Page 25 - Civil Engineering Project Management, Fourth Edition

Civil Engineering Project Management
10
Consulting engineers have, of course, always provided independent project
management services to a promoter for the design and construction of a project.
This book deals with many of the arrangements for project management
that are possible, commenting on their benefits and weaknesses, and detailing
the practical measures which should be adopted to ensure the successful con-
clusion of a project.
However, the term ‘Project Manager’ has such a broad meaning that it is
often used loosely to apply to people occupying quite different positions in
various organizations. The following terms are more explicit so are used
where necessary.
• The Project Manager is preferably confined to mean the person acting on
behalf of the promoter to administer a contract for construction, as defined
in the ICE’s ECC contract conditions (see Sections 1.6 and 4.2(f));
• The Agent – a long-standing traditional term – is preferably used to desig-
nate the contractor’s person in charge of construction on site;
• The Project Engineer can be used to designate the key executive person (usu-
ally an engineer but not always) delegated by a promoter or consulting engin-
eer to be in charge of the design of a project – who usually also draws up the
contracts for construction and sees the project through to completion.
• The Resident Engineer – another traditional term – can be used to designate
the ‘Engineer’s Representative’ on site to oversee construction, as defined
in the ICE Conditions of Contract (see Section 9.1).

1.11 Operational or service contracts and
‘Facilities Management’

Contracts to operate and maintain works not only form part of BOT, BOOT
and PFI contracts mentioned in Sections 1.4 and 1.7 above, but are increas-
ingly being adopted separately. Various terms apply having different shades
of meaning. General terms are Operational Agreements and Facilities Management
(FM). If only certain operations are undertaken by a contractor this is termed
Contracting Out. Various forms of FM Contract can be let under which a manage-
ment contractor is employed to run, or advise and direct existing staff how to
operate, a facility at maximum efficiency, or how to undertake construction of
a new facility, tutoring staff in new techniques.
Leasing Agreements are somewhat different in that they comprise a contractor
taking over and running the operation of some works for a period for a fee,
or for part of the income from sales of the works output. Such an agreement can
also require the contractor to maintain or refurbish plant and equipment, and
introduce new equipment, so that the contractor has a financial input which
the terms of the agreement need to cover. In many French cities, leasing –
termed Affermage – has been widely used for many years for the operation of
waterworks, or wastewater systems. The contracts are for a term of years. The