Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sure of the price of the project and it therefore seemed attractive to deter-
mine a fixed price for the design and construction.
The construction requirements of the client were laid down in reference pre-
conditions which was the basis of the Westerschelde Tunnel contract. It was
then up to the contractor to make a design that fulfilled this requirement. After
the client had appraised and accepted the design, the contractor was able to
start the construction work.
It was stipulated by contract that the contractor when carrying out the con-
struction work was expected to work 'subject to quality assurance', a type of
self accreditation.This would make it possible that the client should be able
to supervise the implementation phase of the project with a fairly limited
organization.
Part of the contract was also the stipulation that the contractor would be
liable for any defects for a period of ten years. No distinction was made here
between design and implementation faults; the contractor was liable in both
cases. In addition to a design and build contract, an agreement was con-
cluded with KMW for the maintenance of the Westerschelde Tunnel for a
period of ten years after completion.
The client was responsible for land acquisition, spatial planning and issuing
permits for the definitive work, communication with the neighbourhood
and aesthetic aspects. The contractor had to take care of the permits for the
implementation/construction.
Fig. 17.1
Organization chart
Province of Zeeland
(5% shares)
Government
(95% shares)
Board of Commissioners
NV Westerscheldetunnel
(Client)
Civil Engineering Division, Directorate-
General for Public Works and
Water Management
(Design and Construction
Consultant and Supervisor)
Directorate-General for Public Works and
Water Management, Zeeland Department
(Spatial Planning, Land Acquisition and
Issuing of Permits)
KMW
(Contractor)
Although the contract enabled the client to remain more in the 'background',
compared with a traditional type of contract, the final result was not com-
pletely in accordance with the original requirement of a fully 'turn-key' solution:
much more interaction was involved between the contractor and the client
than had been originally desired. Furthermore, the client also bore the
so-called ultimate risks (disasters, etc.) and risks associated with man-made
objects in the soil larger than 0.5
0.5
0.5 metres.
Risk and project management
Managing risks form an important key for the success of a mega project
such as constructing the WesterscheldeTunnel. Based on risk analyses made
in 1997 and 1998, the risk management was set up in a structural form. This
enabled NV Westerscheldetunnel to control the risks involved in a rational
way and to manage them.
As soon as a project is started, it is of course the intention that it will be
completed within the time and budget available and what is more, meets
the quality requirements set. It is of essential importance that the project is
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