Awareness of Details of Designs
Make sure contractors are aware of the details of designs. E.g. types or colours of pipe, colours of wires, flange types required. Make sure those details are in the contract …
Agree With the Contract Before Signing It
Make sure that you and your company agree with the contract, if you don’t, change it. Even if you have worked with the client before or know them well and …
Take Lots of Photos
If your company is involved in site inspections, site supervision, or site management take lots of photos. Make sure to file these photos by name (location, item) and date. Some …
Buy Complete Systems for Specialty Equipment
When buying specialty equipment, make sure the supplier can and will supply a complete system. If they do, take it. Avoid trying to save money by doing parts of it …
Precedence Clause in Specifications
Make sure to include a precedence clause in the specifications. You should define which documents or sections take precedence. That way if there are errors or conflicts, one will take …
Cautionary Notes On Drawings
Make sure drawings have cautionary notes for areas of potential conflict (e.g. electrical wiring near nail fasteners).
Get Subcontractor Buy In
Get agreement on the final designs with subcontractors before submitting them to the client. You need subcontractor buy-in to the design. This gives you the opportunity to confirm they can …
Liquidated Damages Helps You Get Resources
I find that having liquidated damages in a contract from my client helps me as a project manager. Companies often want to avoid having liquidated damages in the contract. However, …
Avoid Superlatives In Contracts
Avoid the use of superlatives in contracts and documents. E.g. “all, make sure, assure, insure, as necessary”. These can be interpreted as making a guarantee. It would be better to …
Allow For Inflation
Make sure to allow for inflation in cost estimates. Particularly allow for large increases in raw material costs (e.g. stainless steel, copper). This is important in the tender preparation process. …