5: Construction

The construction stage (sometimes referred to as 'build and commission') may include both on-site construction and off-site manufacturing, along with activities necessary to prepare for occupation.

If the employer will be responsible for operating the development once completed, an in-house or outsourced team should be appointed to witness testing and commissioning, ready to take over the running of services once practical completion is certified. If they have not already done so, the employer may also wish to appoint site inspectors.

The word ‘contractor’ is used in this stage to describe the supplier that constructs the development. If an integrated supply team has been appointed to design and construct (and perhaps operate) the development then they will be the contractor.

Contract administration tasks (such as certifying payments) are attributed to a contract administrator. Under some forms of procurement they will work for the employer, however, on private finance initiative (PFI) projects, the body funding the integrated supply team may appoint the contract administrator.

Employer’s information requirements and master information delivery plan

If they have just been appointed, the successful contractor submits a post-contract BIM execution plan (BEP) confirming their (and their supply chain’s) capabilities and providing a master information delivery plan (MIDP). This should take into account existing BIM execution plans from suppliers already appointed (such as design consultants), and may include BIM training requirements for the contractor and their supply chain.

The employer’s information requirements and consequently the master information delivery plan should be reviewed and revised, focussing upon the information required to manufacture and procure the equipment and building parts that are installed and built.

Mobilisation

The contractor may need to establish or prepare information such as:

• Schedules of conditions of existing and neighbouring structures.
• A master programme for the construction works.
• A project handbook setting out responsibilities, procedures, and lines of communication for the construction stage.
• A site layout plan for construction.
• A contract register.
• An asset register scheduling assets on site and who they belong to.
• Statutory site registers.
• Any further survey work required.
• Statutory utilities information.
• A construction phase plan.
• A site waste management plan (if required).

This information should be prepared in a way that is consistent with the requirements set out in the employer's information requirements.

Any outstanding performance specified work should be completed and any remaining generic objects replaced with manufacturers' objects, re-linked to associated information.

The project information model might be linked to a project management scheduling tool. It may include; method statements, visualisations of potentially hazardous activities, delivery scheduling, formwork sequencing, traffic diversions and so on.

Construction

The contractor proceeds with constructing the works.

The project information model may be used for activities such as:

• Manufacturing processes.
• Providing access to information on site.
• Site induction and safety briefing.
• Improving familiarity with construction tasks.
• Planning construction sequencing and site logistics.
• Tracking progress.
• Capturing as-installed and other record information.

The contract administrator co-ordinates site inspections and issues instructions as required. The contract administrator holds regular construction progress meetings at which the supply team issue progress reports. The contract administrator in turn prepares construction progress reports for the employer.

If they have not already done so, the employer begins preparations for occupation of the development, including the preparation of an operational policy and a migration strategy or ‘move in programme’, setting out how they will manage the transition into and the operation of the new facility. The soft landings framework suggests that a building readiness sub programme should be prepared in order that proper consideration is given to commissioning, handover and aftercare. Suppliers should be involved in the preparation of these strategies to ensure that interfaces are understood and expectations are managed.

Inspections, commissioning, testing and training

The contractor co-ordinates procedures for inspections, commissioning, testing and employer training in relation to building services and other aspects of the building. Testing and commissioning attribute information should be added to the project information model.

The contractor rectifies any defects that become apparent during commissioning, testing and inspection procedures. Where necessary, the project information model should be updated.

The contractor prepares a draft building owner's manual and a plain language building user's guide. The contractor also co-ordinates the preparation of the building log book providing the employer with information about building services to help them operate the building efficiently (the soft landings framework proposes that this should be incorporated into a wider technical guide for the building operators). The principal designer completes the health and safety file. This information should all be provided in a format that will be easy for the employer to edit in the future, as it may need to be updated during occupation of the completed development.

End of stage report and information exchange

The contractor co-ordinates the preparation of an ‘end of construction’ project information model, which includes as-installed data and information about what has actually been built.

The contractor confirms to the contract administrator that the works are complete.

A construction stage report is prepared identifying variations, claims, cost build up, schedules of defects and so on.

The contractor prepares an information exchange (or 'data drop') as required by the employer's information requirements. This involves issuing published information into the employer's information environment.

Employer’s decision point

The table below sets out examples of plain language questions that an employer might ask at this decision point and the information they might require to answer those questions.

Next stage: 6: Handover and close out.

--Cohesive