Objective of the Vertical

MSCE shall provide Construction Management Services from the commencement of project up to commissioning and handing over of the project for operation Provide comprehensive project management services across all construction disciplines to ensure timely, cost-effective and high quality deliverables.

Approach

• Clearly mapping customer requirements - both stated and implied
• Building a plan aligning all elements to achieve desired results
• Defining a clear strategy for vendor on-boarding and work execution at site
• Defining and obtaining agreement on a quality plan by all stake holders
• Analyzing emerging project risks creating actionable mitigation plans
• Executing and monitoring the project against tailored quality plan matrix
• Producing timely actionable reports to ensure effective decision making

Strategy Formulation

Our approach towards any project requiring our complete or partial services would be:

• Capture both stated and implied customer needs
• Define clearly - inputs, constraints, limitations and deliverables at each stage
• Define clear strategy and plan, benchmark critical success factors and milestones
• Monitor against check-lists and identify bottlenecks and risks early
• Report performance, document variance and suggest alternatives
• The MSCE assures Client that is shall do all acts things necessary to sustain the trust and confidence reposed in it by Client under this Contract and MSCE shall at all times exercise due care and diligence expected of a Consultant.
• The MSCE Team shall render generally all Technical Services at site as many in anyway relate to or arise out of the construction of the said project / work and shall render to Client assistance, guidance or advise on any matter concerning the technical aspects of the said project.

Prepare & Implement Project Specific Information System

• For various functions (except Account, Marketing & Government bodies)
• MIS as required by Client covering up all the data needed shall be maintained of information in between Client, MSCE.
• We leverage a large knowledge bank of practical QS and Cost Management statistics
• We rely upon a data-bank of case studies in effective cost management built over years
• We have thorough knowledge of BIS codes applicable to work measurement and certification
• We have knowledge of tailoring FIDIC and other guidelines to a variety of projects effectively
• Our employees are experienced in value engineering
• We use our vast experience across all domains-civil, electrical and mechanical
• We leverage upon years of experience that we have gathered by working on different projects
• We focus on prevention rather than cure
• We leverage upon our vast repository of standard operating procedures for all disciplines
• We make use of case studies for improving quality across many construction sites
• Minimal on site deployment – highly knowledge driven
• Relatively low cost to customer
• High value addition
• We provide constructive review that removes potential bottlenecks from execution
• We have the ability to perceive risks very early and thus, take pre-emptive action to prevent their occurrence
• We immaculately plan work packaging to ensure all areas are covered and that there is no ambiguity
• We have good knowledge of local traditions and holidays to help plan better
• We ensure proper scanning for likely bottlenecks and take pre-emptive action to prevent rework
• A committed workforce that is constantly trained to site situations through knowledge sharing sessions - 'Train2Win' and guest lectures at our office

Quantity Surveying

Studying specifications to ensure ease of execution without eroding standard desired.

Engagement Matrix

Immediately upon appointment as the Construction Manager for a project, we stress on articulating the explicit and implicit needs of the customers. These needs are then studied in detail vis-à-vis the site conditions, available pool of expertise among engaged contractors both local and from outside, the local municipal laws and the procedural requirements of obtaining approvals. This helps us identify and anticipate a set of constraints likely to affect the project progress. The constraints coupled with a clear set of valid assumptions of correctives, defining role each of stakeholder in the project.

In this matrix of engagement, we rely on our previous experience to add value by clearly stating the interfaces between the various stakeholders to ensure a hindrance free allocation of work. The primary responsibilities in discharging work where overlaps occur are also clearly defined to help create a responsibility matrix. This is followed by a preliminary risk assessment matrix, with mitigation plans for reference during execution. This risk matrix is constantly updated during the succeeding stages to fine-tune the response to the perceived project risks. Each head of this engagement model is expanded as under

Quantity Surveying

This is the prime requirement in managing the project. A construction project comprises of a number of disciplines - civil, electrical, air conditioning, plumbing, building equipment's, building management systems, fire and safety, all of which need to be integrated and dovetailed to one another. As the Construction Manager, we ensure coordination between all designing agencies to ensure the required drawings specifications, quantities meeting project requirements mandated by client, are produced in a timely and orderly manner.

We review the drawings and specifications vis-à-vis constructability to ensure that they can be translated into end products of the stipulated quality and within the scheduled timeline. We bring to bear our experiences in suggesting suitable changes to the drawings, including suggestions on use of alternative materials to ensure cost-effective execution. Also, we use a system to track changes and ensure all drawings reflect agreed changes for execution.

