Clerk Of Works Research Articles

Evaluating the Managerial Performance within Construction Projects in Kenya

Construction projects in Kenya face significant challenges in terms of cost overruns, delays, and quality issues. The performance of construction projects heavily depends on the managerial performance within these projects. This study aimed to evaluate the managerial performance within construction projects in Kenya. A quantitative research strategy and a survey research design were adopted. The study's unit of analysis and target population comprised managers on construction sites. These included middle-level management staff such as site managers, clerks of works, site engineers, general foremen, and construction managers among others who had similar roles in construction projects. A sample size of 95 construction projects was adopted and a response rate of 62% was achieved. Managerial performance in construction projects in Kenya was evaluated using a multidimensional approach whereby eight (8) aspects were considered. These comprised the various management functions established in the literature review. The performance score in each of these functions was as follows; planning (78.6), negotiating (76.6%), supervising (76.2%), coordinating (75.5%), evaluating (75.5%), staffing (73.0%), investigating (65.4), and representing (59.1%). The range between the best and worst performed functions was 19.5%. The overall level of managerial performance in construction projects in Kenya was found to be 72.5%. The findings imply a need for enhanced training focusing on the less performed functions such as staffing, investigating, and representing. This could help bridge the competency gaps observed among site managers and supervisors. Contractors should create a staffing strategy that emphasizes skill assessment and alignment with project needs. Managers need to be encouraged to build strong relationships with other stakeholders through regular engagement initiatives

Influence of Project Initiation on Completion of United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance Road Rehabilitation Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of project initiation on completion of United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance road rehabilitation projects.
 Methodology: This research study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population was 250 staff working at UNJPLG road rehabilitation projects. The study population included project engineers, clerk of works, project managers, contractors, supervisors, community leaders, and donors making total of 250 respondents. The research study embraced stratified random sampling method and a sample size of 154 respondents was obtained using the Yamane (1967) formula. The study further used structured questionnaires which consisted of both open-ended and closed-ended questions to collect data from the selected respondents. A pilot study was also conducted to test the validity and reliability of the questionnaires. After data was collected, it was examined for efficiency, clarity and clearness. Coding was done on the basis of the place of the participants. Measurable information was evaluated utilizing Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 21) for Microsoft home windows that included detailed and inferential analysis. Data was presented using chart, frequency tables and pie charts.
 Findings: The study established that project initiation had a significant influence on completion of road rehabilitation projects by United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance. Findings indicate that the benefits of the road rehabilitation projects are effectively provided by United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance which enhances their completion. Moreover, the purpose and objectives of road rehabilitation projects are well outlined by United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance which improves completion of the road rehabilitation projects.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance should effectively engage key stakeholders during the scoping stage of any future road rehabilitation projects. The organization should also ensure that all key stakeholders including employees are consulted and involved in drafting any project plan. This is expected to enhance buy-in and reduce resistance during the changes that will take place in the implementation phase. The United Nations Joint Programme on Local Governance should ensure that control procedures are put into place to certify that all activities are monitored as execution progresses. The theories used, that is Stakeholder theory and the Theory of Reasoned Actions were found applicable to this study and can be used by other scholars in studies related to the research topic.

Assessing the interactive effects of the ethics of construction professionals on project performance in the Ghanaian construction industry

PurposeThe construction industry is beset with unethical behaviours. Although several studies have investigated the effects of unethical behaviours on project performance, research in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI) remains scant. Consequently, this research assesses the interactive effects of ethical and unethical behaviours of construction professionals on project performance in the GCI.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research approach was used to obtain primary data from 68 construction professionals, viz, quantity surveyors, architects, civil engineers, clerk of works and project managers, via a closed-ended questionnaire survey. Data collected were analysed using one-sample t-test and Kruskal–Wallis test statistics, after which two hypotheses were tested and validated using regression analysis.FindingsReduction of project risks, avoidance of legal problems and maximisation project quality performance were critical effects of ethical behaviours observed on project performance, whereas the effects of unethical behaviours such as cost overrun, abandonment and time overrun were severe on project performance in the GCI. Ethical behaviour was seen to relate to project performance positively, and unethical behaviour was proved to have dire consequences on project performance.Practical implicationsConstruction project performance is greatly influenced by professionals' ethical and unethical behaviours. Emergent findings emanating from this research will assist emerging economies in developing and implementing counter policies and systems that mitigate the unethical behaviours of construction professionals.Social implicationsThe study highlights the effects of ethical and unethical behaviours on project performance to reorient individuals' perceptions that unethical behaviours are less critical in the construction industry. Supporting evidence encourages individuals to adhere to ethical behaviours in a project environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe inability to obtain data across the entire geographical spread of Ghana is acknowledged as a major limitation of the study and affects the generalisation of the results.Originality/valueThis study constitutes a first attempt to establish the interactive effects of ethical and unethical behaviours of construction professionals on project performance within the GCI. A significant addition to the body of knowledge is that ethical and unethical behaviours impact project performance positively or negatively, respectively.

