UNIT – 1

RESOURCES FOR CONSTRUCTION

1. Men
2. Materials
3. Machinery
4. Money
In addition to this, other resources required in the form of infrastructure are-
a) Power
b) Water
c) Space
d) Communication means
Men resource is an essential resource for construction. It can be divided into two categories:
 Workforce / manpower
 Technical and managerial personnel / organization
Workforce / manpower consist of skilled and unskilled workers. Proper care has to be taken to use the right
number of workers for the right job. There should be no sudden fluctuations in the number of labours as it will
affect supervision and infrastructural facilities which will lead to fall in efficiency.
Technical and managerial personnel use the human resources in such a way that the project is finished within
given time and budget. This is called organization of an engineering project.
Materials: Materials such as brick, stone, timber, sand, steel, lime, paint, centering and shuttering, water
supply, sanitary and electrical fittings, petrol, oil, lubricants, etc. are called material resources which are
required for construction works. A material schedule/ calendar showing the quantity, quality and exact time and
date of its delivery is prepared by assessment with reference to work schedule and it is the duty of construction
engineer to look into the material schedule and give order for supply of various materials at right time.
Construction manager should decide as to what materials are to be bought from the local markets and what from
the original manufacturers.
Machinery: For any type of construction work, various equipment and tools are required at different point of
time during the execution period. Depending upon type and nature of a construction job, machinery required at
site may include batching plant, mixer, vibrators, trucks, tractors, excavators, cranes, pumps, generators,
workshop equipment, etc.
An equipment schedule / calendar should be prepared so that construction manager may have no difficulty in
arranging the equipment for the purpose at the right time so that the work is not held-up due to shortage of
equipment.
Money: Money or fund is the single most important resource because all other resources are directly dependent
on the availability of fund. So, financial resource should be planned carefully. Financial planning is necessary
for smooth cash in – flow and out-flows and to avoid any delay in the project activities.

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CONSTRUCTION TEAM
For any civil engineering project, a construction team is composed of owner, engineers/architects and
contractor.
Owner: The owner may be an individual or a group of individuals, private or public sector company. The
owner holds all the decision making powers regarding managerial, financial and administrative aspects of a
project. He is responsible for the fund and other resources of the project.
Duties of the owner:
1) He appoints an engineer and other staff.
2) He obtains clearance for construction from competent authority.
3) He provides the engineer the estimated cost and the required time.
4) He makes payment to the contractor on the production of proper bill from the engineer.
Engineer: It includes the construction engineer who is responsible for project management, store control,
inspection and quality assurance, construction supervision, cost control, etc. It also includes architects,
structural engineers, quantity surveyor, mechanical and electrical engineer, specialists such as structural
consultants, safety and maintenance planners, soil investigators, etc. He gets prepared the necessary drawings,
specifications, and estimates, checks soil conditions and supervises the entire work.
Architects assess the owner’s functional requirements and prepare plans and specifications for the purpose.
Structural engineers prepare design as per loads and prepare working drawings which is handed over to the
construction engineer.
Mechanical engineer is responsible for the mechanical devices required during and after construction.
Electrical engineer prepares working drawings for electrical powers and distribution systems during and after
construction.
Quantity surveyor:
a. Estimates cost of work
b. Prepares bill of quantities
c. Assess extra cost due to special features
d. Prepare cash flow statement during construction.
e. Prepare final accounts on project completion,
Contractor:
The contractor may be an individual or a large construction company. The contractor has to do a number of
works and has to make all necessary arrangements for labour, equipment, materials, etc. in order to complete
the project within given time and cost. His duties are:
a. He undertakes execution of work or services concerned.
b. He has to visit worksite, study soil conditions and ensure proper facilities for construction purposes.
c. He should safeguard his own men and materials.
d. He should obtain all building permits.

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STAGES IN CONSTRUCTION:

• Project reporting stage

Pre-
tender • Project planning stage
Tender • Project tendering stage
Post- • Project construction stage
tender
• Project commisioning stage

1. Project reporting stage: In this stage, ideas of the project are originated by individual or group of
individuals or a public sector or private sector company. Ideas of the project are properly studied with respect to
the cost and benefits so that the project is economically and socially utilizable.
Activities:

Set objectives of a project

Technical (geological and geographical survey) and

Non-technical (market survey) investigation

Development of alternate solutions

Evaluation and comparision of alternatives

Selection of the most feasible alternative

Prepare the detailed project report

2. Project planning stage: In this stage, a detailed cost estimate of the chosen project is made. The
purpose of this stage is to prepare project summary, detailed drawings, detailed structural design and finally get
the estimated cost of the project. The type of construction and methodology is also worked out.

