipment
Query List
developed by estimator
List of questions needing clarification
Scope Sheet
identifies all items of work to be performed under a specific trade or category
ex. masonry, siding
Takeoff
Process of measuring plans to quantify materials, labor, equipment
WBS
Work Breakdown Structure:
establishes the basic building blocks of both the estimate and schedule.
The purpose is to organize and identify the work of the project by breaking down each divisions of work into a separate work package.
Work Packages
A work package is detailed items of work bundled together under a particular trade.
Review Questions:
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What is a construction estimate?
summary of probable quantities and costs of materials, labor, equipment, and subcontracts to complete a project including taxes, overhead, profit
Four primary categories of cost in estimate:
1. materials
2. labor
3. equipment
4. subcontracts
How are estimates organized?
1995 CSI- 16 divisions
2004 CSI- 48 divisions
Type of estimate needed when meeting with a client for the first time and they wanted a rough idea about their project cost:
Rough order of magnitude
(ROM)
Four preparation steps taken to start the estimating process:
1. review plans and specs
2. develop query list
3. attend prebid meeting
4. visit site
General Conditions:
same thing as indirect costs
represent expenses incurred in order to deliver and manage materials, labor, equipment, subcontracts employed on any job.
supervision, cleanup, temp utilities, security fencing
Unit of measure used for pricing general conditions:
unit of time: hour, week, or month
Four characteristics exhibited in a quality estimate:
1. correct quantities
2. accurate labor hours
3. correct pricing
4. completeness
5. clear paper trail
6. proper overhead
7. proper profit
8. accurate calculations
When will you know the true accuracy of your estimate?
when the project is complete and costs and expenses have been added up.
Chapter 9: Project Planning and Scheduling
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Backward Pass
begins at project must finish date and tells you the latest an activity can start and end to finish on time
late dates
Critical Path
a continuous chain of activities with the longest (combined) overall duration in the network diagram.
Critical to mangament because the critical path determines project duration and any delays along the way
Float/Slack
the amount of time that an activities start can be delayed without impacting completion date
Forward Pass
begins at start date and determines the earliest an activity can start or finish
early dates
Gantt Chart
Uses bars to show the length of each activity
Advantages:
Easy to understand and follow because it relates durations to calendar days
Disadvantage:
Doesn't show relationships between activities
Network Diagrams
CPM (critical path method)
Advantages:
Shows activity relationships and durations
Disadvantages:
Don't provide the visual clarity that Gantt Charts provide
Network Logic
you determine what activities must take place, what order they will take place
this results in network logic
Precedence Diagramming
AON Network Diagram
Short-Interval Schedules
LOOK AHEAD SCHEDULES
usually 3 weeks
acts as a work plan for crew on site
Special Purpose Schedule
Keep track of activities that support the work
Delivery schedules
Submittal schedules
Inspection schedules
Review Questions:
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Most common types of schedules:
1. Gantt Chart (bar)
2. Network Diagram
Techniques used to create network diagram:
1. AOA- activity on arrow:
Activity is on the Arrow and nodes show relationships
Nodes between activity arrows show the start and end of the connected activities
2. AON- activity on node
Activity is noted on the node and the arrows show relationships
Most
Another term for AON
Activity on Node Diagram or Precedence diagram
MOST COMMONLY USED
Lookahead Schedule
developed by superintendents and trade foremen to coordinate the work and activities over a short period of time (two weeks to a month)
often hand drawn
distributed to specific trades
Three stages of network diagram development
1. planning
2. sequencing
3. scheduling
Types of Activities included in schedule
Production: installing siding
Procurement: ordering windows
Administrative: obtaining building permits
Three scheduling activities needed to create critical path and duration
1. Forward Pass
2. Backward Pass
3. Total Float Calculations
Which activities are on critical path
activities with no float are on the critical path
Chapter 10:
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Cost Code
reference number assigned to each work activity
based on CSI division and type of cost
Cost Control
Monitoring process used to track variances between actual and planned performance
Crashing the Schedule
compressing the overall schedule by accelerating certain activities within it so that they finish sooner
Earned Value Analysis
used to determine estimated value of work completed and make sure it is inline with the actual work completed
Escalation Clause
a special time clause negotiated in contract when there is suspicion that some pricing component is in a high state (flux). This clause allows for adjustments to be made to the estimate upon current pricing.
Forecast
periodic predictions of final costs and scheduling
Variance
Different between actual projects and planned performance
Review Questions:
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Seven Steps in Project Control Cycle
1. develop project plan
2. establish benchmarks
3. monitor performance
4. identify performance deviations
5. evaluate corrective options (working 2 shifts/longer hours)
6. make adjustments
7. document, report, evaluate results
Two essentials of project control system
1. information
2. good reporting system
Three sources used to gather field information needed to develop project control
1. material invoices
2. time cards
3. subcontractor billing statements
Two CM functions needed to receive accurate and complete information from job site
1. field information
2. historical estimating databses
How is a cost code used
used to track all items of work contributing to overall project costs
Three Factors that can impact project performance
1. weather
2. quality of workforce
3. inadequate tools
4. defective models
5. overcrowded job sites
Riskiest element of project planning and control
estimating productivity
What does it mean to forecast in construction- regarding project controls
to predict the final costs and schedule outcomes on a project while work is still in progress.
Construction managers forecast final cost and competition dated on regularly
Chapter 13:
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BIM Model
Building Information Modeling
-a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building displayed as 3D model
Clash detention
process for effectively identifying unintended material or system interferences in a 3D model
Central repository approach
Ideal- not practical
All project information can be loaded into one database to create single BIM model
Construction model
Contains construction specific information: cost & scheduling data
Design-intent model
Focuses on communication design information through 3D model
Distributed repository approach
BIM model consists of a collection of separate databases maintained within distinct programs
Review Questions:
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Interoperability
the biggest challenge in the industry.
the capability of a system to interaction with other systems without limitations or restrictions
Virtual Construction
process in which a builder simulates, analyses, and plans a building project in a computerized environment before and during the actual construction process to try to avoid problems and accurately predict detailed costs, schedules and physical outcomes.
Difference between 3D CAD and BIM
A BIM Model is attached to a database that holds all pertinent information about the objects that make up a project.
A 3D CAD model is not linked to any database.
4D BIM
scheduling (time)
5D BIM
estimating (cost)
Ways contractors use BIM (10)
1. design visualization
2. design assistance & constructibilyt review
3. operations and maintenance
4. site planning & utilization
5. 4D scheduling
6. 5D estimating
7. integration of subcontractor and supplier data
8. systems coordination
9. layout and fi
Stereoscopic Projection
3D video display of a computer-generated virtual reality environment