Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Office of the Vice President for Branches & Campuses
SANTA MARIA BULACAN CAMPUS

Partnering,
Responsibility &
Authority, and On-Site
Responsibilities
BSCE 5-1 Group II

Prepared by:
Biblanias, Gericho S.
Cezar, Genalyn S.
Climacosa, Lucky Nichole
Concepcion, Jerbie
Cruz, Alleli P.
Figueroa, Benjamin E.
Francisco, Joseph A.
Oclarit, Mark Francis G.
San Juan, Apple J.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Partnering

The objective of construction partnering

Problems that often occur in partnering projects

Implementation of partnering

II. Responsibility and Authority

A.) The Construction Project Managers Role and Responsibilities

B.) The Owners Duties in Construction

C.) Designers: Roles and Responsibilities

III. On-Site Responsibilities

The Client

Principal Designer

Designer

Principal Contractor

Contractor

Workers

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I. PARTNERING

Partnering refers to a long-term commitment between two or more organizations for

the purpose of achieving specific business objectives by maximizing the effectiveness of
each participants resources. The relationship is based on trust, dedication to common
goals, and an understanding of each others individual expectations and values. (From
Construction Industry Institute)
The primary advantage of partnering is that it recognizes and honors the objectives
of all parties, thereby creating synergy for true project success. On contrast, partnering is
becoming vulnerable to factors such as, uneven levels of commitment, failure to share
information, and lack of momentum.

Construction partnering is a type of business partnering used in the architecture,

engineering and construction industry. Partnering is intended to assist project teams with
setting goals, resolving disputes and improving project outcomes. The construction
partnering team is made up of the projects owner (client), the consulting engineers and/or
architects, the contractor(s) and other key project stakeholders. Construction partnering has
been used both in the United States and elsewhere since the early 1980s as a methodology
to reduce litigation and improve productivity.

Black (1999, p. 423) elaborates on the partnering concept by stating that the
partnering procurement method aims to eliminate adversarial relationships between client
and contractor by encouraging the parties to work together towards shared objective and
achieve a win-win outcomeSuccessful partnering requires many factors, in particular
high level of commitment to shared goals, preferably including those of the client.

The objective of construction partnering

1. Reduce project costs and schedules
2. Eliminate change orders and claims
3. Improve communication by developing mutually agreed upon project and
partnership success goals and by monitoring the achievement of these goals for the
duration of the project.
4. The construction partnering team will also develop an agreed upon process for
resolving disputes should they arise, called a dispute resolution ladder.

The majority of the attendees at the partnering workshops in public construction

projects are the contractors project manager, contractors senior manager, the clients
project manager and the clients senior manager (Khalfan & Swan, 2007). It is necessary
to use systematic assessment of partnering before the procurement. Assessment that can
evaluate if partnering is useful for a given situation (Lu & Yan, 2007).

Lu and Yan have developed an applicability assessment model for partnering that
focuses on factors related to management tools, organizations and project parameters.
1. First thing is to identify the project parameters,
2. Secondly to compare the gains from partnering with the expectation of the project.

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 3. Thirdly the recommendation is to select partners carefully in order to understand
the partners potentials, capabilities and expectations of the project.

The implementation of partnering goes through different steps as can be seen here
below suggested by (Li, et al., 2000).
1. The introduction of partnering to organization
2. The identification of the needs for partnering
3. The selection of the partnering companions
4. The organization of the partnering workshop
5. The development of the partnering value/culture during the workshop
6. The mobilization of the internal work process
7. The execution of the project
8. The repetition of the cycle

Problems that often occur in partnering projects

1. Not understanding partnering
2. Relationship issues
3. Trust problems
4. Trouble of sharing risk
5. Over dependency on each other, cultural barriers, inefficient problem solving,
communicational problems
6. Insufficient efforts to keep partnering going, inadequate training and not involving
key parties (Chan, et al., 2003).

IMPLEMENTATION OF PARTNERING
Partnering requires considerable time, effort, and commitment at all stages of a
project. The use of a partnering strategy is the voluntary decision to which all team
members agreed at the beginning of the project. Implementation steps for partnering could
proceed in the following manner:

All parties should express their desire to perform the project under a partnering
agreement at the beginning of the project. The owner 's intention of utilizing the concept
should be mentioned in the bid solicitation and specifications. Any prebid conference
should include a presentation on partnering.

There should be a meeting of top management of all firms involved in the project
in the early design stage. However, the executives at the CEO level should meet to discuss
the partnering approach to managing the project. A commitment from the top of each
organization is essential for partnering to work.

