Page 110 - Civil Engineering Project Management, Fourth Edition

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The employer and his engineer
(see References 5 and 6). But under ICE conditions the engineer has a responsi-
bility for ensuring the quality of the work is as specified and he cannot pass this
duty to others. Even under ICE design and construct conditions and the ECC
conditions the employer’s manager has powers, and therefore implied duties,
to ensure work is satisfactory or defect-free. Such contracts would have to be
radically re-worded if sole reliance were to be placed on a contractor’s QA
system for quality of work done.
Only under some kind of turnkey or simple purchase contract might reliance
be placed on a contractor’s QA system though, even with that type of contract,
an employer may often appoint an inspector to watch over the contractor’s
work on his behalf. The presence of a good inspector gives the employer, his
engineer, and the contractor assurance that the work is inspected and is satis-
factory. His cost to the job may be no more than the increased price a contractor
might charge for running and auditing a QA system and the cost to the
employer of having to check the contractor’s QA system, and may give a
better guarantee of satisfactory workmanship.

References

1. BS 5750 Part 1:1987 Quality systems: specification for design/development,
production, installation and servicing (equivalent standards are ISO
9001:1987 and EN 29001:1987).
2. The certifying bodies are monitored by the National Accreditation
Council of Certifying Bodies (NACCB).
3. When quality takes a dive. Construction News, 26 May 1994.
4. David Hoyle, ISO 9000 pocket guide. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.
5. CIRIA calls for slashing of engineer’s role to aid QA. New Civil Engineer,
11 June 1992.
6. Systems analysis. Water and Environmental Management, October 1993.