REPORT ON TRAINING FOR THE YEAR 2011

COMPANY: GENERAL CONSTRUCTION LTD

STARTING FROM 1ST OF JULY TO 30TH DECEMBER 2011

Name :- Jai Nadish Manishsingh BALLOO Student number:-BLLJAI001

1|Page

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 3

2. DESCRIPTION OF WORK DONE AT GENERAL CONSTRUCTION ........................................................... 4

2.1 Site Works ..................................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Experience as a Trainee ................................................................................................................ 5

3. THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR AND CIVIL WORKS.................................................................................... 7

3.1. The Quantity Surveyor and the Civil Engineer ............................................................................. 7

3.2. The Quantity Surveyor and the Client.......................................................................................... 8

4. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR........................................................................... 8

5. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................... 9

7. TIME SHEET 8. LETTER FROM EMPLOYER

2|Page

1. INTRODUCTION

During this world economic crisis, Mauritius has suffered a lot in terms of investments in buildings. However, the government has opted for maximum development of infrastructures all around the country including upgrading of roads and all infrastructural works. The government has voted a budget allowed to the ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (RDA) of Mauritius so that they can maximise and control all the infrastructural works in terms of design, national security and also public benefit. Being a developing country, we are facing an increase of vehicles on our roads and hence it is important to forecast for this increase as during peak hours (form 7hrs to 9hrs and from 16hrs to 18hrs) there is immense traffic jam. So in order to cope with these problems, the RDA consisting of mostly engineers and technical officers are managing all these developments all around the country by targeting all the districts separately. My training at General Construction for the period of July 2011 to December 2011 was extensively dedicated to the development of these road works. The RDA who is the client open tenders and companies have to bid for these tenders. Having obtained a major tender due to our competitive rates and with our reputation for excellent work quality, our tender was accepted. All the specifications are supplied by the RDA and we have to build up our rates according to these specifications. An example would be specifications for different types of kerbs or specifications about the footpath to be used. This is because it has to be to certain standard all around the country. The RDA issues work orders for different sites with a specific code number. Each work order contains the scope of work; that is the materials to be used and the quantities and also the budget allowed for the project. Our job as the contractor is to follow the specifications and stay in the budget allowed. However, there are some exceptions as the specifications given can sometimes be limited compared to the work load that has to actually be done on site which is claimed as additional works on site affecting the cost of the work done. We currently have around 25 to 30 ongoing sites around the North and central part of the country. Each task has different scopes and also different level of complexity. Most of them are 3|Page

resurfacing of roads, maintenance of existing, building of new drains and footpaths, widening of roads and one of the biggest is to bypass a roundabout causing major traffic jam so as to build a flyover bridge.

2. DESCRIPTION OF WORK DONE AT GENERAL CONSTRUCTION

My training at general Construction was to assist in the management of these various sites in terms of cost, procurement and claims and also see to it that all items are being claimed correctly as per site works, including all variations associated to the work being done on site. The bill applies to all sites and constitutes of specific items that would be applied to all sites, such as footpath, masonry walls, excavation in normal materials or in rocks, excavators, compressor, labour per hour, kerbs, etc... And all these items have a fixed rate attached which would be applied to specific jobs done on site. To manage around 25 sites at once is quite challenging but with proper planning, all targets can be easily met. Site measurements have to be done as often as possible and from the measurements, we have to send claims to RDA for certification. These measurements have to be properly displayed in a calculation sheet to ease certification as it would be easy to know the extent of work being done and also certify the right amount. Another exercise is to adjust prices for asphalt base course, prime coat, tack coat and wearing course applied in resurfacing of roads as the price of these bituminous items fluctuates each quarter of a year and this exercise is necessary so as to be able to reflect the real price of these items. Moreover, when preparing a claim, it is necessary to apply the correct amount certified so that the final amount claimed reflect the work being done on site. We apply an interest rate of 16% p.a if there is a delay in the payment of RDA after an amount has been certified, that is after 21 days. It is an important exercise which is present in the contract and the contract is the essence of all projects, it has to be applied methodically as it is the contractors right. The contractor has to perform according to the methods of the client in order to satisfy the client but the management of the cost on site and all variables is the responsibility of the contractor and it is very important that the quantity surveyor takes these issues into consideration in order not to make a loss in a specific project.

