Masonry Magazine December 1984 Page. 25
• Change estimates including all calculations.
• Detail of extra work costs.
• Field survey books and computations.
• Job diaries or logs giving weather conditions, crew sizes, working equipment, work being performed, problems encountered, etc.
• Photographs (identified and dated).
• Inspection reports.
• Approvals for work in place.
• Material certifications.
Though not all people believe it, chronological files are an important complement to subject files. Simply put, for every letter placed in one of the subject files, a copy is placed into a general file that is maintained in chronological order without regard to subject.
At one time or another each of us has remembered writing or receiving a letter pertaining to a subject but been unable to find it in the proper file. If we remember roughly when we either wrote or received the letter, the chrono file is a lifesaver since we can usually search that file and come up up with the missing document. Also, the manager who needs an overview or the person transferred to an ongoing project can read through the chrono file for orientation.
Owners, although they hopefully have competent and trustworthy professionals acting in their behalf, should never lose sight of the fact that they, as owners, have obligations under the terms of the construction contract.
Many building failure suits involve the owner and the design professionals as adversaries, both in litigation and arbitration. It behooves the owner and design professional to each do his own preparation, to be prepared for that possibility. Generally, each organization or entity involved with the actual construction process maintains the records it believes are necessary for its purposes.
If problems do not arise and there are no disputes between the parties involved in the project, this compartmentalization of documentation works well. However, the instant a dispute arises or the parties become adversaries, the mutual exchange and availability of information ceases.
Generally, it is the owner's files which are most deficient in the documents required to prepare a defense against or to initiate and prosecute an affirmative claim in either litigation or arbitration. The owner who has relied on his consultants to gather the information and data required for the proper completion of the project may well find himself suddenly in an adversary position with those very same consultants. Consequently, the owner should maintain his own complete set of construction records for each project he commissions.
Post-construction Phase
There are some variations from contract to contract, but generally at the end of a project the contractor is responsible for providing and the design professional on behalf of the owner is responsible for getting all warranties, guarantees and operations manuals for equipment and materials which are now part of the facility. Depending upon the contract, either the contractor or the design professional is responsible for the preparation of "as-built" drawings. The owner should make sure to get a copy of these.
At the completion of any project, whether or not there are claims, it is a valuable exercise for each of the parties to use the collected documents as an aid in reviewing the project with an eye toward improving performance in the future.
Complicated construction projects come to satisfactory completion only when there has been successful communication.
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MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1984 25