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Float

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Zq qz
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Who owns the float?

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Ernesto Puyana
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If we are talking about a schedule submitted by the contractor and approved by the owner according to contract requirements, the float belongs to the contractor. Float is a resource management tool and wasting it or yielding it to the owner leads to extra cost when resource demands begin to overlap. When it is the owner who causes such loss, I can´t think of a better support for a claim for reinbursment or extension.

If we are talking about the PM´s overall schedule for the project, where each subcontract’s schedule becomes an activity, float belongs to the owner, as those activities durations are fixed. When he approves an extension on one of those subcontracts, he is consuming hes float and managing or assuming the risk of completion. That´s hes prerogative and part of his job.
Forum Guest
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in this case I think the client has only 14 days not 24 days
14 days is the duration of review for the client.if the contrator submit his dwgs earlier than expected .then this 10 days is owned by the contractor and the cleint has 14 days only (duraion of the activity)..it seems that the case is depending upon the nature of the activity..

any comment!
Ali
==========================
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From CS Ong stated:

"Looking back at my earlier posting regarding the 2 activities i.e. "Submission of Shop Drawings" and "Review of Shop Drawings" whereby the 1st. activity is acted upon by the Contractor and the 2nd. activity is by the Client. If the 2nd. activity still shows a +ve Total Float when the 1st. activity is 100% complete, isnt the Total Float for the 2nd. activity belongs to the Client?

If contractually the Client is oblige to review the shop drawing within 14days BUT since there is a +ve Total Float of 10days for the 2nd. activity, does that means the Client has 24days?

Anyone care to comment?"


Namaste CS Ong,
1st.
Why must the schedule contractually obligated submitted by the Contractor shall include "Review by the Client"/"consultants"/"Project Management Consultants"? As these are the activity beyond the Contractors’ control.

Shop Drwgs. submission which falls under Contractors obligation and obviously within his/her control. Thus, reflects his/her competency as a qualified Contractor.

2nd.
When you laid down in DETAIL WORKS SCHEDULE Shop Drawings Submission to each activity enveloping each section, each trade, for every element, did you thus confident in put them under critical? ( IF you wish to trap the Client for EOT)?

3rd.
Did the Client ever acknowledged, that the Contractor shall within the REASONABLE time submitting the Shop Drawings pior to approval and prior to physical activity started ( early dates).

I ’d suggest to safeguard/confirm the Review period by the Client ever stated in the Contract. To just having them assume and use it in the schedule for claim porposes might trap yerself back.

peace
razif r
Nepal

Forum Guest
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Hi,

F.F = Free float= the amount of time,the early start of any activity can be delayed with out delaying the Early start of it is successor...FF is never less than Zero

T.F= Total Float= Number of work period the activity can be delayed with out affecting the Project Finish Date.

Tell me guys which Float you mean is it TF or FF or is there any other Float.

thanks
Ali
===========================================
razif r
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At the end of the day,

if the Contractor wins the EOT, the stakeholder/client will pay for the float.

if the stakeholder/client wins the EOT, the Contractor will pay for the float.

I bought and paid for a Rootbeer Float yesterday, its nice, it was there yesterday and now the float is gone.

peace
Se de Leon
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Hi guys,

In my opinion activity floats is not an issue as long as the project completion date is not affected. It is very important for a contractor to notify at once to the client regarding delay of the project for reasons beyond its control. It is also important to the client to point out immediately any delay which he thinks is attributable to contractor.

In other words, the issue is about notification and proving where the problem lies not determining the cause at the end of the project, but every time one stakeholder thinks it is necessary to make notification on the matter.
P3 Scheduler
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I posted similar question some time ago in p3 newsgroup and for the benefits of other users I am re-posting them here with reply from other user.

----- Original Message -----
From: "csong"
Newsgroups: p3
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2002 11:48 PM
Subject: Floats - belongs to Client or Contractor?


> Hi!,
>
> Many occasion I have heard discussion between contractor and their client
> during the progress site meeting touching on the subject of floats
> belonging to either Client or Contractor.
>
> I have a very faint idea on this but my understanding is that the floats
> will only belongs to the Client for activities where the Client needs to
> act on it. For example, "Submission of Shop Drawings" -> "Review of Shop
> Drawings". Floats under the 2nd. activity "Review of Shop Drawing" will
> belong to the Client whereas float under 1st. activity "Submission of
> Shop Drawing" belongs to Contractor. Am I right?
>
> Please enlighten me on this subject.
>
> Thanks and best regards,
> CS Ong

From: Tony Irineo
To: csong
Date: Tuesday, 23 April 2002 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: Floats - belongs to Client or Contractor?

Hi!

In my opinion if the construction schedule was prepared by the contractor
for its project implementation, I believe the contractor owns the float.
Besides its the contractor who has the responsibility of determining which
activities they think are critical to their schedule.

Best Regards,
Tony

--------- End of message -----------------

P3 Scheduler
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Looking back at my earlier posting regarding the 2 activities i.e. "Submission of Shop Drawings" and "Review of Shop Drawings" whereby the 1st. activity is acted upon by the Contractor and the 2nd. activity is by the Client. If the 2nd. activity still shows a +ve Total Float when the 1st. activity is 100% complete, isnt the Total Float for the 2nd. activity belongs to the Client?

If contractually the Client is oblige to review the shop drawing within 14days BUT since there is a +ve Total Float of 10days for the 2nd. activity, does that means the Client has 24days?

Anyone care to comment?

Best regards,
CS Ong
Ali Hamouda
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Hi,

Once the Owner approve the Schedule, that mean he approve that the contractor has the right to work till the Total float become Zero with out no penalty, and since this the situation So the Contractor owns the Float.

The Contractor is executing the Job,and the float is for the activites being done by the contractor..so the contractor owns the Float...

thanks
Ali Hamouda
Ronald Winter
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There is no one, set rule as to the ownership of the float. It all depends upon what the contract between the two parties says. If it says that the Owner owns the float, then the Owner owns the float (this does not happen very often.)

Many modern contracts state that the float belongs to the party that first uses it. This is generally thought to be fair.

The only real question is when the contract is silent on the ownership of the float. The courts in the US have generally held that in the absence of clear directive, the Contractor owns the float. In this case, it holds that if the Owner needs to reserve certain time periods, this should have been stipulated in the contract. Good luck!
Mark Lomas
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CS,

In your example, the shop drawings were not on the critical path (10 days float).

If the client then uses that float on his review activity (24 days), then that sequence becomes critical also (i.e. zero float). Any subsequent delay in that sequence then puts the overall schedule into delay.

I agree with Ronald that the contractor does not "own" the float. The client is entitled to use it* as "he got to the float first".

*Note: unless the contract says differently !