Civil Engineer Expert

The chart is named after Henry Laurence Gantt, who refined the concept of using a bar chart to control steps relevant to the process of shipbuilding.

The Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that is helpful in laying out the tasks associated with a given project. When executed properly, the Gantt chart helps to ensure that the project schedule is maintained at a reasonable pace, and that the individual tasks that make up the work breakdown schedule logically progress in a manner that moves the project closer to completion. A Gantt chart can be used for just about any type of project, from laying out a marketing strategy or planning a building project.
The chart is named after Henry Laurence Gantt, who refined the concept of using a bar chart to control steps relevant to the process of shipbuilding. During the 20th century, the essentials of his process chart were applied to projects that had nothing to do with the building of ships. Today, the Gantt chart is used to establish a precedence network that determines the priority level of each task associated with the project. At the same time, the chart also evaluates the dependency relationships of each of the tasks. Together, these two aspects of the Gantt chart make it possible arrange and project the completion time of various tasks in a manner that shows a logical progression toward the successful completion of the project.

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RFP is also known as request for proposals, request for bids, request to bid, invitation to bid, ITB, invitation to tender, ITT, invitation for bids, IFB

A request for proposals (RFP) is basically a publication of detailed requirements by a prospective buyer in order to receive vendor offerings.

Common Sections of an RFP

1. Statement of Purpose
   Describe the extent of products and services your organization is looking for, as well as, the overall objectives of the contract.
2. Background Information
   Present a brief overview of your organization and its operations, using statistics, customer demographics, and psychographics. State your strengths and weaknesses honestly. Don’t forget to include comprehensive information on the people who will handle future correspondence.
3. Scope of Work
   Enumerate the specific duties to be performed by the provider and the expected outcomes. Include a detailed listing of responsibilities, particularly when sub-contractors are involved.
4. Outcome and Performance Standards
   Specify the outcome targets, minimal performance standards expected from the contractor, and methods for monitoring performance and process for implementing corrective actions.
5. Deliverables
   Provide a list of all products, reports, and plans that will be delivered to your organization and propose a delivery schedule.
6. Term of Contract
   Specify length, start date and end date of the contract, and the options for renewal.
7. Payments, Incentives, and Penalties
   List all the terms of payment for adequate performance. Highlight the basis for incentives for superior performance and penalties for inadequate performance or lack of compliance.
8. Contractual Terms and Conditions
   Attach standard contracting forms, certifications, and assurances. You may include requirements specific to this particular contract.
9. Requirements for Proposal Preparation
   A consistent structure in terms of content, information, and documents types simplifies things for the people evaluating the proposals. Therefore, you should request a particular structure for the proposal and provide an exhaustive list of documents you want to receive.
10. Evaluation and Award Process
    Lay down the procedures and criteria used for evaluating proposals and for making the final contract award.
11. Process Schedule
    Clearly and concisely present the timeline for the steps leading to the final decision, such as the dates for submitting the letter of intent, sending questions, attending the pre-proposal conference, submitting the proposal, etc.
12. Contacts
    Include a complete list of people to contact for information on the RFP, or with any other questions. Incorporate their name, title, responsibilities, and the various ways of contacting them into this list.

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These ten rules will help improve your construction projects. Are these ten rules the top ten? It is up to your decide, but not take too long. Share these rules with your team. Your team members are sure to help you carry them out.

Are you a project manager or going to manage your projects?

These ten rules will help improve your construction projects. Are these ten rules the top ten? It is up to your decide, but not take too long. Share these rules with your team. Your team members are sure to help you carry them out.

1. Adopt practices for exploring a variety of perspectives.
We think we see what we see, but we don’t. We really see what we think. Remember the blind men and the elephant. Make it your habit to inquire what others see. You’ll see more together.
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Risks in construction projects may be classified in a number of ways. One form of risks classification is as follows:

1.Socioeconomic factors

Environmental protection
Public safety regulation
Economic instability
Exchange rate fluctuation

2.Organizational relationships

Contractual relations
Attitudes of participants
Communication

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A variety of different organizations are possible for quality and safety control during construction. One common model is to have a group responsible for quality assurance and another group primarily responsible for safety within an organization.

In large organizations, departments dedicated to quality assurance and to safety might assign specific individuals to assume responsibility for these functions on particular projects. For smaller projects, the project manager or an assistant might assume these and other responsibilities. In either case, insuring safe and quality construction is a concern of the project manager in overall charge of the project in addition to the concerns of personnel, cost, time and other management issues.

Inspectors and quality assurance personnel will be involved in a project to represent a variety of different organizations. Each of the parties directly concerned with the project may have their own quality and safety inspectors, including the owner, the engineer/architect, and the various constructor firms. These inspectors may be contractors from specialized quality assurance organizations. In addition to on-site inspections, samples of materials will commonly be tested by specialized laboratories to insure compliance. Inspectors to insure compliance with regulatory requirements will also be involved. Common examples are inspectors for the local government’s building department, for environmental agencies, and for occupational health and safety agencies.
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Since there may be a definable difference between ‘homeowner’s insurance’ and ‘hazard insurance’, it pays to ask the insurance broker about coverage before agreeing to the contract.

Hazard insurance, also called homeowner’s or property insurance, provides coverage for specific natural hazards, such as fire, wind, earthquakes and vandalism. Many homeowners purchase a ‘comprehensive’ form of insurance first, which may cover almost all possible damages, but then seek additional hazard insurance for specific dangers. Those who live in flood plains may buy hazard insurance for water damage, for example, while homeowners in California may add earthquake insurance.

Since there may be a definable difference between ‘homeowner’s insurance’ and ‘hazard insurance’, it pays to ask the insurance broker about coverage before agreeing to the contract. Some comprehensive policies already provide coverage for certain hazards, so additional hazard insurance may not be strictly necessary. Others may not fully cover hazards specific to the area, such as damage caused by a breeched dam or vandalism during construction. Truly comprehensive home insurance should cover both liability and physical damages. Hazard insurance is usually geared towards physical property damage, rather than owner liability for accidents on the premises.
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The cost of homeowners insurance often depends on what it would cost to replace the house and which additional riders—additional items to be insured—are attached to the policy.

Home insurance, also commonly called hazard insurance or homeowners insurance (often abbreviated in the real estate industry as HOI), is the type of property insurance that covers private homes. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insurance protections, which can include losses occurring to one’s home, its contents, loss of its use (additional living expenses), or loss of other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home.

The cost of homeowners insurance often depends on what it would cost to replace the house and which additional riders—additional items to be insured—are attached to the policy. The insurance policy itself is a lengthy contract, and names what will and what will not be paid in the case of various events. Typically, claims due to earthquakes, floods, “Acts of God”, or war (whose definition typically includes a nuclear explosion from any source) are excluded. Special insurance can be purchased for these possibilities, including flood insurance and earthquake insurance. Insurance must be updated to the present and existing value at whatever inflation up or down, and an appraisal paid by the insurance company will be added on to the policy premium. Fire insurance will require a special premium charge, plus the addition of smoke detectors and on site fire suppression systems to qualify.

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