Check Geotechnical Reports
Check and confirm geotechnical reports that are supplied to you in a contract. The client may supply reports that are old or inaccurate. Specify in the contract that you are …
Contract
Learn to Say No
You must learn to say no to some requests from clients If change requests from the client will make the design unsafe or unusable, you should refuse to change it. …
Watch External Dependencies
Keep a careful watch on external dependencies. External things such as deliveries, contracts, and approvals that could delay your project if late. They may not be your direct responsibility and …
Scan Large Specifications
When reading a large specification, to avoid inducing sleep, scan it by key words. If possible, when given a specification by a client, get the it in electronic form. This …
Addition Clause in Contract
For contracts longer than 12 months, you should have a clause to allow unknown technologies to be added. Particularly for high tech and IT projects. Part way through a long …
Importance of the Contract
A contract is a risk allocation and control device. Remember the importance of the contract.
Agree on Deliverables
Make sure you and your client agree on the deliverables expected for the project. Sometimes a contract may specify deliverables without enough detail. This could lead to you delivering something …
Submit Deliverables Before Invoicing
Submit deliverables to the client (if that is required) before invoicing them. Don’t make the mistake of not submitting deliverables, as it will delay payment.
Treat Restarted Projects as New Projects
If a partly completed project is put on hold (deferred project) by the client, when it is restarted it should be treated as a new project. This includes reviewing and …
Make Contractor Responsible for Site Safety
If your company is not involved with construction (but just design or inspection), make sure the contract states that the construction contractor is responsible for site safety, not the “engineer” …