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 A partnering workshop/team building session should be held in the very early
stages of the project. Each member team should designate a partnering leader who would
intend to participate in the workshop. All of the participants of the partnering workshop
would develop and agree to a partnering charter which is a written list of the goals and
objectives for the project. The charter is a physical symbol of the project team members'
commitment to partnering. It is considered to be a road map for regular evaluation of the
project process. Specific benchmarking measurement goals as well as general goals can be
part of the partnering charter. The charter does not change the terms of the project
participants' contracts and is not a contract in itself. The charter is a guide for cooperation.
Each party to the project should sign the charter to show their commitment to the partnering
process. For periodic evaluation, a formal, regular evaluation of the progress of the project
should occur normally as a formal monthly or bimonthly meeting. At this review meeting,
there should be an open dialogue on any problem areas with the goal of maintaining all
parties' commitment to the partnering process and to make sure that an adversarial
relationship has not started to build.

The partnering charter should commit all of the team members to dispute resolution
without claims or litigation. The goal is that any disagreement is resolved at the project
level and that if a dispute is unable to be resolved at the project level, it should quickly
move up to the next level of management for resolution. Resolutions should be sought in a
win-win atmosphere of open communication and trust. The goal is to avoid claims and
any involvement by outside lawyers that could result in litigation. Alternate dispute
resolution (ADR) techniques can be an important part of the partnering process. If any
dispute is unable to be resolved at the lower level, the parties should agree to mediation or
some similar low-cost dispute resolution dispute resolution technique. The goal is to avoid
the time and expense of claims and litigation. Alternate dispute resolution techniques can
help maintain team spirit and friendly working relationships at the project.

We have all seen construction projects where adversarial, confrontational attitudes

have resulted in misdirected energies and high cost of claims and litigation. The partnering
process changes mindsets. Partnering can help all of us in the design and construction
process redirect our energies and focus on the real issues associated with achieving
optimum project goals. Partnering is not a panacea. Partnering requires a major
commitment to change by all project parties to work in a team environment that results in
a win-win relationship. Partnering can and is changing our industry one project at a time.
It is an approach which can produce outstanding results for our industry.

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II. RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY

Planning is an art and the art of planning exist only among human beings. This
power to be able to distinguishes man from other members of the animal kingdom.
The environmental development through planning is a natural field for Architects
as they are in better position because of their training and experience. However, for a good
planning intelligence are necessary. And for a plan to be successful, it must be prepared by
those who trained and qualified.
The pre-planning stage, establishes and determine the direction and success of any
construction project. Unfortunately, it seems that some engineers and constructors have not
given the pre-planning special emphasis despite they are on direction of going there.
Past experience has proven that there is no shortcuts to sound construction pre-
planning. There is no new procedure to replace the following four basic rules for any job.
1. The construction superintendent should be included in the consultation at very start of
the planning stage. Do not just present him later the finished plan and say: here is the plan
for you to implement.
2. Make a job breakdown into components. This will simplify the whole program.
3. Prepare a construction plan that will be consulted constantly. Do not just file it in a
drawer only to accumulate dust.
4. Take advantage of new tools, which have demonstrated in saving time, money or
confusion. For instance, a computer can be used to layout one sheet a detailed schedule
according to number of days, crafts, man-hours, costs, procurement and completion of
process.

A.) The Construction Project Managers Role and Responsibilities

The central figure in a project is the project manager. He bears the ultimate
responsibility for the success or failure of the project. A Project Manager (PM) will have
overall responsibility for the successful planning, execution, monitoring, control and
closure of a project. They must have a combination of skills including an ability to ask
penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions and resolve conflicts, as well as more
general management skills.
The project managers mission is to plan, coordinate, control and accomplish. His
achievement can probably be traced to his success in managing people. Similarly, people
at every tier of corporate hierarchy, exercise essentially the same management principles
to lead other people towards the accomplishment of organizational objectives.

