Presentation and Case Study Flashcards

(41 cards)

1
Q

Case study - How was the cost increase managed between the stage one and two submissions in your case study?

A

As soon as new strategy became apparent:
- Flagged likelihood of significant cost increases directly to the client
- Reported to the client on monthly pre contract cost reports

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2
Q

Case Study - Did you propose any mitigation to the cost increase in the period between Stage 1 and Stage 2 such as Value Engineering?

A

VE was something that was continuously looked at, however with the nature of the scheme being for prison windows and strict technical standards having to be met.

Phasing strategy was also looked at however there was immense pressure to get the works complete and an already lengthened programme ruled this out.

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3
Q

Case Study - How did you demonstrate the Risk Management competency within your submission?

A

By advising the client of the various risks associated with each of the options I presented i.e. with retendering where there was a risk that no savings would be achieved.

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4
Q

Case Study - You mention that the MoJ use the PPC200 contract, can you explain why that contract in particular is used?

A
  • Standard form of partnering contract and to gain the benefits of the partnering terms.
  • Familiarity with contract as used on various current and previous frameworks across the MoJ estate.
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5
Q

Case Study - How does a PPC compare to JCT or NEC in terms of administration?

A
  • Less administration
  • Shorter form of contract if unamended
  • Written in simpler terms
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6
Q

Case Study - In your case study for option 1 re-tender, what was the clients appetite to progressing with this?

A

Client weren’t keen on progressing with this due to;
- Additional time and further delay to the scheme
- Additional cost of retendering and preconstruction services
- Did not want to damage their relationship with the contractor

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7
Q

Case Study - In option 1 you have noted the relationship with the contractor could be damaged, why would this matter?

A
  • Contractor have a large portfolio of projects on site with the Client
  • They are on multiple frameworks with the Client so would have lots of future projects with them
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8
Q

Case Study - How were the tender negotiations communicated in your Case Study?

A
  • I compiled a list of queries and supporting information
  • These were sent to the CR who added them to the query log and formally uploaded them onto a portal called Jaggaer.
  • Queries were then formally responded to by the Contractor via this portal through the CR
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9
Q

Case Study - What represents Value for Money for the MoJ?

A
  • The MoJ value Time and Quality over Cost in many instances given the nature of the schemes.
  • However in order to protect the client I still must ensure that costs are reasonable.
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10
Q

Case Study - How many different window suppliers did the Contractor go to?

A

In this instance only one.
There was another supplier that covered the region however they did not have the capacity to undertake a scheme of this size.

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11
Q

Case Study - How did you know the price for the prison windows was correct if only one supplier was approached?

A

T&T have worked in the prison sector on various frameworks for a number of decades so I was able to draw on some actual costs from real projects and adjust the cost data for an accurate benchmark.

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12
Q

Case Study - Can you give me the benefits of using a framework agreement for clients like the MoJ?

A
  • Time benefits as they have consultants and contractors on the framework
  • Cost benefit as rates for staff and overheads and profit agreed with individual contractors
  • Familiarity with the contract and partnering team
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13
Q

Case Study - What are the key differences between CR/CA/EA

A
  • CR is essentially the same as an EA as PPC200 is a design and build contract
  • CA used on traditional contracts
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14
Q

Case Study - You reference the use of a partnering agreement - how does partnering differ from framework agreements and what are the benefits of this?

A

A framework is an agreement between parties that allows clients to procure goods services on a call-off basis as and when required.

The term partnering refers to forming a cooperative relationship between parties in order to improve performance and delivery of a commission or group of projects - the main benefits include less disputes and collaborative and efficient working to achieve the same end goal.

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15
Q

Case Study - Had the phasing of the works not been picked up as a risk factor in the initial review of the project. Seems a huge detail to be overlooked?

A

The phasing of the works had been picked up as a risk within the risk register, however the decant strategy changing was unforeseen.

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16
Q

Case Study - Why was the change in phasing not reflected in a commercial update to the client to advise of the potential cost implications?

A

The decant issue was advised a few weeks before the tender return and as soon as this became apparent T&T advised the Client of the potential cost implications as a result based on the likely delay advised by the CR, which fell short of the actual 2 year delay.

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17
Q

Case Study - Appreciating that the inflation needed to be inceased to account for the 2 additional years added to the programme, surely costs were included for 4 years of that period. What was the increase for the 2 years on BCIS?

A

The initial 4 years inflation had been agreed at stage one. BCIS was showing around 6.5% increase for the additional 2 years so this is what was agreed upon.

18
Q

Case Study - What increase did the contractor include as an inflationary increase?

A

The Contractor had allowed for an inflation allowance of 5% for each additional year

19
Q

Case Study - Were any elements of VE considered or was the option taken from the table prior to any workshops being held? What was so specific about the specification that you were unable to look into VE?

A

VE is something that I consider on all schemes to achieve best value for clients. In this case the window specification was based on a set of MoJ technical standards which had been produced and been through rigorous testing which was a lengthy process.

The phasing strategy is also something which could typically be VE’d, however in this case following review with the CR and design team as part of the tender review, we were able to reduce the programme from 308 weeks to 297 weeks and felt that this was the best that could be achieved.

20
Q

Case StudyYou note that one of your achievements was demonstrating VFM through a review for the client, did we not provide cost advice at interim stages where the client was advising these issues?