3. Project tendering stage: In this stage, tenders are invited and the contract is awarded. The purpose of
this stage is to award a contract to the contractor selected for the purpose on suitable terms and conditions
ensuring proper quality, cost and completion time.
Functions:

Preparation of tender documents and obtaining tenders

Comparative statement of tenders

Obtaining resource capacity, work experience and

reliability of the contractors

Award of contract to the selected contractor

Work order and possesssion of site to the contractor

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4. Project construction stage: In this stage, execution of work begins as per plans and detailing.
Construction methodology is carried out in such a way that wastage of manpower, materials and money is
prevented and ensuring completion of project within given time, cost and quality.
Functions:
i. Using CPM network, following construction schedule/calendars are prepared
 Activity schedule/calendar
 Material schedule/calendar
 Worker schedule/calendar
 Fund schedule/calendar
 Equipment schedule/calendar

ii. Service and facilities must be provided before starting the work.
iii. Supervision of construction work
iv. Coordination of sub-contractors and various sections
v. Inspection, quality control and work progress
vi. Final checking of the completed work is made and final payment is made to the contractor.

5. Project commissioning stage: In this stage, performance of the structure is evaluated and type of
maintenance and repair is proposed.
The purpose of this stage is to ensure that the construction work has been completed as specified in the contract
documents.
Functions:
i. Keeps various records of the actual work
ii. Quality inspection to remove the defects if found
iii. Prepare operating and maintenance manual
iv. Carryout performance test of the structure
v. Appointment of staff for commissioning schedule

CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS:

Light construction works: It is the work with light structural members. Heavy machines are not usually
required. Example: residential buildings, colleges, village roads, light industry sheds, etc.
Heavy construction works: These are the works with heavy structural members on massive foundations,
requires heavy machinery and equipment and large quantity of material, labour, and finances. Example: bridges,
railways, hydroelectric power plants, etc.
Industrial construction works: These are the works related to industries which needs special equipment and
skill. Example: oil refineries, steel mills, atomic reactors, etc.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

In today’s world time is an importance factor. Therefore it is important that projects are completed on time and
within budget because delays are costly and overshot budgets can lead to a lack of funds, thereby causing
financial problems for both contractor and owner. Construction management is a professional service that uses
specialized project management techniques to look into the planning, design and construction of a project, from
its beginning to its end. The purpose of construction management is to control a project’s time, cost and quality.

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 FUNCTIONS OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
i. Specifying project objectives and plans
ii. Maximizing the resource efficiency through use of labour, materials and equipment.
iii. Implementing various operations through proper coordination and control of planning, design,
estimating, contracting and construction in the entire process
iv. Developing effective mechanisms for resolving conflicts.

CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING
By using CPM network of a project, various construction schedules/calendars are prepared such as –
i.Activity Schedule/calendar
ii.Material Schedule/calendar
iii.Labour Schedule/calendar
iv.Equipment Schedule/calendar
v.Financial Schedule/calendar
If we want to run a project smoothly and at given budget, we need to know beforehand the types and quantities
of various resources (men, materials, machinery and money) that will be needed. Critical path study helps us to
know in advance what resources will be needed and when they will be needed and also the exact dates on which
they will be released for use on the project.
i.Activity Schedule/calendar: It is a tool to manage time and perform activities in a proper sequence. The
following are the steps to prepare an activity schedule:
a) The project’s construction methodology is studied in detail and a list of activities that constitute the
project is prepared. A time duration is also fixed for each activity.
b) A logical relationship among the activities is formed.
c) The logical relationship is converted in the form of an arrow diagram.
d) Duration, symbolic name and node-numbering is done after removing all errors.
e) Critical path, project duration, activity name and associated floats are calculated which is called
scheduling.
f) Earliest start and latest start, earliest finish and latest finish of each activity associated with floats is used
for optimum use of resources.
g) Finally a calendar or table is prepared in which the exact working date excluding the holiday is
mentioned for each activity in the following form-
Name of project…………………………….
Place of worksite……………………………
Starting date………………………………..
Finishing date……………………………..
Table 1: Activity Schedule

S. No. Description of activity Symbol Duration Working Remarks

(days) dates
1 Excavation A 3 11/2/17, 12/2/17, 13/2/17
2 Building layout B 1 14/2/17
3 Foundation C 4 15/2/17, 16/2/17, 17/2/17, 18/2/17
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ii. Material Schedule/Calendar
From the activity schedule, demand of various building materials such as cement, sand, brick, steel, etc.
is known. Their quantities are known by estimating analysis and the actual date when they will be used
is known by starting date of an activity. Materials should be delivered on a site just before they are
needed. A material schedule includes the quantities and delivery dates of all the materials required.
Table 2: Material Schedule

S. No. Material Quantity Delivery dates

1 Cement 100 15/2/17
(in bags) 200 18/2/17
2 Bricks 5000 15/2/17
(in numbers) 8000 18/2/17

iii. Labour Schedule/Calendar:

