Job Book 9th Edition - Book - Page 267
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Stage 5 > Construction: Supplementary Material: 5/SM5
5/SM5: Keeping the client informed
(actions for the contract administrator)
The client will expect to be kept informed about the progress of work and given
a regular report on the financial situation. Any material changes in design or
construction will need prior approval.
How this is best handled will depend on the size of the job, the client’s own
organisation and the stipulated procedures for the project team. A few clients
might prefer to leave matters almost entirely in the hands of the contract
administrator, but the majority will expect formal reports at regular intervals.
Some clients will expect to be directly represented at site progress meetings.
Matters to be kept in mind include the following:
Time
The client will need to be kept informed about programme and progress. This
information will be available through minutes of site progress meetings (issued
by the contract administrator), copies of correspondence relating to notices of
delay, and the award of any extensions of time. It is particularly important that
the client is kept informed about any anticipated change to the completion date
or the construction cost, as this will have managerial and financial implications
for the client.
Quality
The client will need to be kept informed about any problems concerning materials
and workmanship (or systems, products and execution) where it becomes
necessary to issue contract administrator’s instructions. The client should also
be advised in good time about such matters as regular maintenance and the
need to appoint or instruct staff about installation requirements, control and
maintenance of systems. It might also be necessary for the client to take out
maintenance contracts for certain installations.
Cost
The client should receive detailed statements of expenditure at regular intervals,
with an appraisal of the current position and a forecast of total costs. The client
must agree any extra expenditure in advance, whether this is for unavoidable
adjustments in design or modifications requested by the client or an adjustment
because of provisional sums expenditure. Where possible, it is good policy to
have variations costed before the instruction is implemented. Cost reports will
normally be prepared by the cost consultant, but where no cost consultant has
been appointed (e.g. on minor works) then these might have to be prepared by
the contract administrator.
For a typical financial report to the client, see Figure 5/2.
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