I want problems not solutions!
Not much to report on my site due to construction delays resulting in no on-site E&M activity and so my days are currently spent reviewing tender bids and checking designs. So instead of blogging about something interesting happening on site I thought I would write about a little ‘wrist slap’ I got the other day which for me highlighted a key difference of how we as Army Officers sometimes ‘do business’ compared to Engineers and Project Managers in industry. I hope this may serve as a warning to others or the Phase 1s.
Last week I was reviewing the mountings for three 11T chillers and calculated that they had a uniformly distributed load of 14kN/m^2 which exceeds the slabs design load of 9kN/m^2. Also these chillers are mounted in the centre of the slab and exert a maximum point load of 31kN which again exceeds the specified design loads.
Since we are under a management-only contact, the responsibility for the design of steelwork mounts or slab reinforcement lies firmly with the Principle Designers, in this case BDP. So I wrote an email to BDP explaining the problem and in good Army Officer fashion, I didn’t just point out an issue but also suggested 3 possible solutions that we in the office had been discussing based on the specification of the selected chillers which up to now the designer had no visibility of. So, a job well done thinks I and I move onto another task until the designer replies with a developed course of action.
Anyway, within a few hours I received an email back from a member of the project working for Skanska instructing me to not ‘suggest’ potential solutions in future correspondence to the designers. This is because the designer (who is getting a reputation for cutting corners and doing as little work as is possible within the confines of the contract) will likely read the email and just choose one of my suggested solutions without investigating it further or developing a detailed design as I had hoped. Furthermore the designer would likely list Skanska as being responsible for this design change which would ultimately result in Skanska unknowingly accepting a significant design risk. Oopps!
So from this I have learnt that although some of the methods we have developed in the Military are generally very useful and well received in industry, we still need to be careful as they may not always be the most appropriate and we cannot always assume that those around us will also act in a similar ‘good ole military fashion’.
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Very very true, and I got into a similar tight spot in my first couple of weeks on site.
I spotted a problem with an incomplete drainage design before the sub-contractor had and suggested a solution to the sub-contractor who then tried to bill SRM for a design change. Oops!
We also had an issue where RFIs would come in and a button monkey would automatically forward everything to the designer to side-step any design responsibility landing on SRM’s door step, even the very minor stuff. We ended up in a 3 week conversation about the colour of the concrete sealer which at one point included an email from the architect stating “The concrete sealer while translucent should not be clear, it should be grey. Is that clear?” No.
Glad to hear I am not the only one that has made this mistake!
I have been surprised how much corner cutting there is and how much contractors and designers will try to avoid additional work to reduce costs and will happily pass risk on or back.
Gary, this is a fairly common mistake from army officers, and one that repeatable gets mentioned during acquisition employment training. We all have been there to one degree or another. A useful phrase to use is “without commitment or prejudice”. As in the advice I offer is without commitment or prejudice. Commitment covers future deals and prejudice any existing agreement.
While you have done the right thing by always checking and looking for issues, it helps to know when you are being bluffed, it is best to conduct such communication in a verbal and informal manner (and follows up with without commitment or…) so they can sort their own house out. It is also handy to go into a meeting with said calcs to one side so that the designer know that they need to have their ducks in a row and you can’t be bluffed.
Phase 1 prepares us really well, and we are mad keen to dash out and prove the world how much we know but a degree of measure needs applying. There are often games behind the games being played and it’s always best to cover your backside and ask your boss first. The joys of the commercial world.
Gary, there is only one lesson here. They need to learn the ‘better’ way from you.
This is not meant to be entirely tongue-in-cheek. What’s the point of employing engineers if they just use them as project managers (despite the fact that a graduate engineer is often a lot cheaper)?
Gary
Good to see that’s been logged in the “don’t go there again” portion of your mind! Recognizing contractors will transfer risk in this way and act on most forms of communication if it looks like there’s a get out is useful – when you get into phase 5 make sure your project sponsors don’t visit your work areas unless you’re there lest you repeat that whole thing again trying to back track from what they’ve said!!! The sad reality is as soon as you constrain someone to your solutions, as sensible as they may be and as well thought out as they may be, they can argue that you aren’t allowing them to be able to fulfill their obligation to the contract you invited them into…… I think you’d all describe it as “the long screwdriver”
On the “without prejudice” terminology – its a fairly heavy legal term to use so keep it for when it’s absolutely necessary eg in negotiations or when you mean business. I’m not sure that “without commitment” stands up well anywhere other than in T&Cs but I’m happy to be flamed…..
I reckon Doug’s right – engineers as project managers can tell when they are being bluffed, hence the pad of menacing calculations when talking to contractors pays dividends (getting them to explain theirs works too).