Building Disaster and Failures in Nigeria Construction Industry: A Case Study of Some Cities in Osun State

Despite the efforts to improve the quality of construction works through use of advanced technology, increased labor force for professionals in the construction industry, increased availability of construction equipment, there is still low quality work. Building failures result into economic and temporal deviations in construction industry. The purpose of this research is to develop strategies to mitigate building failures in the construction industry in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this research in some selected urban cities in Osun State. The study population comprised of 210 respondents: Supervising engineers, Site engineers, Site foremen, Clerk of works and Clients. Causes of building failures were categorized as: consultant related; contractor related, construction related, client related and external related factors. The data collected were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis with SPSS.. Findings were presented using descriptive charts and tables. The findings indicated that Inadequate supervision of works (RII= 0.79); Shortage of equipment and materials (RII=0.76); Cash flow problems (RII=0.67) and Inflation in prices (RII=0.70) were the leading causes of building failure in their respective categories. Based on study findings, it was concluded that there is a great influence of consultant related factors on the causes of building failures more particularly related with inadequate supervision of projects. Defects result from non-conformance to requirements and always result in rework. The overall causes of defects can be attributed to design, construction, material and subsurface conditions. Finally, the causes of defects lie in inadequate management or inadequate technical skills. The descriptive analysis clearly indicates that construction-related causes dominates. Keywords: Building failure, Mitigation, Construction industry, Quality and Descriptive Charts. DOI: 10.7176/IEL/12-1-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2022

Preparing ‘middle actors’ to deliver zero-carbon building transitions

The urgent transition to a zero-carbon economy requires building professionals to be supportive of, and prepared for, delivering zero-carbon buildings. Building professionals are important ‘middle actors’ who can either enable or inhibit such societal transitions. This paper explores building professionals’ perspectives on delivering zero-carbon buildings, leading to a practical synthesis of knowledge and skill requirements and training pathways. It draws on the middle-out perspective (MOP) and secondary analysis of three UK case studies. The MOP suggests that middle actors in a system are not perfectly responsive to policy push or market pull. Instead, they exert their own agency and capacity downstream to customers and clients, sideways to other middle actors and, occasionally, upstream to policy-makers. The data comprise: interviews and a small survey with building professionals on energy efficiency and refurbishment; the observation of a specific commercial office building design and development and a workshop to identify zero-carbon knowledge and skill needs of middle actors. Building professionals addressed in this paper include vocational trades, engineers, designers, project managers and ‘clerks of works’ (site-based quality technicians). Although formal training pathways for these roles differ, each can develop expertise ‘sideways’ interacting between professions. Practice relevance Collaboration between academia, vocational training and industry could support sideways initiatives to better enable delivery of zero-carbon buildings. Policy-makers and regulators need to create routes to capture, listen to and use the perspectives of building professionals. At present, these actors have very little upstream influence. Middle-actor groups in construction undertake different activities, but share training routes, knowledge support systems and professional networks. These routes, systems and networks would allow actors to facilitate change from the ‘middle-out’ in a way complementary to top-down change driven by policy and bottom-up changes led by citizens. Training routes can include formal, on-the-job (informal) or e-learning. Prioritising on-the-job knowledge-sharing could promote upskilling. Roles such as a clerk of works could assist in overseeing construction processes. Vocational professionals are the priority group of middle actors to build capacity, knowledge and influence.

“Hybridised” financial control in the Victorian construction industry: George Gilbert Scott’s rebuilding of Glasgow University, 1864–1872

This article examines the financial control of Scotland’s largest building construction project of the 1860s and 1870s, the relocation of Glasgow University at Gilmorehill. In discussing the respective roles of the architect, the “measurer” (quantity surveyor), the client, the clerk of works and the various contractors engaged to carry out the construction work, particular attention is given to the detailed management processes and involvements which contributed to the project’s financial control and, ultimately, its success. The study relates this system of control to the literature on “hybridised” accounting and also to that concerning management accounting change within institutions. It also comments on the activities and professional status of the “measurer”, whose work was central to the project’s financial management system.

Chaucer the Forester:

Chaucer the Forester:

Wells Cathedral: Conservation of Figure Sculpture 1977–1986

The present article is a critical review of the decision process and conservation measures at Wells Cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England over a period of approximately 14 years. Conservation of figure sculptures on the West Front of Wells Cathedral was undertaken without adequate prior study and without provision for training conservators. Early experiments with limewater for stone hardening predisposed the architect, A. D. R. Caroe, and his Clerk of Works to the methods developed by Eve and Robert Baker. An advisory committee was appointed; however, the decision to appoint Robert Baker as Consultant Conservator was taken by Caroe. Baker resigned midway through the work, after which the training and supervision of conservators was limited. The campaign (1977–1986) resulted in lime mortar repairs to figures that improved their capacity for survival; however, the excessive use of water resulted in dissolving the sulphate crusts that replicated the original carved surfaces.

