Planning and Managing Elements of a Project - Assignment Example

University> By PROPOSAL FOR PLANNING AND MANAGING ELEMENTS OF A PUBLIC PROJECT Table of Contents PART 1: BUSINESS CASE 3 A brief description/overview of the project 3 Scope statement 4 A cost benefits analysis 4 Location 5 Project Governance 6 Project Key roles 6 Business and program benefits of the project 7 Reviews and reporting 8 Objectives 8 Project Delivery Strategy 9 PART 2: CONTRACT 9 Scope statement 9 The time frame 9 Compliance with the laws 9 The payment type 10 The obligations of the contractor 10 Contract structure 11 PART 3: TENDER 13 The major project activities and the milestone events 13 Break down the project in to all of its tasks and sub-tasks 13 Project exclusions 14 Project Constraints 14 Project Assumptions 15 PART 4: PROJECT SCHEDULE 16 RERERENCES 19 PART 1: BUSINESS CASE A brief description/overview of the project The plans for the development and construction of XYZ car park has been in place for quite a period now. It is imperative to note that there have been numerous developments that have been made by the government in the city. Some of the key developments include social amenities such as colleges, schools, and health care centers. As such, this has led to the need for more car park facilities that enable people to park their cars efficiently and effectively (Al-Reshaid & Kartam, 2005 pp.310). This report thus, is a proposal for the development, construction, and commissioning of a small car park aimed at ensuring that the members of the public have no challenge with parking within the city. It is profound to note that there has been an increased utilization of facilities within the city. Thus, with the objective of easing congestion the local government with the aid of the state government rolled out the plan of developing XYZ car park. The park will be instrumental in that it will provide additional 100 new car park spaces, enhance access to social and other facilities, as well as factor in the needs of the neighboring community. To achieve success, the proposal planning has gone through all the major necessary steps. Some of the most significant steps include consultation with the partners, owners of adjourning properties, and adherence with the approval agencies. As a result, no public concern or authority concerns was not overcome during the planning process (Al-Reshaid & Kartam, 2005 pp.311). Scope statement The scope of this project is to develop, construct, and commission XYZ car park within the City. A cost benefits analysis The table below shows the summary of the anticipated costs: Anticipated Works Biding Contractors Quote Preparation and install of carpark including civil works, surface laying, kerbing, retaining wall, line marking, pedestrian walks and drainage as appropriate as well as adherence to all Development Permit Schedule of Conditions requirements. Contractor X Contractor Y Contractor Z $280,000 - $290,000 $270,000 - $400,000 $350,000 Signage Contractor A $ 1,200 Supply, install and testing of electrical lighting, floodlights and cabling Contractor B Contractor C $54,000 $60,000 Carpark landscaping and reticulation. Vegetation buffer zone between boundaries Contractor D $50,000 The expected benefits will be generated from the following key areas: tourism, local businesses, local real estate, and other benefits. The planned approximate ration of the advantages and costs is 4:1. Thus, this is a clear indication that the benefits substantially outweigh the financial costs incurred in the development of the car park. Hence, the project is economically feasible since it is profitable. Location The Car park will be located at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne as shown in the above map. The main reason for the choice of this location is the availability of several businesses and other social amenities. Some of the most significant institutions and businesses include St. Paul’s Cathedral, Young and Jackson Veteran Pub, Swanston St. and Flinders St., Melbourne Library Service, Anglican diocese of Melbourne, and ACMI arts Centre among other institutions and businesses. All people, who are interested in accessing these facilities will benefit once the car park is fully operational. Project Governance Project Key roles The project manager (PM) plays a significant role in the success of the car park development project. One of the important roles is to ensure that all the project stakeholders participate in all the roles and responsibilities assigned. As such, he or she also communicates with the stakeholders concerning the project activities. The project business analyst as well will work handily with the project manager in the collection, analysis, and synthesizing of the project planning process and other activities. In addition to the above, the BA will be instrumental in ensuring that the contractors and the procurement team operate legally and in compliance with the government authority regulations. Project organizational structure Business and program benefits of the project There are several advantages associated with the development of the car park. One of the main advantages is that it plays a vital role in the reduction of congestion. Despite the fact that the project is small, it still provides car parking spaces to various people around the area. The other benefit is that the facility provides job opportunity to different people. These are inclusive of the project team members and other employees working once the construction is completed. In addition to the above, it is imperative to note that the car park will be essential in enhancing business and relative activities within the city. Reviews and reporting The recent study indicated that the available car parks are not sufficient enough to meet the increasing demand for vehicles. As well, the government has rolled out various plans that have led to the increase in the number of social amenities, businesses, and other public facilities. In that connection, the car park will be crucial to the access of these establishments by the members of the public. Also, most people complain that private car parks charge more fees as compared to the public parks which are relatively cheaper. Thus, the members of the public will be in a better position to save some of these costs. Objectives The following are the primary aims of the development of the car park: To provide easy access to social and other amenities such as healthcare centers, schools, and colleges. To provide additional car park spaces reducing congestion in the city. To provide cheaper car park facility for the users and residents. To enhance business activities and reduce issues such as business relocation due to lack of parking spaces Project Delivery Strategy The car park development team will work in compliance with standards and best