The UK Construction Process

According to the RIBA (2013) plan of work, when a construction project is initiated, a building committee is formed to oversee the project development until completion. These phases are common to all new construction and renovation projects; but in smaller projects, the phases often become less formal, involve fewer individuals and may have a short schedule of only a few months. Large projects, on the other hand, take a longer time to complete compared to smaller projects. A building team of approximately six individuals is created to represent the stakeholder group(s) involved with the project. This team will be responsible for making the necessary client decisions based upon client and user requirements. In some cases especially in smaller projects, the client and the user are usually the same. Depending on the project, one member of the committee in most cases the architect will take up the responsibility of capturing, gathering and developing the specific requirements for the project. A Brief of Requirements (BOR) or brief is developed that details all objectives, spaces, equipment (new and existing), special finishes, furniture and spatial relationships (Kamara et al., 2002). The building team and various other groups involved in the project will review and contribute to the development of the brief prior to approval. In the case of technically complex projects, an outside consultant may be engaged to prepare the brief documents (Ryd, 2004).

Client (demand for facility) Construction Industry (supply of facility) Client (use of facility)

Output Output Output

Client requirements Client drawings etc. Completed facility

Figure 3.3: Simplified model of the construction process (Source: RIBA, 2013)

The construction process consists of all the processes that prepare for or result in a planned construction or renovation. The concept involves many different types of processes, core processes, administrative processes and public processes. For example, in traditional

Project Conception stage

Client of facility

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construction process, the building process is divided into stages, concept, briefing, planning, production, and management of the finished building. The fundamental objective of creating these stages is to foster control, division of responsibility and cost management. In reality, the different phases have large overlapping areas during implementation and one of such fundamental and important tasks carried out at the initial stage of the construction process is the client (client) briefing process (Kamara et al, 2002). During the early phases of the building process, the briefing phase in the project conception stage extends into the client stage and construction stage; that is concept development phase/conceptualisation and even into the client and planning phase (Ryd, 2004). The Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry however, is a project-based industry, which utilizes a variety of separate firms in a temporary multidisciplinary organisation, to produce investment goods (buildings, roads, bridges, factories), which are custom built to unique specifications (Egan, 1998). During project conception, the client establishes the need for a project and develops a set of requirements (the output), which are converted into an appropriate client. At the construction stage, the client is transformed into a facility for the use of the client. The industry operates within a dynamic and changing environment. Clients are becoming more sophisticated, insisting on better value for money, and demanding more units of construction for fewer units of expenditure (Egan, 1998). The fragmented nature in which the industry is organized means that efficiency in project delivery is less than expected, resulting in dissatisfied clients, and low profitability for construction firms (Egbu et al., 1999; Carrillo et al., 2000).

This research is based on the RIBA (2013) plan of work client and focus is placed on the first stage of the RIBA process which is the Client briefing stage. This involves developing project objectives, including quality objectives and project outcomes, sustainability aspirations, project budget, other parameters or constraints and then developing the Initial project brief. The core objectives involve preparing project Roles, table and contractual tree and assembling of the project team. The brief team is assembled to review the project brief which may include pre- application discussions to determine the suitability of the feasibility studies carried out. Handover strategy and risk assessments notes are prepared in this stage including agreed schedule of services, client responsibility matrix and information exchanges. The project execution plan is prepared to include technology and communication strategies and consideration of common standards. The support tasks during this stage are focused on ensuring that the project team is properly assembled and that consideration is given to the handover of the project and the post- occupancy services that are required. Other factors needed to be noted include;

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 Confirm that formal sustainability targets are stated in the Initial Project Brief.

 Confirm that environmental requirements, building lifespan and future climate parameters are stated in the Initial Project Brief.

 Have early stage consultations, surveys or monitoring been undertaken as necessary to meet sustainability criteria or assessment procedures?

 Check that the principles of the Handover Strategy and post-completion services are included in each party’s Schedule of Services.

 Confirm that the Site Waste Management Plan has been implemented.

The diagram below shows that RIBA (2013) plan of work and in this case emphasis is placed on stage one of the process.

Figure 3.4: Detailed RIBA plan of Work (Source: RIBA 2013)

Several significant and parallel activities need to be carried out during Stage 1 Preparation of Brief to ensure that Stage 2 Concept Client is as productive as possible RIBA (2013). These split broadly into two categories:

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 Assembling the project team and defining each party’s roles and responsibilities and the Information Exchanges.

The preparation of the Initial Project Brief is the most important task undertaken during Stage one. The time required to prepare it will depend on the complexity of the project. When preparing the Initial Project Brief, it is necessary to consider:

 The project’s spatial requirements

 The desired Project Outcomes, which may be derived following Feedback from earlier and similar projects

 The site or context, by undertaking site appraisals and collating Site Information, including building surveys

 The budget.

A project Risk Assessment is required to determine the risks to each party. The development of the procurement strategy, Project Brief and, in some instances, a (town) planning strategy are all part of this early risk analysis. The importance of properly establishing the project team cannot be underestimated, given the increasing use of technology that enables remote communication and project development RIBA (2013). Having identified and highlighted the different stages that exist in the construction project life cycle, another fundamental aspect of the construction industry project is the procurement route. The type of procurement route adopted, informs the strategy adopted for implementing the project. The next section discusses the different procurement routes in the construction industry.