01 General D&S Questions

Question 1

What is a schedule of works?

Answer 1

1. A list of the work to be done, identifying what and where the work is to be carried out
2. It may/may not also include quantities, however on larger projects a separate BQ is normally used

Question 2

What is a specification?

Answer 2

1. Describes the materials and workmanship required for the work (e.g. standard specification for decoration)
2. Do not include cost, quantity or drawn information and therefore needs to be read alongside other contract documentation (e.g. drawings, schedules, quantities)

Question 3

What is a bill of quantities?

Answer 3

Provides project specific measured quantities of the items of work identified by the schedule of work

Question 4

Can you combine schedules of work, specifications and bills of quantities?

Answer 4

1. A ‘Specified Schedule of Work’ combines both the list of work and the description / workmanship elements
2. A ‘Specified Bill of Quantities’ combines all three elements - list of work items, descriptions and quantities

Question 5

What different types of specification are there?

Answer 5

Performance (aka open specifications):

• Further design work to be carried out by contractor
• More scope for contractor to be innovative (e.g. cost, buildability), potentially resulting in better value for money
• Typically used on straight-forward projects

Prescriptive (aka closed specifications)

• Design is already complete and no choices are left to the contractor
• Greater certainty for client
• Typically used on more complex projects or when client requirements are particularly specific

Question 6

What standard formats could you use to produce a specification document?

Answer 6

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Question 7

What is the difference between outline and detailed design?

Answer 7

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Question 8

How would you structure a specification document?

Answer 8

1. General conditions (e.g. any substituted materials to be approved by CA)
2. Site prelims - relating to one-off fixed costs (e.g. bringing to site and erecting site accommodation) or time-related charges (e.g. heating, lighting and water for the accommodation)
3. External items separated by elemental sub-headings (e.g. foundations, walls, roof etc.)
4. Internal items separated on a room by room basis
5. Ensure consistent trade order sequencing within location headings (e.g. builder’s works, flooring, decoration etc.)
6. Ensure relevant and accurate cross-referencing to any accompanying drawings/specifications
7. Group any provisional sums together towards the end of the document

Question 9

What guidance is available to designers when writing specification documents?

Answer 9

RICS Guidance Note - Design and Specification

• Details best practice guidance relevant to design and specification processes, including:
  
  • Role of the designer
  • Risks associated with designing
  • Structure and contents of design documents
  • Legislative considerations

Question 10

What is the CAWS and how can it be used in design and specification?

Answer 10

1. CAWS is the categorisation of work to create a consistent arrangement of work sections
2. Used in the NBS and other industry specification/pricing products such as Spons
3. CAWS has now been incorporated into Uniclass

Question 11

What is Uniclass and how can it be used in design and specification?

Answer 11

1. A voluntary classification system for the construction industry that can be used to organise information throughout all aspects of the design and construction process
2. Now on version 3, ‘Uniclass 2015’, which supersedes Uniclass and Uniclass 2
3. Compatible with BIM
4. Maintained by the NBS to ensure it remains relevant and mapped to other systems

Question 12

What is the NRM and how can it be used in design and specification?

Answer 12

Suite of three documents published by the RICS to provide a standard set of measurement rules for estimating, cost planning, procurement and whole-life costing for construction projects

Question 13

What information is contained within NRM1?

Answer 13

Order of cost estimating and cost planning for capital building works

Question 14

What information is contained within NRM2?

Answer 14

Detailed measurement for building works

• Replaces the Standard Method of Measurement (SMM7)
• Provides a set of detailed measurement rules for the preparation of bills of quantities or schedules of rates for obtaining tender prices
• Departure from CAWS and Uniclass, as it has its own system of indexing

Question 15

What information is contained within NRM3?

Answer 15

Order of cost estimating and cost planning for building maintenance works

Question 16

What is the BCIS and where would you use it?

Answer 16

1. Published by the RICS
2. Provides independent cost and price information for key areas in the construction industry
3. Gives complete breakdowns of costs for elements in construction projects (e.g. cost per sqm)
4. Price information is collected based on real-life projects to give accurate up-to-date cost data (i.e. it is what the market is being paid to build buildings)

Question 17

What do you need to be mindful of if you use rates from the BCIS?

Answer 17

1. BCIS data gives a general idea of project costs but may not allow for certain variables, such as location or complexities of work (i.e. working at height)
2. The online tool includes a degree of adjustment factors (such as location) which can be used to adjust the base cost

Question 18

What resources would you use to write a specification?

Answer 18

1. Building Regulations
2. British Standards
3. BRE Guidance
4. NBS
5. Manufacturer’s data sheets
6. Previous schedules/specifications
7. BBA certified products
8. Client specific products

Question 19

What is the significance of British Standards within construction?

