Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
may differ, they require their capital investment to return a construction
project that is on time, on budget and of the required quality.
Client organisations are complex and their use of capital assets is
diverse. Therefore their wider strategic objectives for making the invest-
ment and the requirements expected from the inputs of the built envi-
ronment can vary widely. Some objectives, such as budgetary constraints,
feature more heavily than others for some clients, while other objec-
tives, such as social or employment impacts, may not feature at all.
Prioritising these requirements and communicating their relative impor-
tance to the supply chain are the starting point of the procurement
process. Clients must clearly identify and communicate their expecta-
tions, if these are to be met during delivery.
Understanding a client's values and meeting or exceeding them is one
of the key criteria for determining success in a project, for both the client
and supply chain alike. Ensuring the right questions are asked of the
supply chain during procurement enables the selection of the best
response that meets these critical success factors.
Some objectives may contradict others, while other objectives may
need to take a number of factors into account. Still others may be
dependent on circumstances at the time, or depend on progress or deci-
sions yet to be taken. The key issue in communication is to convey a
complicated message clearly, consistently and reliably. The lack of com-
pletely clear communication is often the root cause of misunderstand-
ings on the parts of both the client and their chosen delivery team.
A key set of issues that need to be communicated at the outset are
the client's value criteria, against which they select the supply chain
and measure success. These values are made up of certain priority
themes and critical success factors, including time, cost and quality.
Not understanding these and the client's emphasis on their relative
importance can lead to unexpected outcomes, disputes and disagree-
ments. It is therefore necessary to defi ne value for the client in eco-
nomic, social and environmental terms.
Developing a framework for measuring performance
In order to understand a client's expectations for their construction
programme, it is important to assess their strategic goals, their business
aims, company mission, vision, values, objectives and targets for im-
provement. These goals and targets need to be translated into the