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Responsibilities:
The construction manager will have many responsibilities and these include the following:
A. Planning - From the outset, it is the responsibility of the Construction PM to plan the
build process, this means producing a critical path and understanding the timing of each
stage. Following each phase of the project is essential to ensuring that the project is
completed on time.
B. Resource Allocation - Any building project will need resources from bricks and mortar
to tools and basic amenities. It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to have an
understanding of what these are and ensure they are available.
C. Staff Management - The Project Manager will be responsible for recruiting a team and
allocating tasks to relevant managers. It may mean identifying suitable contractors who can
complete the work. The important thing for the Construction Project Manager is
understanding at which stage of the process each trade will need to be recruited.
D. Setting Benchmarks - An integral aspect of the ongoing monitoring of a project is
setting benchmarks to monitor progress, this allows the project manager to identify whether
or not the project is on target to finish on time and within budget.
E. Budget Management The Project Manager is responsible for the financial planning
and monitoring of the project. To avoid going over budget a PM should consider
continually forecasting, keeping the team informed of forecasts and changes and managing
the scope meticulously, so knowing the costs for unplanned construction work or resources
and keeping that set-aside.
Other:
1. Worksheet. Prepare a graph and plotting the anticipated date of delivery of all major
equipment at the site. The optimum time for each construction activities could be analyzed.
Severe peaks and uneconomical use of equipment will appear on the projected graph,
which could then be adjusted to prevent future conflicts in the field.
2. Timetable. The project manager should conduct one or more informal sessions with key
personnel assigned to the project such as: construction superintendent; job buyer, drafting
room coordinator; job expediter.
During the session, the preliminary construction program or worksheet is reviewed
to determine whether engineering work and procurement of materials can be accomplished
at the rate and in sequence as programmed in the schedule. The sequence of construction
activities, which are related to optional early and late starts, will serve as running list of
individual job components with notations to work activities with greater importance and
priority over the others. Specifications for equipment and materials which are in the
development should be possessed according to their importance or urgency in the overall
project. One important function of the construction planner is the preparation of an accurate
manpower estimates assigned to each function.

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What Skills Do You Need To Be A Construction Project Manager?
General skills for project management are used in a construction project manager role. This
include:
Planning and Time Management to ensure that projects are completed within set
timeframes.
Resource Management ensuring that equipment is available throughout the building
project.
Financial and Budget Management making sure that the project is completed within a
financial budget.
Communication arranging meetings and ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the
projects progress.
Delegation and Motivation the Project Manager, will be responsible for ensuring that
tasks are delegated effectively and staffs remain motivated to complete the project to a high
standard.
General Construction at times of uncertainty the project manager may be relied upon for
his superior knowledge of the industry and specific problems. Managerial competence is a
function of a managers character, knowledge and experience. These three ingredients
interact to mold a particular style of management. Styles maybe altered or fashioned by
education gained from formal training and work seasoning. An advantage of studying
management techniques is the opportunity it allows to explore and develop managerial
skills without suffering the consequences of trial and error learning.

What is the Workload of a Construction Project Manager?

The role of a Construction Project Manager may involve a variety of tasks including:
Daily email checks for correspondence from many stakeholders.
Preparing regular progress reports for project sponsors.
Making daily tasks lists and delegating responsibility.
Arranging and leading on regular team meetings.
Keeping up to date with any policy and legislation changes.
Undertaking site checks to monitor progress.
Dealing with matters arising from stakeholders such as environmental and local
community issues.
Monitoring budget reports.

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B.) The Owners Duties in Construction

The owner's failure to understand and perform his duties can seriously affect a project.

The following is a summary of the many tasks that must be performed by the owner during
the pre-construction phase.

Responsibilities and Authorities of the Owner/Client

1. Ensure that suitable management arrangements are made for the project

On all projects, the client must verify that adequate management arrangements
are in place to ensure that the roles, functions and responsibilities of all members
of the project team are clear and understood. The organizations and individuals
working on the project should know their roles, responsibilities and authorities
and their relationship with other members of the team.

This will include:

checking that there is good cooperation and communication between

designers and contractors;
checking that there is adequate protection for the client's workers and/or
members of the public;
checking to make sure that adequate welfare facilities have been provided
by the contractor; and
checking that the arrangements which the contractor agreed to make to
control key risks on site have been implemented.

On notifiable projects, the Client is required to notify the relevant authority

involve design audits and site inspections and audits. On non-notifiable projects,
the client will either have to perform these checks themselves or obtain this
assistance from others, which may be a person or organization who has the
competence to act in this role, for example the principal designer or principal
contractor or a third party with relevant knowledge and expertise.

2. Select & appoint a competent and resourced Principal Designer and Principal
Contractor

The principal designer will oversee the design and planning of a project and
assist the client in the performance of the client's duties. The principal contractor
is responsible for managing the health and safety aspects of the construction.

The principal designer should be appointed as soon as possible after

commencement of the initial design. The principal contractor should be

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 appointed as soon as the client knows enough about the project to select a
suitable contractor, so that they can make contributions to the health and safety
of the design. Only one principal designer and one principal contractor may be
appointed to the project at any one time, although the appointments may be
changed.

