Masonry Magazine September 1970 Page. 23
By Friday afternoon, all items on the "punch list" were complete, without its ever having been issued as an official communication. A final inspection of the building was conducted by the owner, architect and contractor, and it was agreed that with but three minor exceptions all items were complete. A nominal allowance for these incomplete items was established, to be retained in the form of certified checks on the particular subcontractor involved. Curiously enough, even the work involved in these three items was completed and the checks retrieved within three days after the final closing.
"Fast Track Project Closeout" also pinpointed, and corrected, another long standing irritation, Donaldson noted, in that about 90 days' time is required to accumulate and assemble as-built drawings, guarantees, mechanical brochures and operating instructions required by contract documents. On the Washington School District project, specifically outlined material was requested approximately 90 days prior to substantial completion, and all "paper work" on the project was completed by the date of closing.
Hunt Benoist, president of Hercules Construction Company comments: "It has become traditional for the general contractor, and in turn his subcontractors, to wait for many months for final payment on construction contracts. When the pressure of getting an owner into a building is off, the final cleanup required seems to drag on and on; and even though even a few items remain to be completed, all of the subcontractors who successfully completed their work on time are forced to wait for final payment.
"We believe this system, which proved so successful on the Washington Gymnasium, is a boon to the contractor in that he obtains his money more rapidly, and releases his staff for full concentration on the next project."
Donaldson suggested that this "Fast Track Closeout" system, together with certain construction management techniques his firm is using on several other projects, promises to give a real boost to completing future construction projects on time.
THE ORGANIZING
by RICHARD L. PEARCE
Business Director
Three principal relationships contribute to the success or failure of a construction project. A breakdown in any of them can retard or even halt building completion, impair design quality, or cost excessive time and money. The relationships are:
1. Architects and Clients, especially as regards programming:
2. Architects and Staff, including Consultants, the internal organization of the architectural firm being critical;
3. Architects and Contractors, including Subs and Suppliers.
The common thread is the architect, and we believe that the initiative for improving performance in the industry is the responsibility of the architect. Society needs, and clients are entitled to demand, leadership from architects not only in creating an environment of order and beauty, but also in achieving this ultimate goal on time and within budgets. Surprising amounts of cooperation can be obtained, recrimination avoided, and money and time and paper work saved, when that leadership is exercised.
Since reorganizing ourselves in 1967 and accepting the challenge to manage projects, we believe that our clients are being better served with quality design, controlled construction, faster completions, and (because time is money) reduced costs.