Chartered Surveyors & the Construction Industry
In the UK, chartered surveyors are professionals with many varied roles across a multitude of industries and specialisations. Essentially, all chartered surveyors are members of RICS; the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, located in London SW1, and are entitled utilize the suffix MRICS or FRICS [Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors]. To the general public generally, the chartered surveyor is somebody who works in the construction industry, and even the majority are specialists in building, property management and similar fields. However, a great many other areas require the services of a chartered surveyor, including artwork and antiques, mineral surveying and auctioneering.
Within the construction and property fields, chartered surveyors are involved in performing surveys for homebuyers, valuations for mortgage companies, full surveys of buildings, consultancy on construction developments, in addition to land surveys, management of estates and different other areas associated with land and property. Chartered surveyors tend to specialise within these fields, and sometimes form professional partnerships with those employed in different areas within the same industry.
RICS & Construction Contracts
Construction contracts are at the heart of each building project undertaken in the united kingdom, and are made to be legally binding agreements between the building owner [developer] and the contractor(s) who'll be performing the task. Labour costs, the supply of labour for the project, costs and offer of materials, and the time frame for the completion of the project are covered in the contract, as are the specifications, design plans, and agreements regarding any potential changes during the build.
The RICS is closely associated with construction contracts, and issues both statements that outline best practice guidelines for surveyors, and mandatory practice statements that cover all areas of the assorted roles of chartered surveyors during construction projects. These roles include not only building and quantity surveyors, but also valuers and project managers. https://london-surveyors.uk/best-right-to-light-surveyor-london/ of the mandatory and advisory statements made by RICS relate with the role of chartered surveyors pertaining to construction contracts, and RICS members are required to follow them.
Contract Administration
Building contracts in the united kingdom fall into a variety of subcategories. Probably the most common are as follows:
? International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)
? Public Procurement Contract 2000 (PPC 2000)
? The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT)
? New Engineering Contract (NEC)
Chartered surveyors focusing on building projects are therefore called on to deal not only with contract administration, but additionally with areas of project management that can include material and labour costs, initial planning and feasibility studies (including site surveying and legal issues), site and building safety, preventing and resolving any disputes that could arise, and building control.
Contract administration is crucial to the successful completion of a construction project, and chartered surveyors have a significant role to play. And also overseeing the fulfilment of the agreed contract, and being involved in its termination, issues arising prior to the contract is agreed can include insurance for both contractor and the project owner, warranties and guarantees, and adequate provision to cover any potential time overruns, payment difficulties, and defective work. The role of surveyors with regards to building contracts can include dealing with and managing the usage of non-standard contracts, and those outlined above.
The Role of the Employer's Agent
On a design and build contract a chartered surveyor may also be engaged as an Employer's Agent, a job that may vary greatly according to the specific needs of the client or the project itself. The role may also be affected by the amount of time which is available, but basically the Employer's Agent acts for the client on any matters associated with the construction contract. Typical projects where an Employer's Agent may be engaged include large commercial or public property building contracts. RICS provides guidelines explaining the full selection of services and activities which may be undertaken by the Employer's Agent.
These will often include, but are not limited to, picking or recommending contractors following creation and agreement of the client's brief; making certain sustainability goals are achieved; advising on adherence to CDM or Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, updated recently with new legal duties for clients, designers and contractors and the like; and the planning and management of costs and risks. Analysing tenders from contractors can be an important part of the role, and running meetings and ensuring smooth progress on the website itself are frequently involved.
The Role of the Project Manager
Project Managers have a key role in construction projects, which includes responsibility for overseeing the successful progress of the build, from the original planning stage to completion. An excellent PM will be able to spot and resolve issues and problems before they arise, partly insurance firms the breadth of specialised knowledge necessary for asking the right questions. Conflict and dispute resolution will demand good diplomatic skills.
In the centre of the Project Manager's role is good communication. To ensure that a project to be completed within the allotted time scale and budget, while satisfying the initial brief, a PM needs to think several moves ahead. It's essential, for instance, for the PM to ensure that the look has been fully understood by everyone working on the project, that your client understands the cost implications of the work they will have requested, and that the contractors are fully conversant with both the client's requirements and the legal requirements involved. These can, and do change, and can frequently affect the success of a build. The creation of clear guidelines understood by everyone involved on the project is the first responsibility of a PM; making sure those guidelines are honored is equally important.
Targets should be set that allow for cost, time scale and safety concerns to be met. Those targets should be agreed by both client and contractor, however the PM must also have the ability to maintain the good working relationship between them when unforeseen circumstances - for instance, a rise in the cost of materials or labour, or revised legal duties - arise during the duration of the project.
Finally, the communication skills of the PM will undoubtedly be vital in producing progress reports as the project runs. These reports will include monitoring the completion of various parts of the build, and also ensuring that costs come in line with the budget.
TWC Consulting offers a diverse selection of Construction Consultants on all types of major & minor works projects including Chartered Surveyors, Construction Project Managers, Employers Agents, Contract Administrators, Cost Consultants, Planning Advisors (and much more) all from under one roof.