Character and skills of project manager (vs) Procurement in construction industry

The Effect of Character and Skills of Project Manager on the Procurement in Construction Industry

1 .0 Introduction

Project Management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope cost , time and quality and participation satisfaction . A thorough knowledge and complete understanding of the design and construction process is an essential prerequisite of an efficient construction management project . Unlike other projects , construction projects have different set of constraints and objectives to

be achieved within a specific time frame . Professional construction project management encompasses a professional construction manager along with an efficient design and construction team that integrates all the activities connected with the project so effectively with no loss of time in completing the project . This deals with the issue that whether the success of a project is determined by the character , personality and communication skills of the project manager or whether the form or procurement that is being used determined the success of the project

2 .0 Importance of Procurement Function in Construction Management

One of the functions that determine the success of the construction project is the quality of the materials being procured . In the course of the progress of the construction project as well as just before the start of the project it is for the construction manager to organize the required materials to be procured and brought to the construction site Being an essential element , the quality of construction materials largely depend on the experience of the person making the procurement In view of the importance of this function in the case of any construction project , be it small or big the procurement function will be under the direct supervision of the project manager so that he can control the quality of the construction materials . Materials management is an important element in project planning and control Materials represent a major expense in construction , so minimizing procurement or purchase costs present important opportunities for reducing costs ' Chris Hendrickson (2000

The inefficient procurement pf materials will result in the locking up of capital if procured early and in excess of the requirement and also project delays and cost overruns will become inevitable if adequate materials are not available at the required time

3 .0 Different Forms of Procurement

Usually large construction projects are procured in different ways . It cannot be said that any particular option is the best suited to all contracts in all the circumstances , since each one of them carry varying degrees of risk and uncertainties to the project construction and development . The form of procurement can be decided upon the basis of the full scope and requirement of a project . The following are the usual forms of procurement for the hypothetical project of constructing the new administrative block to be built for King 's College , the details of which is provided in the Appendix I

Traditional : where a building contractor is appointed following a tender...