practice to ensure that the project is successful. Terms and conditions will be communicated in an efficient and timely manner. This is primary to ensure that every member of the project team is aware of all the activities and project milestones. PART 2: CONTRACT Scope statement The contractor is to complete the project as per the scope statement stated earlier in the document. The time frame Various activities must be supplemented for the completion of the car park development. The time frame scheduled for all the activities is 30 weeks since the project is relatively small. Compliance with the laws It is imperative to note that the contractor must comply with all the laws and regulations that govern the project. Some of the key laws are spearheaded by the government and its agencies. For instance, safety is one of the key issues that must be considered while constructing the car park. In the case of any emergency or disaster, there should be policies and procedures that ensure safety. In that connection, measures should be put in place to ensure that all the challenges that can occur are mitigated (Al-Reshaid, Kartam & Al-Bader, 2005). The existence of emergency exits and availability of security personnel are key to the safety of the users of the facility. In that connection, all the contractors must design a build a facility that guarantees the safety and security of the users and the neighboring environment (Al-Reshaid & Kartam, 2005). The payment type The car park development project will use fixed amounts tied completion of milestone activities in the project as the primary method of paying the contractors. This is a method that ensures that the milestone events are completed promptly. As such, there are various advantages of this type of payment method. One of the most significant benefits is that ensures that the contractor completes the activities within the schedule. As such, the project will be finalized within the specified schedule. The other advantage of this payment method is that it enables the contractors to avoid financing negative cash flows. On the other hand, the method will be essential since issues such as date of completion, contractor’s invoice number, amounts billed to date, certifications, file numbers, and project codes will be captured. Therefore, this is one of the most appropriate methods of payment for both the contractor and the project management. The obligations of the contractor There are several obligations of the contractors in this project. One of the most significant obligations is that the contractor is obliged to ensure that the client of the car park development project is aware of all the duties before the work starts. Secondly, the contractor will be responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, and monitoring the activities that are carried out by his or her workers. As such, he needs to take into account all the risks that each of the workers in the team can encounter and various measures of avoiding and dealing with such hazards (Cartlidge, 2006). It will be the obligation of the contractor to affirm that all the workers employed have the necessary skills, knowledge, training, and experience to carry out the assigned activities successfully. In addition to the above, it is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that all the employees under their control have a site-specific induction. The other role of the contractor is to supervise, give instructions, and provide all the necessary information to the employees under their control. As well, it is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure that the work does not begin before the site is free from unauthorized access of any kind. The contractor must work with the project manager in ensuring that all the necessary welfare facilities are provided to ensure safety and security of the employees. As well, the contractor must also ensure that the facilities are maintained throughout the project. The car park development project contractors will as well work with other project managers to coordinate all the works under their control. The contractor as well is obliged to comply with the laws and regulations stipulated by the government and other authorities. Finally, the contractor must comply with parts of the construction phase plan relevant to their work (Hensher & Rose, 2007). Contract structure The table below indicates some of the key agreements in the car park development project: Car parking management policy- Policy of operation of car parks agreed between the project management, contractor, and the local authority. Other obligations of the contractor as agreed: Maintenance and repair of the car park according to the standards and the set period, Supply, maintain, and install proper signage, Management of the car park, Operate the car park to ensure that availability for usage is assured 24hours a day all through the year unless other stated when activities such as planned maintenance is scheduled, Ensure that parking spaces is allocated as per the standards and policies of the management, Notify the authorities of any accidents or incidents within the park to ensure effective response is taken, Maintain a register of complaints or any other arising issues (Brewin, 2007). Provide the local authority information concerning the usage of the available spaces including peak periods on demand, Attend regular liaison meetings with the local authority and other relevant agencies, Observe general authority governing the usage of car parks rules and regulations, Maintain the lightning, and Ensure that the park is free from litter. Staffing: The car park management must ensure that qualified and competent employees are hired; these employees must be easily identifiable possibly by wearing distinctive uniform. As well, the staff must work in a manner that demonstrates a good public picture of the park Prohibitions: The car park will not be allowed to conduct anything that violates the local authority laws and the interest of the neighboring community; the car park must not display any advertisement that is not related with car parking unless approved by the local authority The management cannot change the charges unless in accordance with the contract (Fraillon, 2015) Relief events: Fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake, flood, riot or civil commotion, Shortage of power, fuel or transport, and accidental loss or damage of works or facilities. As long as none of the above events occurs due to willful or default by one of the parties Relief event mitigation: No rights to terminate will arise. Relief events do not entitle the car park management any compensation from the local authority. PART 3: TENDER The major project activities and the milestone events Planning Consent including utilities consent/ Grant application Site Preparation