- In this assignment, youre assuming the role of a construction manager who is representing a client-agency in a multi-phase construction project. You have taken over this project from your predecessor, and an ongoing field dispute remains unresolved. This field dispute involves disagreements about the contract documents. One or more parties claim that the documents were insufficient, and this interpretation is incorrect. If this dispute is not resolved during the regularly scheduled field dispute resolution meeting, it could escalate negatively. This escalation could involve judicial intervention, which could then lead to arbitration or court proceedings. In your role as the construction manager, you must propose a solution that avoids this escalation and is acceptable to the client-agency and the General Contractor.
To complete this:
- Review all the necessary contracts and drawings, which are available in this module, to help you devise a solution.
- Field Dispute Documentation
- Field Dispute Drawings
- Next, write a professional email to the team of your employers, the client-agency, and the General Contractor that showcases your expertise as a construction manager. The primary message of this email should detail:
- A clear description of your proposed solution,
- the rationale for this decision, including the logic behind the decision, the evidence from the provided documents, and your knowledge of the contracts role in the project – including what you have learned from this modules resources.
Your email should follow the conventions of effective professional emails, including:
- A meaningful subject line
- A greeting to the recipient(s)
- A clear message that provides adequate detail but still aims for conciseness
- A closing statement that provides a call to action
- A signature with your name, role, and contact information
As you investigate the documents provided, keep the following notes in mind:
- Seq 1 = renovation of a commercial property
- Seq 2 = renovation of a commercial property
- Seq 3 = renovation of a commercial property
- This is a multi-prime construction contract.
- Roles:
- .1 GC = General contractor (carpentry, concrete, site work etc.)
- .2 MC = Mechanical Contractor (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
- .3 PC = Plumbing Contractor
- .4 EC = Electrical Contractor
- DP = Design Professional (architect and/or design engineer)
- History:
- RFI – AA was initiated by the .3 PC.
- DP responded to RFI-AA.
- .1 GC disagrees with the determination of the DP about RFI – AA.
- The GC has initiated a field dispute concerning the ownership of the concrete slab work.
- Your predecessor has made a decision that the .1 GC also disagrees with, so .1 GC is continuing to pursue the field dispute.
- As you investigate this dispute, you may agree with the determination of your predecessor and the DP, thereby maintaining the dispute as active. You may disagree with their determination and choose to negotiate with the .1 GC or a combination of both.
Contract field disputes can be incredibly challenging. The provided resources are based on a real dispute. There is no perfect solution. However, it is your responsibility to demonstrate the attention to detail, thorough research skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that a construction manager must have.
