Page 14 - Civil Engineering Project Management, Fourth Edition

Preface

Most civil engineering construction projects are completed to time and budget
but few get publicity for it. More often building projects are reported as exceed-
ing time or budget because a building has to cater for the diverse needs of the
many users of the building which can be difficult to forecast or may change as
construction proceeds. In civil engineering the principal hazards come from the
need to deal with below ground conditions, make structures out of re-assembled
soils or rocks, and to cater for the forces of impounded or flowing water. The
construction of roads, railways, tunnels, bridges, pipelines, dams, harbours,
canals and river training measures, flood and sea defences, must all be tailored
to the conditions found on site as construction proceeds because it is not possi-
ble to foresee such conditions in every detail beforehand.
As a result the successful management of a civil engineering project
depends upon use of an appropriate contract for construction; the judgements
of the civil engineer in charge and his team of engineering advisers; the need
to arrange for supervision of the work of construction as it proceeds, and on
the competence of the contractor engaged to build the works and his engineers
and tradesmen.
The first four chapters of this book show the advantages and disadvantages
of various ways in which a civil project can be commissioned, dependent upon
the nature of the project and the needs of the project promoter. The recent
legislative changes applying to construction contracts are noted, and the various
different approaches now being adopted, such as partnering, ‘PFI’ and ‘PPP’
are explained and commented on. The book then sets out in practical detail all
the measures and precautions the engineer in charge and his staff of engineers
should take to ensure successful management and completion of a project.
The authors draw upon their experience in managing many projects both in
the UK and overseas. Thus the book is intended to be a practical guide for project
engineers, and a source of information for student civil engineers joining the
profession. The author Alan Twort is a former consultant to Binnie & Partners
responsible for many projects including the repair or reconstruction of several
dams. Gordon Rees is a former Contracts Department Manager for Binnie &
Partners and later Black & Veatch. He is now an independent consultant and
an accredited adjudicator for ICE and FIDIC civil engineering contracts.

Alan C. Twort
J. Gordon Rees