On non-notifiable projects, the client still has duties to perform under the
regulations. The client may well have formal arrangements in place with the
principal designer and principal contractor which state how the project is to be
managed and subsequent duties discharged.

3. Ensure sufficient time and resources are allowed for all stages of the project.

It is required that the client to allow sufficient time and other resources for all
parties involved to fulfil their health and safety responsibilities. The client still
needs to seek advice on the time and resources proposed to be allocated to the
different phases of a project.

The client must allow sufficient time for the design, design reviews, planning,
hazard identification, risk assessment, specification of risk control measures,
selection of contractors, mobilization, sequencing and scheduling of work, and
carrying out construction.

4. Provide the pre-construction information (PCI) to the designers and contractors.

Pre-construction Information is information that it is necessary to provide to

tendering Principal Contractors as well as to the design team.

The Pre-construction Information serves two main purposes:

During its development, the Pre-construction Information can provide a

focus at which health and safety considerations of the designs are brought
together under the control of the Principal Designer.
Secondly, the Pre-construction Information plays a vital role in the tender
documentation. It enables prospective principal contractors to be fully
aware of the projects health and safety and welfare requirements. This
will allow prospective principal contractors to have a level playing field as
far as health and safety is concerned on which to provide tender
submissions.

5. Verify the sufficiency of the construction phase plan (CPP) prior to construction
commencement.
A suitable CPP must contain the following areas:

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 a) A description of the project including key dates and important project team
members

b) The management of the work including the;

Health and safety aims

Site rules
Arrangements to make sure with all team members cooperate and
coordinate their work, for example, regular team meetings
Arrangements for involving site workers
Site induction
Welfare facilities
Fire and emergency procedures.

6. Verify that suitable welfare facilities are in place prior to construction

commencement.
The minimum welfare facilities required includes:
Sanitary conveniences
Washing facilities
Drinking water
Changing rooms and lockers
Facilities for rest.

7. Contractor training - Ensure the necessary information, instruction and training is

received and appropriate supervision is provided to comply with the regulations.

C.) Designers: Roles and Responsibilities

A designer is an organization or individual whose business involves preparing or

modifying designs for constructions projects, or arranging for, or instructing of works.
Designers can be architects, consulting engineers, quantity surveyors and interior
designers, or anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work.

They can also be principal contractors or specialist contractors, if they get actively
involved in design work for their project.

Regulation 5 of the CDM 2015 requires the client to appoint a principal designer if
there are more than one contractor on the project

Principal Designer a designer with control over the pre-construction phase. Require the
principal designer to manage health and safety at the pre-construction phase and produce a
health and safety file.

Designers must:

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1. Make sure the client is aware of the client duties under CDM 2015 before starting any
design work
2. When preparing or modifying designs;
-take account of any pre-construction information provided by the client (and
principal designer, if one is involved)
-eliminate foreseeable health and safety risks to anyone affected by the project (if
possible)
-take steps to reduce or control any risks that cannot be eliminated
3. Provide design information to the client and principal contractor to help them comply
with their duties, such as ensuring a construction phase plan is prepares.
4. Communicate, cooperate and coordinate (3C)
- Any other designers (including the principal designer) so that all designs are
compatible and ensure health and safety, both during the project and beyond
-All contractors (including the principal contractor) to take account of their
knowledge and experience of building designs

III. ON-SITE RESPONSIBILITIES

Roles and their Duties in Construction

In summary, the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015)
identifies the following roles in construction:
1. Client
2. Principal Designer
3. Designer
4. Principal Contractor
5. Contractor
6. Workers

1. Clients Organizations or individuals for whom a construction project is carried

out that is done as part of a business.

DUTIES:
Make suitable arrangements for managing a project, including making sure:
Other duty holders are appointed as appropriate
Sufficient time and resources are allocated
Relevant information is prepared and provided to other duty holders

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 The principal designer and principal contractor carry out their duties
Welfare facilities are provided

2. Principal Designers - Designers appointed by the client in projects involving more

than one contractor. They can be an organization or an individual with sufficient
knowledge, experience and ability to carry out the role.

DUTIES:
Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the preconstruction phase of a
project. This includes:
identifying, eliminating or controlling foreseeable risks
ensuring designers carry out their duties
Prepare and provide relevant information to other duty holders. Liaise with the
principal contractor to help in the planning, management, monitoring and
coordination of the construction phase.