Answer 19

1. British Standards publications are technical specifications or practices published by the BSI (British Standards Institution) that can be used as guidance for the production of a product, carrying out a process or providing a service
2. The BSI Kitemark can be found on products that have been independently tested by BSI to confirm it complies with the relevant BS

Question 20

What is the difference between BS, EN and ISO?

Answer 20

1. BSI is the UK member of ISO (International Standard Organisation) and CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation)
2. CEN standards (denoted as ‘EN’ standards) are European standards and take precedence over BS
3. An ISO is an international standard intended to be used throughout the world
4. An EN-ISO is intended to be used throughout the European Union
5. A BS-EN-ISO is published as Britain adopts EN-ISOs

Question 21

What British Standards have you used and how have you used them?

Answer 21

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Question 22

What are PAS?

Answer 22

1. Fast-track standards, specifications, codes of practice or guidelines developed to meet an immediate market need (e.g. BIM processes)
2. Prepared by following guidelines set out by BSI
3. Produced collaboratively by key stakeholders
4. If a majority consensus can be achieved, they may be endorsed by BSI and therefore function as a British Standard
5. Within 2 years, they are reviewed to assess whether they should be revised, withdrawn or become formal British Standards

Question 23

What is the BBA and how can it be used in design and specification?

Answer 23

1. British Board of Agrément (BBA)
2. UK body that issues certificates for construction products and systems and provides inspection services in support of their designers and installers
3. BBA Certificate - shows a construction product is compliant with the Building Regulations

Question 24

What is the NBS and how can it be used in design and specification?

Answer 24

1. National Building Specification
2. Produce recognised national standard specification products for building construction, engineering services and landscape design
3. Subscription based service that allows access to pre-written technical specification clauses and preliminaries for selection and editing to produce project specifications

Question 25

What are the benefits of using NBS in specification writing?

Answer 25

1. Up-to-date information 2. Time saving 3. Best practice guidance 4. Unambiguously worded (prevents misunderstandings)

Question 26

How are quality standards specified for construction materials?

Answer 26

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Question 27

What are the different design stages?

Answer 27

RIBA Plan of Works 2013: 1. Stage 2 - Concept Design 2. Stage 3 - Developed Design 3. Stage 4 - Technical Design

Question 28

What is the purpose of a Concept Design under the RIBA Plan of Work?

Answer 28

1. Prepare outline proposals for structural design, services, outline specifications and preliminary cost information 2. Prepare project strategies in accordance with the design programme 3. Agree alterations to brief and issue final project brief

Question 29

What is the purpose of a Developed Design under the RIBA Plan of Work?

Answer 29

Coordinate and update proposals for structural design, services, outline specifications, cost information and project strategies in accordance with the design programme

Question 30

What is the purpose of a Technical Design under the RIBA Plan of Work?

Answer 30

Prepare technical design to include all architectural, structural, services and specialist subcontractor design and specifications in accordance with the design programme

Question 31

What liabilities lie with the designer?

Answer 31

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Question 32

What do you understand by change control and how would it affect you as a designer at the pre and post contract stages of a project?

Answer 32

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Question 33

What is BIM?

Answer 33

* BIM is the process of creating digital information about a building or other facility (e.g. bridges, highways, tunnels etc.) * BIM is a way of working - it is information modelling and information management in a team environment, where all team members should be working to the same standards as one another

Question 34

What are the different BIM maturity levels?

Answer 34

1. Level 0 - Unmanaged 2D CAD drawings without common standards and processes 2. Level 1 - Managed 2D/3D CAD drawings introducing visualisations or concept development models, but models are not shared between project team members 3. Level 2 - Managed 3D environment which may include 4D (sequencing) and 5D (cost) data attached, but created in separate discipline-based models 4. Level 3 - A single, collaborative, online project model with 4D, 5D and 6D (project lifecycle information) - sometimes referred to as iBIM (integrated BIM)

Question 35

What impact does BIM have on publically procured projects?

Answer 35

By 2016, all Government procured assets will have to achieve BIM Level 2 - there is no trigger threshold for value, size or complexity of a project and should be adopted where it will offer a positive return on investment

Question 36

What are the advantages of BIM?

Answer 36

1. Greater visualisation of projects, including 4D timelines 2. Reduced errors through collaborative working and automated clash detection 3. Easy electronic quantity take-offs and cost data 4. Faster to make changes (i.e. no need to update lots of individual drawings) 5. Ability to include lifecycle information 6. New business opportunities

Question 37

What are the disadvantages of BIM?

Answer 37

1. Training and software costs 2. More time required at the start of a project to set up the BIM model 3. Requires all project team members to embrace the BIM philosophy 4. Problems over information ownership and design responsibility within the model