Causes of Delay in MARA Management Procurement Construction Projects

For many years, the issue of delay in MARA management procurement constructionprojects has been phenomenal. Its impacts were so significant that it tends to deceleratethe implementation of MARA strategic planning. This paper presents a survey study onsignificant causes of delay in MARA management procurement construction projects.The questionnaire used consists of identified 18 causes of delay. The study was carriedout on the current 12 (38.7%) MARA construction management procurement projectsscattered in peninsular Malaysia. The respondents were personnel that work as PMC(executives, resident engineers, and clerk of works) for those projects and clients(MARA state directors, project officers, and engineers). Seventy sets of questionnairewere distributed to the respondents and 58 sets (82.86%) returned. The results analysisrevealed that the significant delay causes were cash flow and financial difficulties facedby contractors, contractors’ poor site management and ineffective planning andscheduling by contractors. Several steps are proposed in order to avoid delay forMARA future project. Key words: Construction delay, MARA construction projects, Majlis Amanah Rakyat

Isaac de Caus invenit

Isaac de Caus invenit

“Knowledge of the Files”: Subverting Bureaucratic Legibility in the <i>Franklin’s Tale</i>

From opening description of Franklin's hospitality in General Prologue to question posed at end of Franklin's narrative, Which was mooste fre? (V 1622), Chaucer appears to be exploring issue of generosity in Franklin's portrait and tale. This is not surprising. Generosity is also central to analogue stories in Boccaccio's Decameron and Filocolo , both possible sources for Franklin's narrative, and public performance of liberality aligns perfectly with Franklin's lai . The virtue of magnificence was seen as a sign of status in medieval society, and romantic genre that Franklin employs similarly aspires to courtly associations. 1 More specifically, romances often focused on households comprising these courts. Surveying a number of late medieval English romances, D. Vance Smith states, the discursive frame of fourteenth-century English romance takes an economic cast . . . . (I)t is concerned in inextricable ways with matters that are relegated to household. 2 The following essay explores financial household concerns expressed by and through Franklin, concerns that allow generosity to occur in first place. This is a tale attentive to bureaucratic management of household possessions. My focus on bureaucracy within Franklin's Tale fills a gap in scholarship. In a recent essay assessing work on Chaucer's responsibilities as Controller and Clerk of Works, Jenna Mead notes that there is little historically accurate, sustained attention paid to influence of Chaucer's bureaucratic day job on his poetic labors, despite his approximately fourteen-year commitment to administrative duties. 3 Noting a problematic absence of a theorized model of bureaucrat in medieval governance, Mead asks, What might it mean to propose a 'bureaucratic Chaucer'? 4 Accepting Mead's challenge to envision a bureaucratic Chaucer as author of Franklin's Tale reveals a resistance to bureaucracy in late Middle Ages. An analysis of tale's treatment of bureaucracy suggests that Franklin is not intent

Collective learning, collective knowledge and learning networks in construction

The interrelationships between collective learning, collective knowledge and learning networks are complex and difficult, especially in a construction context. A questionnaire survey was carried out in Hong Kong to test the hypothesis that practitioners who need a wider domain of knowledge for work learn more actively through their learning networks. This empirical work revealed a positive association between the demand for learning from others at work and the size of construction practitioners' learning networks. The analysis also revealed two opposing aspects of practitioners' learning behaviour influenced by the nature of their work. First, civil engineers tend to manage larger learning networks, given that they very often need to seek advice from other practitioners to deal with issues beyond their specialities at work and coordinate outputs of other practitioners as the project leader. Second, draughtsmen and clerks of works (or inspectors of works), whose work mainly involves complying with a finite scope of predetermined instructions and rules, appear not very active in network learning. These findings will be useful in developing learning policy for enhancing the competitiveness of the construction industry.

Academic Library Construction

Academic library construction projects are complex undertakings, best conducted by an integrated team composed of architect, builder, owner's representative (OR, also called clerk of works), and the library director. Whether the institution selects a traditional design-bid-build strategy, or the newer design-build approach, OR and the library director are key players from design-development through building commissioning. The outcome of any project stands a better chance of meeting or exceeding expectations if a cohesive team is in place from the outset.

