Site Management

A site engineer is the engineer in charge of the day-to-day execution or supervision of construction work at the site. Responsibilities, in a contractor's role or on the owner's side (supervising a contractor):

General responsibilities

1. Study drawings, specifications and BOQ; clarify doubts and keep updated drawings.
2. Set out the work and check lines and levels.
3. Plan the daily and weekly work with the crew, materials, equipment and labour.
4. Control the quality of materials and workmanship; arrange tests (cube, slump, bricks, steel).
5. Ensure that work follows specifications, codes and the programme.
6. Maintain site records: site order book, measurement book, daily progress report, material and labour registers, muster roll.
7. Make sure safety rules are followed and PPE is used.
8. Control cost and wastage of materials; check stock and indent materials.
9. Supervise labour, give instructions and solve disputes.
10. Coordinate with other trades, the client, the consultant and local authorities.

While supervising a contractor's work

• Check that the contractor has the approved staff, equipment and programme.
• Approve materials and samples before use; reject defective materials and work.
• Inspect each stage (foundation, reinforcement, shuttering) before the next stage.
• Record measurements jointly and verify the contractor's running bills.
• Issue instructions through the site order book and give notice of defects.
• Report progress, delays and problems to the project manager or the owner, recommend extension of time or variations.
• Certify the completed work, and check the final handover and defect liability items.

A site order book (SOB) is a bound, numbered and serially paged book kept at the site in which the engineer or the client's representative writes written orders and instructions to the contractor, and in which the contractor writes remarks or replies. Each entry is dated and signed by the person who gives it, and acknowledged by the contractor.

Contents

• Instructions about the work: changes, additional work, quality defects, safety.
• Orders to correct, remove or redo faulty work.
• Instructions to stop or start work, to order materials or tests.
• Dates and inspection notes and the contractor's reply.

Features

• Pages are numbered; no page may be torn off; entries are made in ink with no cutting or erasing.
• The book is usually in duplicate or triplicate with carbon copies, one for the engineer's file.
• It is kept in the site office, available for the inspection of senior officers.

Importance

• It is a legal record of instructions: evidence in any dispute or claim.
• It avoids verbal orders and misunderstanding.
• It helps to fix responsibility for the delay and defects.
• It helps in extension of time and variation orders.

A measurement book (MB) is a bound, serially numbered book in which the engineer or overseer records the detailed measurements of all work done at site, such as length, breadth, height and number, with the calculated quantity. It is the basic record for preparing the contractor's bills and for payment.

Features

• Pages are numbered and the book carries a number; no page may be removed.
• Entries are made in ink with date, location, item and description; measurements are not erased, and corrections are made by cancelling and initialling.
• Each entry gives the reference to the agreement item, and totals are calculated and checked by a second person.
• It is signed by the measuring person and checked by a senior officer.
• Abstract of measurement is made at the end for the bill.

Uses

1. The basis of the running bills and final bill.
2. A record of the work done which can be checked later.
3. Helps to find variations from the contract quantities.
4. Evidence in audit and disputes.
5. Records hidden work (foundation, reinforcement) before it is covered.

The MB is kept in the safe custody of the engineer and is not given to the contractor.

A muster roll is a register in which the names of the daily-wage workers are listed, with attendance of each worker each day, the rate of wages, the amount earned, the signature or thumb impression of the workers, and the payment made. It is kept for casual (daily wage) labour employed directly by the owner, user's committee or contractor.

Contents

• Name of the work, period (week or fortnight), and serial number.
• Name of each worker, category (skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled), father's name or citizenship number.
• Daily attendance (present or absent), days worked and overtime.
• Rate of wage, total wages, deductions and net payment.
• Signature or thumb impression of the worker, and signatures of the preparing engineer and the approving officer.

Importance

1. Proof of payment to the labourers; it prevents false claims.
2. Attendance record for supervising labour and calculating wages.
3. Gives labour cost of the work, used for cost control and analysis of productivity.
4. Base for labour records, social security and legal requirements (Labour Act).
5. Prevents fraudulent payment (ghost workers) and helps in auditing.
6. Shows labour used on each task for rate analysis and future estimates.

A bill is a statement prepared by the contractor (and checked by the engineer) that shows the quantity of work done, the rates, and the amount payable. In government work in Nepal, bills are running (interim) bills during the work and a final bill at the end.

Procedure

1. Measurement of work: the engineer and contractor jointly measure the completed work and record it in the measurement book; hidden work is measured before covering.
2. Abstract of measurement: the quantities are entered item-wise (as in the BOQ), totalled and checked.
3. Rate application: each quantity is multiplied by the contract rate (agreement rate); for extra or variation items, approved rates are used.
4. Calculate gross amount of work done up to date.
5. Add the escalation or price adjustment, the value of materials at site (if allowed), and variation items.
6. Deductions: the amount paid in previous bills, advance recovery (mobilisation and other advance), retention money (5% in public contracts), income tax or TDS, VAT where applicable, penalty, and any other recovery.
7. Net payable amount = gross amount − deductions; VAT is shown as per the law.
8. Checking and certification: the bill is checked by the engineer or supervisor, and certified by the project manager or concerned officer, with the certificate of completion of quality and quantity.
9. Approval and payment: bill passed by the accounts officer, and payment made by cheque or bank transfer.
10. Final bill: includes all completed work, release of retention after the defect liability period, with the "no claim" certificate and completion certificate; the bill is marked final.

