Dear Rashid,

I will try to clarify the process of work, and it is up to you to make it happen depending on your environment, skills and tools, and Conditions of Contract.

The Planner has the responsibility to segregate the Contract Documents into a well definite plan to complete the works.

The Scheduler has the responsibility to create the WBS, activities, and ultimately Schedule Development.

Changes has to be reported by the Contractor and approved by the client before implementation in the Schedule submitted at the beginning of the Contract as per Contract Requirements.

Any Changes that happen which is reported by the Contractor’s Engineering, Material, Construction, Quality or Project Management Departments have to be categorized, monitored against Contractual Quantities and submitted to the Client as per COC.

Now, if you identify where you are in the above process, I can assist you more.

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Rashid,

Of course the changes in scope must be dealt with as per the Conditions of Contract. If you are using FIDIC, then two conditions MUST take place in order to consider a change;

1. Change in Quantity over 20%
2. Change in Contract amount by over 1%.

If your COC permits your to make changes to the unit price of the individual BOQ items that exceeds these two above conditions for example, then you need to submit this Variation as a change order (excusable and compensable) to your Engineer and Client for approval. Subsequently, you will change the Schedule to reflect the new unit prices according to the approved unit price analysis.

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Rashid,

I will help you to the extent that I understood from your email.

Senario 1:
Scope Changes that are non compensable and non excusable: Say changing the patterns of tiling in the Issued for Construction Drawings BEFORE the Contractor prepared the Construction drawings. No harm done, no cost associated with the preparation of the drawings, no change to the schedule.

Scenario 2:
Say changing the patterns of tiling in the Issued for Construction Drawings AFTER the Contractor prepared the Construction drawings.
The activity of shop drawings preparation and approval is complete. The client changes the design pattern. Contractor can submit an estimate of the actual manpower spent on the project, and you add another activity called revised pattern design drawings with the new resources and durations and run the Schedule and see what happens.

Planner can collect the data for manpower, material and submit it to the project manager for claim submittal (Extra Cost).

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Rizwan,

I hope that your question is answered to your satisfaction.

Dear Mike,

You are correct. It depends on the Contract type:

a. Lump sum; no changes are accepted if the drawings are not changed.

b. Unit rate: Changes (+ or -) are issued when the execution of each quantity/activity is complete. Idealy, you need to issue a revised baseline (revised approved schedule). Because the new changes will affect the rest of the activities.

c. Cost Plus: Same as B.

Dear Vladimir,
Thank you for your kind confirmation.

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Rizwan,

If there is no dedicated variation order or site instruction, you are over claiming the progress. The situation can occur directly mistakes from quantity surveying. The most softly solution without confusing or annoying the managers:

• You shall notice the activities effecting from scope change
• You shall use latest total budgeted quantity to calculate the progress. (You shall not change the quantities in approved Schedule or Progress Measurement System)
• My recommendation is using a “Forecasted Quantity” and “Forecasted Manhour” in schedule and PMS.
• You will use baseline quantities and manhours for any progress (%) measuring purposes (earned values). You shall prepare a commodity report from “Forecasted Quantities”
• If you over progressed, do not claim ½ of the periodical progress of week until you catch up real progress for over claimed activities.
• Important point is to be systematic. First conclude the situation between planning teams of CLIENT-CONTRACTOR. This could ease the acceptance of the change.
• So you are producing a % based progress which is systematic and showing the trends of the project and a commodity report that is showing actual quantities achieved at site.
• You can use “Forecasted Quantities” and “Forecasted Manhours” for projection studies requested by managers, cost dep., material departments etc..

“Management of Change” and “Progress Measurement System” procedures, at the start of project shall be prepared with solutions to all kinds of points as above. Unfortunately, both CLIENT s and CONTRACTOR s do not want to see any points or problems at the start of the project especially in procedures or project control documents.

Regards

Safak VURAL

Yes, it depends on the contract.
Does anybody argue?
Best Regards,
Vladimir

Dear Rizwan,

My opinion is that if you have an approved schedule, then you need to continue updating your approved schedule. If you have over or under quantities, then you monitor them in a change order (excel for starters). If you must complete the extra quantities, then you can monitor the effect on the approved schedule by adding an activity called "extra excavation works" and load the activity with the resources and the actual duration and submit the impact to your client for time extension (if any).

Once you know that you have extra or reduced quantities for any BOQ item, you need to inform your project management team to tell the client about it. Once the event is complete, you inform the client with the cost and time impact.

With kind regards,

Samer

Dear Rizwan,

This is a standard issue in each Contract. The increase in quantity is considered a change wether at the start or at the end of the Contract. Each change must be verified, explained, and approved by the Client.

Your question is about showing it in progress. After reaching the 100% you can show it as additional works activity, that will require resources and needs duration. It might have a cost impact as per COC as Mike said. And you can report the time impact after the completion of the event. Your project manager has to issue a notification to the client that the quantities has increased as per the Change Orders clauses in Conditions Of Contract.

With kind regards,

Samer

If you had 500,000cm of Cut to Fill and 300,000cm of Borrow Fill and now you got 600,000cm of cut suitable for fill then you most probably got 600,000cm of Cut to Fill and 200,000cm of Borrow Fill, now you don’t have to bring as much from the borrow pit, but don’t tell the Owner’s rep if a fixed price contract.

Rizwan,

Usually Road jobs are done under unit price contract, if amount changed you better show changed amount.

Let the PM worry about Contract adjustments with regard to Cost and Duration. Yes even unit price contracts do have an estimated total cost amount, unit prices might be changed/re-negotiated if the total amount varies by a certain percentage over/under estimated amount.

Best regards,
Rafael