3. Designers - Organizations or individuals who as part of a business, prepare or

modify designs for a building, product or system relating to construction work.

DUTIES:
When preparing or modifying designs, eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that
may arise during:
construction
maintenance and use once it is built

Provide information to other members of the project team to help them fulfill their duties.

4. Principal Contractors Contractors appointed by the client to coordinate the

construction phase of a project where it involves more than one contractor

DUTIES:
Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the construction phase of a
project. This includes:
Liaising with the client and principal designer
preparing the construction phase plan
organizing cooperation between contractors and coordinating their work

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Make sure:
suitable site inductions are provided
reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorized access
workers are consulted and engaged in securing their health and safety
welfare facilities are provided

5. Contractors Those who carry out the actual construction work, contractors can
be an individual or a company

DUTIES:
Plan, manage and monitor construction work under their control so it is carried out
without risks to health and safety.
For projects involving more than one contractor, coordinate their activities with
others in the project team in particular, comply with directions given to them by
the principal designer or principal contractor.
For single contractor projects, prepare a construction phase plan.

6. Workers Those working for or under the control of contractors on a construction

site

DUTIES:
Workers must:
be consulted about matters which affect their health, safety and welfare
take care of their own health and safety, and of others who might be affected
by their actions
report anything they see which is likely to endanger either their own or others
health and safety
cooperate with their employer, fellow workers, contractors and other duty
holders

On-site Responsibilities
The construction phase usually takes up the longest time in the whole project
period. In the construction phase, a lot of things happen, even unexpected things happen.
When these things happen, it is important to know your stand in the situation because
knowing so clearly defines your involvement and authority in the project, and having
defined so shows that you are responsible with your role in construction.

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The Client
The client is whom the project is for, who plays a major role in the project
conception. During the actual construction phase, what has been planned in the pre-
construction might not apply to the site anymore. There comes the responsibility of the
client to coordinate once again with those in the pre-construction phase. The client may not
involve him/herself in the scenario, but it could become a problem when the modifications
done havent met his/her expectations, so it is right and just for the client to know whats
going on. If the/she does not, it would be easy for the contractor/s or workers to modify the
project in such way that they will profit more.
The client must occasionally be present in the site because in fact, the client is
protected by laws. The client is a consumer of services, and the Consumer Act of the
Philippines provides them protection against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable acts and
practices. It is stated in the Article 2 of R.A. 7394 and reiterated in the G.R. No. 189655.
Somehow, these laws provide the clients legal authority in inspecting the work done by the
party involved in building the project.
The Designer
Theres not much responsibility for a designer to do in the actual construction
process, unless such modification shall be done which will involve remodeling of the
printed plan.
The Workers
The workers play a crucial role in the site: bringing the plans into reality. No matter
how accurately calculated the design is, a single error by the workers in the execution of
plans may lead to a loss in the future. That is why the primary responsibility of a worker at
the site is to execute his work according to plan. Other than that, a worker, as a laborer,
shall know that he is protected by the Labor Code. Neglecting such provisions by the
Department of Labor and Employment, it would be easy for the superior to obtain what
they must not that the workers must.
The Contractor and Construction Supervisor
There is a saying that goes With great power comes with great responsibility. The
contractor may just stand as a single entity in the contract, but it is undeniable that he/she
has the most power and authority over anyone else in the party opposite to the clients.
First and foremost, providing all the resources necessary for the construction of the project
is the responsibility of the contractor. Overseeing his/her staffs is another thing. All of these
tasks might already be tedious to the contractor, but that is just half of the job. Another
important role is to oversee those staffs present in the site. There must be an assurance that
all of the resources provided by the contractor will be put into right place. This tedious task
requires another person, which is the supervisor.

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 Supervision varies with levels from foreman to site engineer; but general to them
all, it is their responsibility to heed the safety of his/her staffs as they do their work at the
site. As the site supervisor, its your job to both assess and manage safety hazards in the
workplace. Responsibilities may also include managing and instructing the site workers,
setting goals for the team, and seeing projects through to completion. While your main
priority is safety, it may also be your responsibility to motivate and, in some cases, even
discipline staff. You may be asked to mentor and encourage members of the team, which
is why many companies look for a qualified supervisor with years of experience working
as part of a team. It certainly isnt considered an entry level job. You need industry
experience and, in some cases, training.
Each role in the site bears its own duties. Accomplishing these duties is the key to
accomplish the project effectively; however, doing more than your duty to the extent of
your responsibility makes it possible for the effective to be efficient.

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