Pre-Contract

Procedures
Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Inception
What is the purpose of the building
Why it needs to be build
What is to be built

The client appoints architect to oversee the design
and construction of the project.
After the signing of an agreement between the client
and the architect recommends the Q.S. and
Structural Engineer.

Client clarifies

The Required time scale date for
commencement and completion.
The nature of the project size and type of
facilities required.
The site location and topography.
Financial limits/method of financing.
Specific requirements materials, standards.
Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Feasibility
Design team examines the clients proposals to
make sure that there are no major problems
or constraints relating to the proposed type of
building and the selected site.
Confirmation that:
the development be able to fulfil its proposed
function
the technical problems of the project be
overcome economically
the financial constraints are acceptable

investigations carried out in relation to the site
topography, sub soil conditions and the legal
constraints.
Outline Planning Permission (OPP) applied for.
Feasibility
Looks at the potential of the project being
viable
A number of factors must be Considered
Considerations
Financial consideration
Other developments
Competition
Need
Opposition
Support
Planning Controls

Roads, Traffic Flow and Densities
Availability of land
Site Access
Ransom Strips
Parking Space
Tenure of Land
Restrictive Covenants, Easements and Rights of
Way
Tree Preservation Orders
Preservation Notices
Archaeological Areas and Ancient Monuments
Conservation areas
Sites of Special Scientific Interest Population and
Socio-economic grouping
Customer Requirements and Behaviour
Land availability
The cost of land is related to its availability.
Costs, therefore, vary widely in different parts of
the country.
Cost depends also on the economic climate
and supply and demand
In some areas it is becoming increasingly the
case that the choice may be restricted to
difficult sites which may be contaminated, e.g.
old gas works sites which have chemical
residues in the ground. Alternatively, they may
be land fill sites which require more expensive
substructures than normal sites.

Ground conditions
The type of subsoil will affect the ground works and
the choice of foundation and ground floor
construction.
A comprehensive site investigation is required to
determine the ground water conditions to ensure
that the correct type of foundation is used and
economically designed.

Site location / access
The site location may be important in relation to the
availability of labour and materials.
The size and shape of the site may affect the design
layout and the progress of site operations during
construction.
Access into the site may also restrict the size of plant
and components or the type of construction.
Finacial Considerations
The Client will probably have a fixed budget for
any particular project and the design team must
produce a satisfactory solution within these cost
constraints.
The cost of any building must consider both
capital and maintenance costs (Cost in use).
capital costs - these include all the costs associated with
the initial construction of the building and associated
works.
maintenance costs - these include:
regular maintenance - E.g. window cleaning, re
painting etc.
periodic maintenance - E.g. replacing central heating
boiler, repointing masonry etc.

Running costs must be considered i.e. costs of lighting,
heating and air conditioning.
An outline cost can be estimated by the Quantity
Surveyor at an early stage by the following methods
Methods of Assessing
Construction Costs
Elemental Cost Analysis
Cost per unit area
Approximate Estimating
Bills of Approximate Quantities
Elemental Cost Analysis
This is based on historical data from
completed projects with the costs
broken down into the elements of
construction and shown on a metre
squared basis.
Data for the calculation of costs can be
obtained from a number of sources i.e.
the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors quarterly review of building
prices.

Cost per unit area
Based on historical data obtained
from similar completed projects on a
cost per metre squared basis.
Information may be obtained from
the developers own projects or from
other developers.
Easy method to calculate though it is
not very accurate. Best used on
simple offices or car parks.
Approximate Estimating
Requires detailed information about the
design requirements of the project.
Cost obtained by taking off quantities
and building up an estimate.
Data on costs is obtained from sources as
Spons or Wessex (these provide up-to-
date pricing information for building
work) or from the use of a number of
computer software programmes which
are available.
Bills of Approximate Quantities
This method is time consuming in
comparison to those listed above.
Method requires a Bill of Quantities being
produced before an estimate can be
obtained.
Most accurate and can be used for
tendering.
Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Scheme Design
Produced from the Design Brief given to
the architect by the client
Purpose of the Design Brief
is to provide the design team with as much
information as is possible in order to
ensure that a building appropriate to the
clients needs and requirements is
produced.
Sketch Plans - Outline
Proposals
Architect prepares proposals to meet Clients brief.
These include:
Outline drawings showing design
Explanations of what assumptions and main decisions
have been made.
Forecast of costs and time scale.
Scheme design
The design developed to include:
Investigation of individual room requirements.
Methods and materials to be used.
External requirements colours, textures, styles
The Structural Engineer will require layout
drawings identifying space requirements and
idea of services layout.
Section sizes for all the main structural
elements are determined.
Detailed cost plan, report, outline
specification and scheme drawings are
produced.
Detail design Working
Drawings
The agreed scheme plans / elevations etc. will
be finished and passed onto the Structural
and Services Engineer.
Architectural and structural detailing work
carried out.
Architect co-ordinates the design process and
ensure that all the interested parties receive
the relevant information as and when
required.