2.1 Site Works

4|Page

My task is to take site measurement on average, each 15 days and analyse the progress of work each time so as to know how far we are in the achievement of a specific site and claim for it. This exercise has to be done for all ongoing sites and reflect the actual work done on the claim to be sent. Each site is managed by a site engineer. Therefore, proper communication is necessary as the site engineer and the foreman has precious information that is of much help to the quantity surveyor. For example, additional works that has been done on site but has not been acknowledged by the quantity surveyor. It is difficult to be present on site at all times and therefore, the help of the site engineer is crucial so as to get necessary information. For example, works that has been recorded by day works for breaking of kerbs or for casting concrete to sides of footpath; these would not be claimed as specific items but in terms of day works which would be recorded by the site engineer on site. Omitting these items would be a loss in the amount to be claimed.

2.2 Experience as a Trainee

From what I have learnt during my training as a quantity surveyor is to have maximum control on the work being done on site, that is to be aware of all the work being done on site and claim appropriately for the amount of work done. Be well informed about the scope of work so as to manage the cost. Moreover, proper control on sub-contractors is necessary. For these road works, most of our sub-contractors are for masonry works, handrails and road-marking. The contractor can benefit a lot in terms of profit if the proper sub-contractor is appointed. Before appointing a subcontractor, quotation requests have to be sent to various sub-contractors. When the quotations are received, the quantity surveyor has to analyse the all the quotations in terms of price and quality. The one which is well below our tendered price and which is of good quality is most likely to be chosen as it will generate profit due to the fact that the client will pay on the tendered price. The quantity surveyor, while managing all these various sites, must see to it that everything is taken into consideration and should be very meticulous about all the details regarding all sites so as not to reflect a loss in the cost report. Each month a cost report has to be generated to as to reflect the amount that is being allocated to 1) transport, 2) labour, 3) materials and 4) plants and machineries and 5) precast elements. These different items sum up to generate the final cost on each site and also reflects the amount allocated to sub-contractors. While generating all these, the quantity surveyor is able to retrace whether there is loss on any particular site. This loss should not be present. The presence of this loss indicates that the quantity surveyor has omitted some details on some sites which affect the profit of the company. Therefore, the quantity surveyor should be able to avoid these losses and manage all these sites methodically and with proper planning and with proper acquirement of helpful information.

5|Page

The quantity surveyor should operate carefully regarding the preparation of claims so as not to omit important quantities or values. Sometimes, the RDA requires us to prepare a budgetary estimate before the issue of a new work order so as to know what the costs that would be implied are in the particular job and allow a budget in the work order. So, the quantity surveyor has to take off quantities and be able to forecast additional components that would be needed for additional work such as temporary diversions, road signs, plants and equipment to be used and the number of days that these plants would be required on site as these implies a huge cost on the project. Furthermore, the safety precautions that would be needed on site such as reflectorised drums, warning tapes and flashing lights for night time; all these affect the cost of the project and should be included in the allowed budget. While dealing with so many sites at one time, the quantity surveyor should record aptly all application for payment sent and the value of certification for each certificate. This would help a lot in controlling the quantity of application (referred as claims previously) sent which sum up to reflect the total amount of work done till now and also the total amount certificates received. Using this information, it would be easy to retrace all the outstanding certificates and outstanding payments (amount certified but not yet paid) so as to inform the client and apply interest for late payments for delays exceeding 21 days. The quantity surveyor should be able to adapt himself to different kind of situation. He should be flexible so as to understand different scope of work. He should be able to have proper communication with other responsible members of the project so as to have a proper flow of information in order to keep within the limits of the project in terms of cost, time constraints and quality of work required. The flow of information should be clear and unequivocal so as to avoid any trouble affecting the cost. The quantity surveyor should be able to analyse every details so as to avoid any loss. Though it is difficult, there should be a strict control on the amount of materials used on site. The use of delivery notes for certain items such as crusher-run, asphalt and coarse aggregate for concrete is a good exercise as it permits the quantity surveyor not to claim according to calculated quantities but the actual quantities required on site. However, the procurements of these items are often done by the site engineer himself so that it is ordered whenever it is needed on site. It is important to remained informed and consult the site engineer before taking measurements so as to obtain these details. The quantity surveyor should also take joint site measurement with the client so as to ease certification and also inform the client about the different changes, if any, brought to the original work issued by the client. 6|Page

3. THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR AND CIVIL WORKS 3.1. The Quantity Surveyor and the Civil Engineer
Compared to the traditional task of the quantity surveyor in terms of buildings, the scope of work concerning civil work is quite different as the quantity surveyor has to work in close collaboration with civil engineers. Civil engineers are those who design the civil works such as flyovers, bridges, structural works and road designs. The quantity surveyor has a role to play in terms of cost and in terms of all the components that will be used on site. While designing, the engineer takes only the efficiency of the design and the structural properties of the component being design. The quantity surveyor has to take several items into consideration while doing a budgetary estimate using the design made by the engineer. These issues are associated with cost of 1. Labour 2. Material 3. Transport 4. Plants and equipments 5. Subcontractors to be appointed 6. Additional costs such as temporary access and security on site 7. Site establishment All these factors affect the budget of the scope of work and the quantity surveyor has to pay close attention so as to be able to plan and produce an appropriate cost estimate. While doing the job on site, there should be proper communication between the engineer and the quantity surveyor as the quantity surveyor has to follow the design to be able to procure the appropriate component according to the engineers specifications. Very often there are revisions to preliminary designs affecting the scope of work and the quantity surveyor should be kept informed so as to associate a cost to these revisions. The quantity surveyor should be able to plan preliminaries and contingencies according to the design of the civil engineer so as not to be at loss. It is better to forecast a bigger budget at the beginning of the project so that we stay within the limit of the budget.

7|Page

It is crucial to operate with the engineer as the quantity surveyor will benefit in the sense that much information about the scope of work will be obtained from the engineer.

3.2. The Quantity Surveyor and the Client

The quantity surveyor should have proper communication with the client also as he should be able to know the extent of work required by the client and adjust the cost according to these specifications. The quantity surveyor is also required to inform the client methodically about any change or any variable to the scope of work and obtain any approval if necessary. Before sending any application for payment, the quantity surveyor is required to display appropriately any measurement taken on site so as to ease the understanding of the client. He should also make sure that all required test such as test for concrete or asphalt is correct and is attached to application for certification. Before the client approves any application, the quantity surveyor should provide the client with enough information so as to facilitate his task and therefore benefitting in the sense that certification is obtained in time. The client is required to retain a percentage of the total work done which would be deducted in claims by the quantity surveyor. This retention money would be paid back only after a defect liability certificate is issued by the client to the contractor informing the latter that the work is completed and that the contractor is free from any liability associated with the completed work. This is a security so that the client has a guarantee that the work done is up to standard and that there is no defects present. The quantity surveyor has to inform the client of any change to the scope of work on site and this can be avoided by doing a joint site measurement where the client can observe any change on site.

4. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE QUANTITY SURVEYOR

The quantity surveyor always has to find appropriate information so as to optimise any application for payment and therefore, do not under claim or over claim for work done on site. Several factors that the quantity surveyor has to pay close attention are:-

8|Page

1. Proper communication with the engineer, site agents, foremen and the client 2. Gather important information on site 3. Know the extent of work 4. Plan for regular site measurement to minimise loss 5. Procurement of necessary components 6. Try to minimise or avoid unnecessary cost 7. Obtain information concerning day works on site 8. Analyse the cost of precast v/s in-situ 9. Claim for interest for late payments where necessary 10. Assure that every aspect of the project is taken into consideration 11. Supervision of sub-contractors Taking all these into consideration, the quantity surveyor can properly plan his tasks and therefore maximise profit.

5. CONCLUSION
My training at General Construction Company Ltd has allowed me to perform all these jobs mentioned above. I was given the opportunity to work on my own and prove myself. By performing these tasks, it allowed me to discover another branch of surveying; that of civil works and how challenging it is to monitor several sites at the same time. My training has also allowed me to work with different quantity surveyors who had years of experience and whose guidance has been crucial in helping me to learn more about quantity surveying. My training has also motivated me to pursue my studies and get into the working environment as soon as possible as the job of a quantity surveyor is challenging and also very enriching in the sense that we get so much exposure to different issues to which we have to adapt ourselves to be efficient. Furthermore, the work experience that I got at General Construction Company Ltd has helped me learn a lot on site works as well as the administrative parts and the different protocols that have to be followed in order to bring an optimum performance. It also helped me to understand the role of the quantity surveyor in more depth as well as the different stakeholders associated in a project and how proper communication is crucial for an appropriate flow of information.

9|Page

My only target now is to pursue further studies and apply what I have acknowledged in these 6 months of training in my studies and also for my future career.

10 | P a g e