The classification of labours, their number and the period during which they will be engaged is
mentioned in the labour schedule. This gives the exact number of labours required during the project an
gives enough time to manage the requirement easily. It is also a direct measure of labour expenditure
and helps in efficient deployment of labours in the project.
Table 3: Labour Schedule

S. No. Classification February’17 March’17 April’17

of labours 11 18 25 3 7 21 9 16
1 Foreman 1 1 1 2 2 2 - -
2 Mechanic 1 1 1 1 1 1 - -
3 Truck driver - 1 - - - - - -
4 Tractor operator 2 2 1 - 2 2 - -
5 Aggregate batcher - - - - - 2 - -
6 Mixer operator - - - - - 1 - -
7 Labours 4 4 4 10 10 12 - -

iv. Equipment Schedule/Calendar:

A proper knowledge of types of equipments, number of equipments and duration for which they are
required is necessary to avoid any delay in completion of the project.
Table 4: Equipment Schedule

S. No. Equipments February’17 March’17 April’17

11 18 25 3 7 21 9 16
1 Tractor 2 - - - - - - -
2 Crane 1 1 - - - - - -
3 Bulldozer 2 - - 2 - - - -
4 Power shovel 1 - - - - - 1 -
5 Truck 2 2 1 - - - 1 -
6 Concrete Mixer - - - - - - 1 2
7 Vibrator - - - - - - 2 2
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 v. Financial Schedule/Calendar:
A financial schedule shows the amount of cash flow required at different stages of the construction
project for the payment of materials, labours, equipments and others. It gives the total amount of money
required for successful completion of a project.

Figure 1: Financial schedule

CONSTRUCTION PLANNING:
It is a process of documenting action based plans for completion of project in time. It includes defining the work
task, sequence of work, construction methods, roles and responsibilities and planning of resources to complete
the project as per schedule.
The documents for construction planning are designs and drawings, quantity estimates, construction methods to
be adopted, contract documents, site conditions, market survey, local resources, project environment and the
client’s requirements.
Objectives:
1. Planning of each activity: Each activity should be identified and included in a sequential way. Every
activity should be scheduled in a timeline for tracking of construction project.

2. Construction methods: plans should include construction methods to be adopted for different activities
and tools so that they can be made available whenever required.

3. Planning for construction equipments and machinery: Cost of a construction varies greatly with the
use of construction equipments and heavy machinery as their renting cost may be very high per day. So
planning for each equipment should be done in advance so that project activities go on smoothly without
waiting for these equipments.

4. Procurement of materials: It is not good to keep the material unused at the site for a long time. This
will degrade the material, thereby increasing the material cost. So proper planning of material also helps to
complete the project within given budget.

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5. Planning for employee skills: Some of the activities require skilled labours to complete the work. It is
not necessary to employ such persons for the entire project. So proper planning of such activities will reduce the
cost of operations.

6. Planning for required documents and drawings: Construction activities are completed based on the
drawings and detailing. It is necessary to make these drawings available at site on time so that construction
activities are not stopped.

7. Financial planning: Financial planning is the most important aspect. Different amounts are required at
different stages. Proper planning of funds helps to run the project smoothly.

Advantages of construction planning:

Planning facilitates management by objectives. It highlights the purposes for which various activities are to be
undertaken. It makes objectives more clear and specific. Planning helps in focusing the attention of employees
on the objectives or goals of enterprise. A solid plan helps keep costs down and allows us to operate according
to a budget.

Limitations of construction planning:

1. Rigidity: Planning indicates prior determination of policies, procedures and programmes and a strict
devotion to them in all circumstances. There is no scope for individual freedom.
2. Misdirected Planning: Planning may be used to serve individual interests rather than the interest of the
enterprise.
3. Time consuming: Planning is a time consuming process because it involves collection of information,
its analysis and interpretation thereof. This entire process takes a lot of time specially where there are a number
of alternatives available. Therefore planning is not suitable during emergency or crisis when quick decisions are
required.
4. Probability in planning: Planning is based on forecasts which are mere estimates about future. These
estimates may prove to be inexact due to the uncertainty of future.
5. Political Climate- Change of government from one party to some other political party
6. Labour Union- Strikes, lockouts, agitations.
7. Technological changes- Modern techniques and equipments, computerization.
8. Policies of competitors- Eg. Policies of Coca Cola and Pepsi.
9. Natural Calamities- Earthquakes and floods.
10. Changes in demand and prices- Change in fashion, demand falls, price falls, etc.

Stages of construction planning:

1) Finalise project summary
2) Carry out technical investigation
3) preparation of plans and specifications
4) Detailed design and preparation of working drawings
5) Construction methodology and construction schedules
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