Project Procedure

Meeting Schedule

A meeting schedule is proposed and agreed at the commencement of the project. The schedule can be revised when necessary but the attendance of key participants at meetings can be committed well ahead. All meeting are thoroughly minuted by Styles Project Mangement with minutes circulated by e-mail within twenty-four hours after the meeting. Action required is clearly stated with definite deadlines set.

We usually recommend that the following meetings be established to assist in the management of the project:

Project Control Group Meeting (PCG Meeting)
Attended by: Client, Architect, selected Consultants (if required) and chaired and minuted by SPM. Held monthly to determine project progress, cost status, and authorities’ approvals, to confirm key design decisions, and to discuss user issues.

Design Coordination Meeting (Possibly held in conjunction with PCG)
Attended by: Client, Architect, selected Consultants and chaired and minuted by SPM. Held fortnightly prior to the construction phase to chart the progress of design work and to coordinate all consultants. This meeting can be continued after construction commences on a formal or informal basis to facilitate design decisions and solve documentation problems, dependent on the completeness of documentation at time of tender.

Contractor’s Site Meeting
Attended by: Client, Architect and chaired and minuted by the Project Manager. Held weekly or fortnightly on site (on alternate fortnights if the Design Coordination Meetings are still running). The meeting deals with most on-site issues arising, coordinates the information and contract instructions flow, and reports back to the PCG Meeting.

Sub-contractors, separate contractors and selected consultants are invited to the meeting on an as-required basis. The Main Contractor though is encouraged to meet with all sub-contractors prior to the regular meeting to coordinate the site's information and documentation flow.

Meetings are held in the most appropriate venue but probably in the Contractor’s site office or the Client's Board Room.

Information Flow

The Project Manager is charged with the responsibility of preparing a project specific procedure manual. The manual establishes clearly the:

  • Contact details of all participants
  • Lines of communication
  • Reporting procedures
  • Responsibility levels
  • Meeting schedules
  • Dispute procedures
  • Means of dealing with cost variations and time extensions

A sample document can be prepared if requested, tailored to this specific project.

Programme

Styles Project Management is usually responsible for the preparation and revising of the Project Master Programme. The time-scale of the project is principally dependent on the following parameters:

  • Present status of project documentation.
  • Ability of consultants to complete all documentation required for tender and approvals purposes.
  • Approval periods for resource consents and building consents.
  • Tender and construction periods based on full documentation.
  • Sufficient construction time for complete and thorough attention to the extremely high standard of finishes and presentation expected.
  • Sufficient time for the building consent authority’s code compliance certification, remedial works and soft fitout, etc before hand over.

We give the preparation of the programme(s) high priority when formally appointed to the projects. Programming of the design work and expediting the client’s decisions is as equally important as the establishment of a construction time-line.

Styles Project Management uses “Microsoft Project” computer software to generate programmes and monitor project progress.

Contract Documentation

A lump sum contract is usually envisaged for most projects, with tenders called from up to five pre-selected tenderers. Such tenderers could be sought through a pre-registration process or selected tenderer after consultation between the Client, key Consultants and Styles Project Management. It is envisaged that only proven contractors would be invited to tender who are fully experienced in the required building work. Project delivery by separate contractors is possible but usually discouraged unless strictly controlled.

Contract conditions based on NZS 3910:2003 would be supplemented by Special Conditions of Contract prepared to specify procedures to be followed in arranging payments, insurances, variations, time extensions, early completion, liquidated damages, etc, etc. The Clients specific tendering conditions and insurance provisions would be incorporated into the tender documentation as appropriate.

The successful tenderer would become the Main Contractor with approved sub-contractors subordinate to them.

We strongly emphasise the need to careful vet the proposed sub-contractors and contractors to ensure that they have the ability and experience to conform to our management principles and to work in a totally constructive and cooperative manner.

Cost Control

The Quantity Surveyor will usually be responsible for the preparation of the construction cost report and ensuring that the project budget expectations are being met. We usually recommend that all aspects of the project costings be consolidated in one summary cost report. Styles Project Management would usually handle this role.

This comprehensive report would include construction costs, professional fees, authorities’ fees and levies, legal expenses, separate contractors and suppliers, etc. This report may be a confidential report prepared by Styles Project Management expressly for the Client, drawn from all cost sources.

All variations must be estimated at the time of issue by contract instruction. Close consultation and coordination between Project Manager, Architect and Contractor is necessary to ensure that at the very least, a ball-park estimate of scope changes and discovery of unknowns can be entered in the cost report at the earliest opportunity and give early warning of cost escalation.

Reporting Systems

The Project Manager consolidates the monitoring and control systems noted in previous paragraphs with the preparation of the monthly report. All Consultants and Contractors are required to submit their specialist reports to the Project Manager for presentation to the Client by early the following month at the PCG.