includes notifications to neighbors, signage, safety bunting, relocation of existing dingy storage rack Minor civils preparation including utilities services installation Concreting, drainage and pathways, parking lot sealing or concreting Landscaping e.g. Tree planting Notification to local authority Management Committee of Completion and Commissioning of Project Break down the project in to all of its tasks and sub-tasks Break down of the main tasks into sub-tasks Biding Contractors The price quoted The main task: Preparation and install of carpark The sub-tasks: civil works, surface laying, kerbing, retaining wall, line marking, pedestrian walks and drainage as appropriate as well as adherence to all Development Permit Schedule of Conditions requirements. Contractor X Contractor Y Contractor Z $280,000 - $290,000 $270,000 - $400,000 $350,000 Signage Contractor A $ 1,200 Supply, install and testing of electrical lighting, floodlights and cabling Contractor B Contractor C $54,000 $60,000 Carpark landscaping and reticulation. Vegetation buffer zone between boundaries Contractor D $50,000 TOTALS Cost variance thresholds - Civil works and installation (a) - Other expenses (b – d) $270,000 - $400,000 Project exclusions The following are the items that are considered out of scope for the project: Any facility that is procured by the subcontractor that is not approved by the project Any activity carried out by supplier outside of the defined and agreed parameters of the cark park development project Any activity conducted by the vendor that does not entail a documented proof of the agreement work and authorized by the required approvers are beyond the coverage provided by the project insurance (Cartlidge, 2006). Any supplies or services procured by a subcontractor without prior written consent from the board committee and the XYZ car development project managers (Brewin, 2007). Project Constraints The constraints are identified in four different areas presented as follow: Cost: the construction of the car park is guided by the provided budget. However, the costs are expected to vary from one point to another. Such a situation will be problematic to both the project managers and the responsible contractors (Al-Reshaid, Kartam & Al-Bader, 2005). Time: all the stipulated and scheduled activities play a vital role in the success of the overall project. As a result, if one activity is not completed as stipulated it will negatively affect all project. Stakeholders: several stakeholders are involved in the project. Each of them has a role to play in decision-making especially in the milestone events. As a result, reaching a uniform decision between various stakeholders such as managers, employees, and the government will be challenging. Project Assumptions Following assumptions are laid out to formulate the project planning and scheduling: The project will always be on time to accomplish all tasks within the allocated time. All building materials, construction equipment to be part of the XYZ car park and the local authority are available and easily acquired without any significant issues. All facilities and services to be part of the car park will be adhered to the safety and environmental regulations. The following is the sample of the tender report that will be used in the car park development project: Tender title Tender for XYZ Car park development project Brief description Appointment of term civil engineer contract Report author The project manager Contract commencement date 1st July 2016 Some of the key sections in tender report will include: document control, decision required, introduction, the tender process, and tender returns. Some of the key sections such as the tender process are divided into two sections namely: tender list and communication with tenderers. Tender returns is divided into the following sections: tender evaluation, pricing schedule summary and scoring methodology, and quality weighting. PART 4: PROJECT SCHEDULE Break down of the main tasks into sub-tasks Estimated Time Brief explanation of the reasoning behind the arrangement of these tasks and why they have been estimated as they have The main task: Preparation and install of carpark The sub-tasks: civil works, surface laying, kerbing, retaining wall, line marking, pedestrian walks and drainage as appropriate as well as adherence to all Development Permit Schedule of Conditions requirements. 8 -10 weeks These are the initial activities in the project and require more time as compared to the other tasks. Preparation and install of carpark involves several sub-tasks as indicated and each sub-task will take a couple of days to be completed. Thus, 8-10 weeks will be enough periods to complete all the subtasks. Signage 3-4 weeks This is one of the most straight forward tasks and milestone events in the car park development project. A schedule of 3-4 weeks will be substantial to ensure all the signage subtasks are completed (Fraillon, 2015). Supply, install and testing of electrical lighting, floodlights and cabling 4-6 weeks Installation of electrical lighting and related activities has been scheduled for 4-6weeks. This is expected to take even lesser time as scheduled depending on the skills and experience of the employees. Carpark landscaping and reticulation. Vegetation buffer zone between boundaries 6-7weeks Depending on the plans of the contractor these tasks are expected to be completed within 7 weeks to avoid project completion delays. Other Activities 4weeks Any other tasks that must be completed for the success of the project are scheduled for 4 weeks only. As such, the project manager and the contractors must ensure that they must stick to this approved schedule. Total 30 weeks RERERENCES Al-Reshaid, K. and Kartam, N., 2005. Design–build pre-qualification and tendering approach for public projects. International Journal of Project Management, 23(4), pp.309-320. Al-Reshaid, K., Kartam, N., Tewari, N. and Al-Bader, H., 2005. A project control process in pre-construction phases: Focus on effective methodology. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 12(4), pp.351-372. Brewin, R., 2007. Mediating pressure, facilitating exchange: 3 architectural projects in pressured urban environments. Brennan‐Horley, C.H.R.I.S., Connell, J. and Gibson, C., 2007. The Parkes Elvis Revival Festival: Economic development and contested place identities in rural Australia. Geographical Research, 45(1), pp.71-84. Cartlidge, D., 2006. Public private partnerships in construction. Routledge. Fraillon, J., 2015. Assessing general capabilities. Learning Assessments, p.78. Hensher, D.A. and Rose, J.M., 2007. Development of commuter and non-commuter mode choice models for the assessment of new public transport infrastructure projects: a case study. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 41(5), pp.428-443. Read More