The scenario is that you are working for a construction company and you have been asked by the project manager to prepare a tender programme for the project issued.
The project will be priced by the company estimator, and you will prepare the construction plan, providing the estimator with the overall construction time, as well as determining activity duration’s for all trades, preliminaries, construction equipment, sheds etc.
Your company will be the main contractor, providing overall project supervision and utilising subcontractors for all trades. The specific tasks include:
1. Read the plans, understand the scope of the construction work, and identify the work break-down structure (WBS) for the overall project, at least including:
• Site preparation
• Foundation
• Structure
• Services
• Internal finishes
• External finishes
• External works
2. Identify the sequence and dependencies of construction activities (at least 60 construction activities should be identified and scheduled). The best way is to thoroughly “think-through” the planning process by hand using precedence techniques and then introduce in MS Project. In the report, you will need to include:
• A precedence diagram showing all the construction activities to be scheduled and their dependencies (various types of links such as SS, SF, FF and FS should be properly considered).
• Several paragraphs to explain how you derived the work sequencing (e.g., methods of construction, major or innovative scheduling ideas) for selected trades or work packages (you may select up to 3 trades or work packages).
3. Work out the resource requirements and durations for a representative sample of activities (at least 30 activities should be included) taking into account the quantities, crew sizes, labour and plant productivity rates and efficient work cycles. (Include copies of the reference labour/plant productivity rates used, e.g., Rawlinsons, Cordels, etc). The quantities are derived from the measurements you make for each activity. Assumptions can be made when necessary.
You can use Table 2.1 in the textbook as a template to work out the resource requirements and durations.
4. Use MicroSoft Project software to work out the tender construction program. The program must include all the logic (i.e. linkages) with appropriate lead and lag times for all activities. Hint: do not have any open ends.
5. Review your program resolving conflicts and levelling your resource requirements.
