The practice of construction monitoring in Jamaica is often side lined, while other aspects of project management are given more attention in project delivery. Project planning is an integral part of any successful project as a poorly planned project is difficult to monitor effectively. Similarly, a properly planned project will most likely not deliver the desired outcome without the complement of monitoring.
CEAC Solutions, being seasoned consultants in the industry, has extensive experience in construction monitoring as a number of our yearly project endeavours consist of some degree of project monitoring. The main goal of monitoring construction projects is to identify any negative deviations from the approved plan. Monitoring gives information on the progress of work at any given time (and over time) relative to the planned or desired targets and outcomes, which is descriptive in intent.
Construction projects, especially those very technical in nature, have several susceptibilities due to poor work from the contractor. These include material quality issues, poor workmanship, or design. Intentional or not, these present a risk to the client as they bear the financial responsibility for the project, as well as where safety and life are threatened. Poor work in this context can primarily be placed within the realm of material quality or workmanship. Material quality involves the quality of the material being used in the works, but also includes the correct usage of the material, which is workmanship.
Supervision of the contractor’s activities and quality of work is critical, especially in projects like the Port Royal Street Coastal Revetment project, where careful scrutiny of the boulders used in the revetment is critical as boulder quality and size determine the effectiveness and longevity of the structure. In this case, CEAC’s quality assurance activities involve on and off-site assessment of the works carried out by the contractor. This includes review of test results, physical measurement of works done to ensure adherence to the specifications outlined by the engineers. This close supervision ensures that the client gets what they pay for.
A contract or project without the required reporting or tracking can quickly end up in disaster, financial or otherwise. Time is money, and as the client bears the financial burden, they are at the vulnerable to a contract passing the intended project end date. In the case of a project on the very large scale of Jamaica’s National Housing Trust Colbeck development project (JM$900 Million), a month past the intended project end date could result in an incurred loss of JM$10,000,000. This is where contract administration comes in, as a means to keep the executing parties on the right path by holding them to the signed documents of the contract. CEAC’s activity on this project
includes schedule tracking and progress reporting, as well certification of works, but also allows for the speedy resolution of technical issues as the engineers are fully in tune with the state of the project.
If the main goal of monitoring in construction projects is to identify and address any negative deviations from the approved design, then the activity of monitoring is critical to the success of any construction project. CEAC Solutions’ wealth of experience in Construction Monitoring provides the tools required to execute any large or small project efficiently.
