Contract Planning

Contract planning is divided into the following two categories:

1. Pre-tender planning
2. Post-tender planning

1. Pre-tender Planning

Planning required for the time of inviting of tenders up to the receipt of the same is termed as pre-tender planning. It consists of the following works:

(i) Finalisation and Acquisition of Site

Before issue of order to contractors the acquisition of the project site has to be finalised and legal issues if any should be finalised.

(ii) Planning of Resources

Resource planning includes the following: (a) availability of site, (b) availability of stores, (c) availability of labour and (d) availability of equipment and plants.

(iii) Planning Time Limit

The requirement of resources and time limit are inter-related and both these aspects are to be taken together. In some cases the time needed for completion is decided based on the available resources. Such is the case when the work has to be completed departmentally. Even when the work has to be executed by the contractor, circumstances of the project has to be decided and modified before inviting tenders. As a matter of fact the contractor submits tender considering the following aspects: (a) site survey, (b) availability of materials, (c) equipment and plants to be hired and purchased, (d) fuel, (e) labour, (f) facilities for camp and (g) study of drawing/design/specifications.

2. Post-tender Planning

In post-tender planning the following aspects are considered irrespective of the work done by contractor or departmentally: (a) setting camp site office, (b) welfare of staff/labour amenities, (c) materials required, (d) labour required, (e) equipment, (f) safety measures to avoid accidents and theft, (g) follow-up of drawing/specifications and (h) billing, to record progress, to calculate materials, labour, etc.

In the works executed by contractors, responsibility is fixed for recording the work in diary the day-to-day details of work done. The planned progress in the form of bar charts or progress reports should be known to the contractor as well as to the engineer’s representative. It is normally the practice for all civil engineering projects to make controlled construction stores available to the contractor.