Assembling A Collaborative Team - Other - Page 26
Assembling a Collaborative Project Team
The effect of time
Time influences projects in two ways. Management contracts can be used to
minimise the overall duration for the design and construction of a project but
they require significant overlaps between design, procurement and construction.
While management contracting is still widely employed, it is typically used only
where the programme is the crucial driver and the client is willing to accept the
cost risks associated with the overlap of design and construction and proceeding
to site when the design is still at an early stage of development and before the
majority of the costs have been determined by tender.
Although design and build forms of procurement have predominately been utilised
to deliver cost certainty, an important by-product is programme certainty since
the contractor has limited contractual leeway to deliver late and is likely to suffer
significant financial penalties in the event of a late handover.
The evolution of the traditional team
In recent years, the traditional team has developed in a number of ways in
response to the issues outlined, although these alterations can be seen more
as tweaks than fundamental changes.
The changing leadership roles
On the majority of smaller projects, the leadership roles continue to be amalgamated
and undertaken by the architect. On other projects, the relationships between the
project lead, lead designer and contract administrator roles have evolved further
and the parties undertaking these roles are likely to vary. For example, on design
and build projects the project manager and contract administrator roles will be
closely linked and the lead designer role may be diluted, particularly if some of
the design team members are not novated to the contractor.
The novated design team
Novation is another evolutionary development of the project team. When a design
team is novated, their employer ceases to be the original client and the contractor
takes responsibility for the design team and their work. This typically includes
responsibility for the work undertaken while the design team was working for the client.
This shift from a traditional project team to a contractor-led team allows the client to
harness the best aspects of the two generic project teams: the client can liaise with
the design team in the early stages and shape the emerging design appropriately,
yet can hand over the cost and programme risks to a contractor.
Two-stage design and build was devised to allow the contractor to become involved
in the project earlier, enabling clearer understanding of the project risks and allowing the
earlier involvement of the contractor’s supply chain as part of this process. To respond
to the contractual changes that make them responsible for all aspects of the design,
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