A

Yes, although my involvement did not begin until after at stage 4, during my initial review when starting on the scheme I was able to identify T&T provided cost advice to the client as issues became apparent based on the limited information provided through formal issue of pre-contract reports and also informally within meetings and calls where they first became apparent which all ultimately mitigated the risk.

21
Q

Case Study - How was the cost increase apportioned between the programme increases and the increased window cost?

A
  • 3.5m for window supply
  • 3.5m for programme
  • 3m for OH&P, inflation, storage etc.
22
Q

Case Study - How long would it have taken to retender the works and would this programme risk not have been offset by more competitive pricing and potentially a better contract sum for the client?

A

Best case scenario would have been a 6 month delay which was minor in comparison to the 6 year construction programme. The main benefit would have been the more competitive pricing however after review I advised there was a risk no cost saving would be achieved due to:
- Additional fees to re tender
- Lack of appetite from the market to take on the project due to it’s length and complexity
- Likely minimal cost savings as only one supplier able to carry out window supply and install in the region
- Also important to note the importance of getting the project started due to security concerns.

23
Q

Case Study - How did you go about ensuring the client got value for money? Did you undertake any market testing? If not, why?

A
  • Bench marked against previously tendered rates
  • Other suppliers unable to carry out a scheme of this size therefore, checked against previously competitively tendered projects in other regions.
24
Q

Case Study - What was your approach within your case study and what techniques did you use to present your findings to the client?

A

I immediately advised on possible options at a high level informally through phone calls and emails to allow the client to get a head start.

I formally presented these via a written appraisal report of these options from a commercial perspective. Finally at the end of my review of the tender I presented a tender report recommending that the Client accept the tender.

25
Case Study - Was the decant or programme risk picked up on the register?
No. Risks regarding phasing of the works and disruption due to prison activities, however the decant strategy change was not picked up in the risk workshop where the client and representatives from the prison were both present.
26
What is Value Engineering?
The process of achieving more cost effective design solutions without detriment to quality and performance.
27
Case Study - Can you talk me through how you produced your cost plan given that works were being undertaken 6 years away?
Although I didn't undertake the cost plan, when reviewing I noticed: - works based on current rates - tender and construction inflation then applied in line with NRM1 to capture the 4.5 year programme (advised by CR) - risks associated with pricing works years in advance were highlighted within the report
28
Case Study - Are there any significant risks associated with pricing elements of works that are 6 years away?
- Economic changes - Hyperinflation - Labour and material shortages - Impact of events such as wars and epidemics
29
Case Study - How did you advise the client of the risks associated with undertaking works 6 years away?
These were captured in cost plans and I advised of these in my cost reports within a specific risk section.
30
Case Study - You mention at stage 1 the tenderer was non-compliant, why was this?
The tenderer was already on the framework and had existing projects where there had been issues - they therefore looked to amend terms of the contract within their tender which made them non-compliant.
31
Case study - what other reasons may make a tender non-compliant?
- Submitting late - Not submitting all required documentation - Qualifying their tender - Pricing alternative materials or design solutions
32
Case study - how did you evaluate the inclusion of windows supplied by the contractor?
- Benchmarked against what the client was going to pay themselves and against other similar schemes - Contacted suppliers
33
Case Study - Looking at Option 1, as you mention the scope of works have changed and the costs increased significantly, is the project not at risk of having to be retendered anyway due to public procurement rules and substantial modification?
- Health and safety concerns, security concerns and political pressure meant urgency to start the scheme - Lack of interest from the market, only 2 tenderers initially (high risk project) - Risk that there may not be enough tenders returned - Prison projects niche so framework was only viable route
34
Case Study - What's the difference between Value Engineering and Value Management?
Value Management - Broader term for managing overall value of a scheme in line with clients requirements Value Engineering - specific part of VM process of finding more cost effective design solutions without detriment to quality or performance
35
Case Study - How would you benchmark a bespoke project where there was limited benchmarking data available?
- Reached out to the market utilising contacts from past projects. - Analyse costs elementally and rates individually with comparative data, potentially on a plant, materials and labour cost basis.
36
Case Study - Why was it until so late in stage 4 that it was realised the capacity for decant had to be more than halved?
Forced upon by client from a higher level and ministers were involved. Ultimately it was due to high prison population pressures and an influx of inmates into the prison system at the time.
37
Case Study - Why were there only two tender submissions?
Lack of interest from contractors due to nature and risk of scheme
38
Case Study - What was the specification of the new windows and how did this compare to the existing?
Existing windows: - less restrictions on opening allowing contraband coming in and passed through - not tamper proof - poor thermal performance New windows: - restricted opening - "basket" mesh covering - anti ligature - improved thermal performance
39
Case Study - The decision to go with Option 1 and 2 compared to Option 3 was Cost vs Time, how did you analyse theses factors to determine the best solution for the client?
On this occasion the client deemed it time critical so the decision became much simpler, however if faced with a similar scenario where the choice was unclear I would utilise a scoring matrix with weightings attributed to each element.
40
Case Study - What lessons did you learn which you will take into future tenders?
Potentially more engagement with the contractor during the design prior to their second stage tender return to understand what actual implications on programme and construction cost will be due to revised scope.
41
Case Study - Under PPC2000 is there a partnering timetable and how does that set out pre-construction activities?
The partnering timetable outlines and schedules collaborative activities between the stakeholders as the design progresses such as: - Risk Workshops - Design reviews - Progress meetings