All drawings checked by the Q.S. to ensure
compliance with the cost targets.
All the drawings and structural calculations submitted
for Building Regulations Approval and Full Planning
Permission (FPP)..
Methods of providing a design
brief
Specific Requirements
This provides a list of specific
requirements.
They are frequently produced on a room
to room basis and are often used by local
authorities and health authorities.
Although it does not lend itself to
misinterpretation it can restrict the design
due to the requirements being too rigid.
Performance Specification
This gives the designer the standards of
performance which the building is to
obtain.
It is then up to the designer to ensure that
these standards are met, the way that this
is done is left to the designer.
This method allows the designer some
flexibility as to the design and the
materials which are chosen.

Open Ended Brief
This type of brief is often used in
conjunction with 'fast track'
techniques, where the project is
frequently designed as work
proceeds.
This gives the design team a certain
amount of latitude, which may work if
the project is of a standard type
which is to be disposed of on
completion, though is not
recommended for buildings for a
specific use.

User requirements study
Objectives must be set by the study with
regard to:
The function of the building:
1. The persons using the building
2. Budgetary constraints
3. Life cycle of the building
4. Site considerations.
Design Considerations
Type of building Steel, concrete frame
Cost and availability of materials,
components and labour
Site conditions
Location and access to the site
Amount of area available type, car
parking
Scheme design
Outline
Detail
Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Production Information.
Once Building Regulations approval is
obtained, a detailed cost estimate is
obtained remainder of production
information produced.
This includes :-
All working drawings Architectural /
structural / services etc.
All schedules door / window / drainage /
reinforcement etc.
Specifications construction methods /
materials.


Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Bill of quantities

Quantity Surveyor prepares the Bill of Quantities (BOQ)
by taking all the material requirements off the working
drawings.
This lists, item by item, all the materials and components
which are required to construct the project.

BOQ Contains
Form of Tender
Preliminaries
Preambles
Measured work section
Dayworks
Prime cost and Provisional sums
Final summary
Preliminaries
Referred to as Prelims, these are found at
the commencement of the BofQ.
General items
Provides extra information to contractors
Preambles
Form the specification for materials and
workmanship. The object is to specify all
materials in such a way as to leave no
doubt in the contractors mind - specify BS
numbers., catalogue reference numbers,
manufacturer etc.
Measured Quantities
Relate to the work section and consists of
precise measurements and description of
work. Items are quantified according to
the nature of the work ie metres run,
metres square etc
Provisional Quantities
Covers items in the BOQ for work that was
not known at the time of tender, ie rock,
water etc.
Would be measured or omitted on
completion.
Prime Cost Sums (PC Sums)
A sum allocated for work to be done or
materials delivered by nominated
subcontractors, suppliers, the amount
being provided by them.
Provisional Sums
Not to be confused with provisional
quantities.
This relates to a sum which is provided for
in circumstance which cannot be entirely
foreseen, but which it is known is likely to
be required.
Pre-contract Stages
Inception
Feasibility
Scheme Design
Outline proposals
Detailed design
Production information
Bills of quantities
Tender action
Tender action
Architect will select method of tendering to
be used and produce all the tender
documents.
Documents sent to builders so that they can
estimate the price for which they are
prepared to do the work.
The tenders must be submitted by a specified
time and date.
On the specified date the tenders will be
opened and the Architect / Client will select
the builder that they think most suitable, who
then becomes the Contractor.