Rate Breakdown for Ready-mix Concrete - (Step - 01)

When you are building up a rate for concrete work for a particular tender, it is important to refer the preamble notes prior to the pricing.

examples:-

	All concrete works shall comply to the specifications, filled into formwork and well packed around reinforcement.  Note                     All concrete works shall be Grade 30 ready mix unless otherwise specified in the drawings and specifications.  Note                     All lean concrete works shall be Grade 15 as specified in the drawings and specifications. Note                     Contractor shall not cause any damage direct or consequential to the new structure during carrying out the work detailed in "Concrete Work" trade and he at his own expense, make good any damage caused to them, arising directly and/or indirectly out  of his fault and/ or negligence and/or  failure to take precautionary measures to avoid such damage. Note                     All Reinforcement unless otherwise specified shall be rod reinforcement and free from rust, mill scale, dirt, grease, or any other substance organic and/or giving specified strengths intended by the Engineer.  Note                     Rate for concreting columns, walls shall include for kickers.  Note                     Measurement of Slabs & Walls.                        Slab concrete include that part of beam to a depth of largest adjacent slab thickness. Note                     Concrete work for slabs and walls have been  categorized according to their thickness as followings: Note                     a. not exceeding 150 mm            b. between 150 mm and 300 mm            c. exceeding 300mm                        Measurement of Columns & Beams                        Concrete work for columns have been categorized according to their cross sectional areas as follows:  Note                     a. not exceeding 0.10 m2           b. exceeding 0.10 m2                       Concrete work for beams have been categorized to their cross sectional areas from lowest adjacent soffit of slabs as follows:  Note                     a. not exceeding 0.10 m2           b. exceeding 0.10 m2                       Concrete work related to Ramps has been measured separately and slopes have not been indicated. Slopes shall be as shown in the drawings.   (approximate slope is 1:10 ) Note                     Contractor shall ensure that all contacting surfaces including reinforcement dowels left out for bonding purposes is free from any organic or artificial material which can be a hindrance to achieve specified properties in the Drawings and Specifications.  Note                     Wherever work has been categorized according to the thickness, slope,  cross sectional area, height etc., the upper limit shall be include in the same category. Example walls between 150mm and 300mm thick shall include walls exceeding 150mm in thickness up to and including 300mm in thickness. Walls having 150mm thickness included in walls not exceeding 150mm thick category.  Note                     Rates for lean concrete shall include for preparation of bottom of excavation prior to pouring of lean concrete.  Note                     Contractor shall ensure that the top of the lean concrete layer shall be finished semi rough to receive waterproofing layer where applicable.   Note                     Rates for formwork shall include for control joints,  isolation joints wherever specified and required according  to the drawings and specifications.  Note                     All concrete shall be ready mix unless obtain approval for the Engineer to use site mix in special areas. Mix design of ready mix concrete shall be approved by the Engineer and the Contractor shall submit detail of his ready mix supplier, mix design calculation past tests report, sieve reports and other technical information.  Note                     Rate of concrete for floor slabs shall include for sand trowel finish to slab surface wherever specified to the satisfaction of the Engineer.  Note                     Rates for concrete shall include all necessary tests by an institute/Authority acceptable to the Engineer.  Note                     All concrete shall be ready mix unless allowed by the Engineer.  Note
	All concrete shall be ready mix unless obtain approval for the Engineer to use site mix in special areas. Mix design of ready mix concrete shall be approved by the Engineer and the Contractor shall submit detail of his ready mix supplier, mix design calculation past tests report, sieve reports and other technical information.	Note
	Rate of concrete for floor slabs shall include for sand trowel finish to slab surface wherever specified to the satisfaction of the Engineer.	Note
	Rates for concrete shall include all necessary tests by an institute/Authority acceptable to the Engineer.	Note
	All concrete shall be ready mix unless allowed by the Engineer. Rates for lean concrete shall include for preparation of bottom of excavation prior to pouring of lean concrete.    Contractor shall ensure that the top of the lean concrete layer shall be finished semi rough to receive waterproofing layer where applicable.   The estimator or the quantity surveyor must read all the above and should include necessary expenses for the above requirements.	Note

Role of Contract Administrator

Contract Administration

Contract administration involves managing your contracts to make sure you comply with and fulfill the contract conditions. Good contract administration ensures customer satisfaction and minimizes disputes (masterbuilders 2015).

A contract administrator should have a deep understanding of the contract data and documents of a project. A construction project will have a lot of contract documents and will be complex with the project scale. For an example, a project that goes around four or five years will have a considerable amount price fluctuation of materials, labour, and equipment. It is more likely increases the estimated cost. Appropriate contract documents for such situations are very critical.

All the construction work should be followed fully accordance with the BOQ, drawings & specification given. Completion of the project should be on time as stated in the contract documents. But sometimes extreme weather condition will effect in delaying the construction. In this case, acceptable way of recording these weather conditions is important and should include in the contract documents. Construction projects will have variations such as change of designs, change of specification, etc. so it is necessary to have proper conditions of the contract to deal with these kinds of situations. Hence, contract administration can be explained as the legal management of construction projects.               

The construction contract administration is a very responsible and vital job role for any kind of a construction project. The following responsibilities will be carried out by the contract administrator.

·         Preparing initial contract data and documents

·         Negotiate and make acceptable contract modifications

·         Evaluation and approval of progress payment and the final payment

·         Monitoring the progress and recording them properly

·         Certify contractor compliance with quality assurance requirements

·         Assess and make approvals on contractor appeals for disclaimers and deviations

·         Ensure timely submission of required documents

Academic qualification of a contract administrator is very important. He should have the knowledge of conditions of contracts that are issued by the government and relevant authorities. The academic qualification should be bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying, construction management or business management.   

A contract administrator should have the following proficiencies in order to become good contract administrator.

•          Good negotiation skills
•          Practical knowledge in construction work
•          Sound understanding in use of language of contractual agreements
•          Management and leadership
•          Effective communication skills
•          Excellent reading ability
•          Attentiveness to the detail

Reference

MASTERBUILDERS (2015). Contract administration. [online]. https://www.masterbuilders.asn.au/contracts-and-disputes/contract-administration