Construction Coordination Activities: What Is Important and What Consumes Time

Coordination is an important function in the building process. Recent research has shown that poor or inadequate coordination is the best that is achieved on construction sites. Nevertheless, many authors of textbooks on construction project management have not discussed this vital topic. A literature review carried out in this present study revealed that there is a lack of formal understanding on how day-to-day coordination is actually achieved on a construction project. This research was directed at identifying what activities are performed to achieve coordination and, which among those are the most important and more time-consuming for a construction coordinator. In the absence of previous research, texts on the duties and responsibilities of project managers, clerks of works, construction engineers, etc., were reviewed from the contractor's project manager's perspective during the building phase of a construction project, and an array of issues relevant to achieving coordination were identified. Initially, the array included 64 coordination issues; a questionnaire was developed for construction project managers to indicate the relative importance and time consumed on a 3 point scale (i.e., high, mid or low). Thirty-three responses received from practitioners in the Hong Kong and Singapore construction industries indicate that identifying strategic activities and potential delays and ensuring the timeliness of all work are the most important activities. Conducting regular meetings and project reviews and analyzing the project performance, detecting variances and dealing with their effects (16th and 17th, respectively in order of importance) appear to be the most time-consuming activities.

Pouring the coffee at interviews?

Examines the role of the personnel function in the selection of doctors. Reveals a “clerk of works” role, marginal to the decision‐making process. Considers the implications of such a role for effective and fair selection practice. Develops a model of “weak” personnel management which illustrates the factors limiting the power and influence of personnel specialists, both in recruitment and in other areas. Considers the impact of an interface with professional staff on the nature of personnel roles.

The Building of the 8th Earl of Abercorn's ‘noble villa’ at Duddingston

This paper tells the story behind the construction of Duddingston House, designed by Sir William Chambers in 1763 for James Hamilton, 8th Earl of Abercorn. Regular reportsfrom Chambers' clerk of works to the Earl provide a fascinating account of the practical progress of building work – from the acquisition of materials to the employment of craftsmen – on this, the most elegant and expensive of Edinburgh's villae suburbanae.1 (Figure 2.1)

The Building of Holkham Hall: Newly Discovered Letters

The twelve letters published here are the majority of the only known original letters from Thomas Coke (1697–1759), the builder of Holkham Hall, Baron Lovell of Minster Lovell and later first Earl of Leicester, to Matthew Brettingham senior (1699–1769), his executive architect, draughtsman and clerk of works. They were written between 1734 and 1741, as work on Holkham Hall began with the building of the first wing, the south-west Family Wing. The letters were found in the Holkham Archives in 1996, as the process of sorting and cataloguing reached a tin deed box of miscellaneous unsorted papers. They were in a flat packet, labelled in pencil ‘Lovel (Ld.) of Minster Lovel, 18 Autograph Letters’. (There are, in fact, twenty letters or part letters.) Wrapped with them were several short notes from a Birmingham antiquarian book dealer in 1900, admitting that he was not sure whether they were of any great importance but offering to send them for inspection; a couple of copy replies, indecipherable owing to the action of ink on flimsy copy paper; and notes from Wenman Coke (younger son of the elderly second Earl) and the estate agent, Wood, which show that Coke (Viscount Coke, the future third Earl) refused to read them but was eventually persuaded to buy them for 42s., the dealer having reduced his asking price of 50s.

Repair and upgrading of ′The Milliners′, Kent

Outlines the work undertaken to repair and upgrade ′The Milliners′, a 16th century structure and Grade II listed building. Discusses the initial thorough investigation of the house, and the methods by which the owner′s brief to retain the character of the house while allowing for a high standard of modern services, was carried out. Details the problems of inserting services into the structure without cutting into the floor and the installation of central heating radiators into the outside wall of one of the bedrooms. Explores the work of the building contractor, electrical services contractor and mechanical services contractor, supervised by a clerk of works. Suggests that the work would have been more efficiently carried out by a single consultant.

(3200) GREATER LONDON COUNCIL AND INNER LONDON EDUCATION AUTHORITY

Claim for partial reimbursement of travelling expenses incurred by Clerks of Works and certain Storekeepers

The Medieval Parsonage House, Coningsby, Lincolnshire

SummaryThis house is shown, from both structural and documentary evidence, to have been built c. 1345 by William Hillary, a rector with Staffordshire connections. Of his work enough remains to show that it was of aisled design, with an open service bay at the lower end; the two-bay hall had a base-cruck truss. The surviving woodwork is of very high quality. The two-storey cross wing, later than the hall and originally timber-framed, is cased in brick, and this brickwork is ascribed, on both docu mentary and archaeological evidence, to yohn Croxby, rector 1460–92 and namesake of the first clerk of works of Tattershall Castle.The later alterations to the house are worked out from structural and documentary evidence (terriers, probate inventories); later rectors, including two minor Georgian poets, are described. The paper is illustrated by plans, sections, reconstructions and photographs. It concludes with a distribution map of base-cruck halls and comments on the social context of this type of construction. Dr. Rogers has contributed the historical evidence in this paper; the other authors are responsible for the account of the structure.