Proper quantification under the appropriate item heads matching the discipline of work tenders is a key requisite to manage the cost of the project. Proper quantity surveying is necessary to ensure that accuracy is maintained while evaluating the bills submitted, and in line with the specifications and tender conditions. We, as Construction Managers, ensure that adequate support by way of quantity surveying is provided to all the sites we manage.

We have dedicated staff associated with each project for QS work. These dedicated resources focus on being fair in the interpretation of the bills in the light of actual work done supported by measurements, matching with the drawings submitted, the specifications stated and, the estimates drawn especially for non tender items of work.

A set of QS members form part of the Contract Cell, and, also ensure that the best practices associated with QS are kept up to date and timely knowledge transfer of these practices is done to the site level QS operatives. The databases we build, helps our site operatives to check the work done on site in relation to benchmarks and provide adequate direction for rate analysis of non-tendered items.

The central team is also responsible for ensuring the codal norms as stated by the IS codes and other building codes are communicated to all site teams for consistent application of the rules relating to QS.

Tendering

The biggest problem in Construction Projects is faulty tenders, with ambiguous clauses and specifications leading to unnecessary disputes and subjective interpretations, change orders, cost over runs, etc. Over the years, we have seen cases of issues in interpretation, or escalations traceable to ambiguous clauses. We bring to the project our experience in drawing up tender documents, be it the general conditions of contract, the special conditions of contract, the technical specifications, or, bill of quantities. The result - clarity for the contractors to quote, thus allowing for a proper comparison of tender documents. This allows for an optimized price for any work that has to be carried out.

We help the client in the pre-qualification process for selecting the most suited contractors for the project. Besides, we ensure the tendering process, till the award of work is transparent to all parties involved - clients, consultants and contractors alike, and tender awards are in line with propriety norms and, are realistic too.

Contract Management

It is a known fact that one never manages people or objects, one manages agreements and contracts. As a Construction Manager, we have always focused on managing the contracts for the client and have ensured that the contracts entered are managed both by spirit and to the letter, fairly, and are in line with established practices and laws. The Contract Cell at the center of the organization is headed by senior managers who have handled a number of contracts for the organization and are well versed with laws relating to contracts and their interpretation – both, technically and legally. The focus on contract management starts with the focus on making the contracts in line with the requirements of the client and applicable laws and in consonance with the capabilities of the contractors, to ensure smooth functioning of the contracts. Throughout the life cycle of the project, our managers constantly and consistently apply the principles of applicable law and established standard practices to be fair in operating the contracts.

Construction

The transition from planning to execution is by no means an easy task. We make it possible through rigorous focus on the approaches, method statements, detailed planning, and day to day monitoring of activities at site. Our focus is to ensure that all operations are carried out to the required standards of quality within the time-frames set and are in the proper sequence.

The site activities are monitored by a proper allocation of work responsibilities among the construction project management staff befitting their expertise and experience. The focus is on anticipating and preventing possible hindrances and taking timely action to remove the roadblocks to quality, schedule and safety. All along, the team works towards optimizing cost and provide value additions to prevent time and cost overruns. The available standard operating procedures aid the manager in keeping track of the events on site. Progress so monitored, is regularly updated and communicated to the client and the stakeholders to keep everyone in loop with the activities on site.

The construction manager works to maintain a spirit of harmony and teamwork not only among his own staff but also, among all the stakeholders thus ensuring smooth and timely execution with feasible solutions for day to day challenges on site.

Closing

The transition from planning to execution is by no means an easy task. We make it possible through rigorous focus on the approaches, method statements, detailed planning, and day to day monitoring of activities at site. Our focus is to ensure that all operations are carried out to the required standards of quality within the time-frames set and are in the proper sequence.

The site activities are monitored by a proper allocation of work responsibilities among the construction project management staff befitting their expertise and experience. The focus is on anticipating and preventing possible hindrances and taking timely action to remove the roadblocks to quality, schedule and safety. All along, the team works towards optimizing cost and provide value additions to prevent time and cost overruns. The available standard operating procedures aid the manager in keeping track of the events on site. Progress so monitored, is regularly updated and communicated to the client and the stakeholders to keep everyone in loop with the activities on site.

The construction manager works to maintain a spirit of harmony and teamwork not only among his own staff but also, among all the stakeholders thus ensuring smooth and timely execution with feasible solutions for day to day challenges on site.