Records: MB, abstract sheet, bill and check list are filed together.

Record keeping means keeping organised, accurate and dated documents of all activities, decisions, measurements, materials and payments of a project, so that they can be used as evidence and reference during and after construction.

Main records: drawings and revisions, site order book, measurement book, daily progress report, muster roll, material receipt and issue registers, test reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, variation orders, bills and payment records, photos, as-built drawings, handover documents.

Importance

1. Evidence in disputes and claims: extension of time, extra payment and defects can be proved by dated records.
2. Basis of payment: measurement and attendance records are the basis for bills and wage payments.
3. Progress monitoring: daily and weekly records allow comparison with the schedule and early corrective action.
4. Cost control: records of labour, material and equipment show where cost is going and help to prevent wastage and theft.
5. Quality assurance: test results and inspection records show that the work follows specification.
6. Accountability and audit: public works need audit trails; records make the process transparent.
7. Future use: productivity and actual costs improve estimating for similar projects.
8. Maintenance and alterations: as-built drawings and records help later repair and modification.
9. Legal compliance: labour, tax, insurance and safety laws require records.
10. Better communication between the owner, consultant and contractor, and continuity if staff change.

Measurement book (MB)

A measurement book is a serially numbered, bound book in which the engineer records the dimensions and quantities of work done at site (length, breadth, height, number and total quantity) item by item, with date, location and reference to the contract item.

• Pages are numbered; no page is removed, entries are in ink, corrections are crossed out and initialled.
• Measurements are taken jointly with the contractor and signed.
• Calculations are checked by a senior; abstracts are made for the bill.
• Uses: basis for running and final bills; record of hidden work; evidence in disputes and audit; check of variations.

Muster roll

A muster roll is a register of daily-wage workers showing name, category, daily attendance, rate of wage, wages earned, deductions, net payment and the signature or thumb impression of the worker.

• Prepared weekly or fortnightly, signed by the preparing engineer and approved by the authority.
• Uses: proof of payment to labour; attendance control; labour cost and productivity records; prevention of ghost workers; legal and audit evidence.

Difference in use

A site order book records written instructions and orders given by the engineer to the contractor at site. A measurement book records the measured quantities of completed work.

A muster roll for a user's committee project is prepared for each pay period for the daily-wage labour employed directly by the committee (community participation).

Muster roll

Name of project: ................................ User's Committee: ................................ Ward/Municipality: ................ Period: from ......... to ......... Roll no.: ...... Date: ......

Notes: attendance P/A, deduction (if any), net payment, and the sign of the preparing technician.

Prepared by (Technician): ............ Checked by (Engineer): ............ Certified by (Chairperson): ........... Approved by (Treasurer/Secretary): ..........

The roll is certified that the workers named above worked on the days shown and were paid the amounts mentioned.

A running bill is a bill for payment of part of the work done up to a date, during the progress of work. A final bill is the last bill after the work is fully completed.

Record keeping

Record keeping is the systematic preparation, keeping and updating of dated and signed documents of all construction activities, such as drawings, measurement book, site order book, muster roll, material registers, test results, correspondence, minutes and bills.

Importance: evidence in disputes and claims; basis for bills and wages; progress and cost control; proof of quality; audit and legal requirements; data for future estimates; and maintenance and as-built information.

Supervising the work of a contractor

Supervision is checking, on behalf of the owner, that the contractor does the work as per drawings, specifications, schedule and contract.

1. Before start: check the contractor's approved programme, staff, equipment, site facilities, insurance and permits; study the contract and drawings.
2. Setting out: check the lines, levels and benchmarks before work begins.
3. Materials: approve samples, check test certificates and conduct tests; reject sub-standard materials and remove them from the site.
4. Workmanship: inspect each stage and give approval before the next (foundation, reinforcement, shuttering, concreting, curing); watch mix proportions, curing, finishing and tolerances.
5. Progress: compare the actual progress with the programme weekly; ask for a recovery plan if late.
6. Instructions: give written orders through the site order book; control variations by written variation orders.
7. Measurements and bills: jointly measure the work, enter in the MB, and check the contractor's bills.
8. Safety and environment: ensure safety measures, labour welfare and legal compliance.
9. Records and reports: keep daily diaries, photos and send progress reports to the owner.
10. Handover: inspect the completed work, prepare snag list, check defects in the defect liability period, and recommend final payment.