Did you Know #DYK: Who would benefit from which Project Stages?

posted in: Did You Know 0

If the Construction Industry is your bread and butter it is imperative to know where you fit into the Project Lifecycle and at what stage you would get involved. Before we can see who fits in where we need to understand each stage correctly by looking at the Project Synopsis.

 

Conceptual – These are the very early stages where the Project is still only an idea or concept.

Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• What are we building?
• What studies need to be done such as Feasibility?
• Is funding secured?

Environmental Consultants, Town Planners & Geotechnical Consultants would benefit most from this early stage.

 

 

 

Procedural – This stage is where the securing of various applications occurs. The developer will also start looking at appointing his Professional team.
Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• How far is the EIA?
• What is the address of the new Development?
• Does the new development require rezoning?
• Are there any appeals?

Market researchers, Town planners, Property Developers and Quantity Surveyors would benefit most from this stage.

 

Design – This is once an Architect and/or Quantity Surveyor has been appointed. The full design team will now start drawing up the plans as well as the Bill of Quantities for the new development.
Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• What Professionals still need to be appointed?
• How many levels will the development have?
• What the value of the entire project?
• When will this be going out on Tender?
• What type of Tender will it be?
• How many Tenders are needed?

Individuals that offer Professional Services that would benefit most at the design stage of a Project. This includes Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers, Interior Designers, Landscape Designers & Project Managers.

 

Tender – The Tender stage of a Project is different to a notification to Tender. The Tender stage of a Project refers to the Main Civil and/or Building Tender that will need to be finalized before construction can go ahead. There are different Types of Tenders which will need to be established, namely, Open Tender, Invited Tender & negotiated Tender.
Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• What type of Tender is it?
• Will the civil tender and building tender be separate?
• Ensure all approvals have been received?
• When will the site inspection be?
• When is the award anticipated?
• The anticipated date construction will need to commence?

Main civil and building contractors will benefit most from this stage as they will want to be awarded the development by the company in charge. Vendors, Subcontractors & suppliers will also benefit from this stage as they will have the opportunity to price to the Contractors tendering in hope of being used once the Award has been made for the development.

 

Awarded – The main contractor has now been appointed and needs to finalise all the subcontractors and suppliers before construction can commence.
Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• When is completion due?
• Have all the terms & conditions have been met?
• Are guarantees and surety in place?
• When can we start on site?

Subcontractors and suppliers will benefit most from the Awarded stage of a Project. They will now have a company they can negotiate with for business to supply or subcontract through.

 

Underway – The contractor is on site and construction has commenced.
Key factors to consider at this stage are:
• Are we on schedule?
• Ensure timing is correct?
• Is there a change in scope of works?

Since construction has commenced all the relevant subcontractors will be involved at this stage. Companies such as furniture manufactures, facilities management, IT / Telecom companies, security & cleaning would benefit once the building is almost complete as this is the time when these smaller necessities fall into place. Certain subcontractors would also only fit in during this late stage as they will assist with the personalization of the building before the keys are handed over.

 

 

 

Sources:

Idea icon

Underway Construction

About Candice Erasmus

I have been working at Leads 2 Business for 10 years of which 8 have been as the Sales Manager. I enjoy every aspect of my job and strive to hold the L2B flag high in all I do.

L2B Blog: What are Projects all about?

What are Projects all about?

The question I get asked the most being a Projects researcher is… ‘What are Projects all about?‘.

It is early days in 2018 and my understanding levels are still rebooting after the holidays. I thought I would try and provide an explanation that may be a little tongue in cheek and also help people remember easily what Projects are all about. So, in my analogy, I decided to do a comparison between Projects and Fishing (in my head this means only fly fishing, but you can use most fishing for this analogy).

 

Projects vs Fishing

What happens in a Project? Well, we follow the full life cycle of the Project (think of it like your life, from birth until your eventual end). Now a Project can be broken into a few defining stages, which is how we put our information into groups to make it easier to follow, understand and find your best area of benefit from a business perspective. So without further adieu, here are the various stages broken down for your ease of reference.

 

 

Projects Planning
 

Conceptual

Projects

This consists of the appointing of the Client or Developer, Feasibility study, acquiring of funding and Request for Proposals (RFP).

Fishing

Your mind starts hatching a plan for getting away and going fishing. You are looking at your bank balance and wondering if this is a feasible decision.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Procedural

Projects

Here the basic design is conceived along with the geotechnical study, EIA process, Town Planning and appointment of Professionals who will carry out these and other duties.

Fishing

You begin to look at the calendar and note when the public holidays are, what the weather is expected to be at the time (we all know how that effects fishing), the distance needed to travel and the people that will be involved in this trip.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Design

Projects

The detailed design is completed and the Bill of Quantities prepared.

Fishing

You search fishing forums and websites, as well as Trip Advisor, Lodges and Google reviews for the best places to visit that, will supply your (fly) fishing needs.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Projects Construction Design

Tender

Projects

The Project is sent to an Invited list of Bidders to Tender or goes out to Open Tender and once the Bids are received, negotiations with Contractors proceed.

Fishing

You make a decision on where you are going to fish and stay; book and pay. You alight in your chariot with all the correct tackle and head to your destination.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Awarded

Projects

The Main Contractor is Awarded and applies for permits to begin on site.

Fishing

The weather is perfect, the fishing permit is in hand and as your line sinks into the watery depths, you feel a definite tug as you hook what feels like a bus of a fish.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Projects Awarded

Underway

Projects

The process goes ahead with Site Handover, Site Establishment and the commencement of the actual construction work.

Fishing

Your experience and skills come into play in fighting your fish, cleverly steering it away from weeds and avoiding logs and rocks.

(Click here for examples of this Project stage)

 

Complete/Cancelled/Postponed

Projects

The project is either classified as Complete, Cancelled or is Postponed.

Fishing

You successfully land the fish, or you lose the fish. The line wraps around either a tree, gets stuck in the weed or the hook breaks and the fish lives to fight another day.

(Examples can be found on the following links: Complete, Cancelled, Postponed Project stages)

 

Projects vs Fly fishing

 

 

And there you have it! Projects explained in a fresh and easy way. Parcels of information that help your business get a foot in the door at the right time. If you want to find out which stages are the best for what you do, take a look at ‘At which point in the Project Life Cycle can your Business find Value‘.

If you want to take a look at the other services we provide, you can take a look at ‘Snoop our Services‘.

How many fish are you planning to catch this year? Which of those fish will keep your Business in the black? Maybe taking a look at our Project service will help your Business and get you out fishing more often. If you are interested, pop me a comment on the Blog with your mail address or mail me at CarmenB@L2B.co.za and I will be sure to be in contact with you.

 

Until then, have a fantastic day.

 

Picture sources

1 https://pixabay.com/get/eb3cb20c28f5053ed95c4518b7494090eb70e4d704b0144093f0c97ba1ebb4_960.jpg

2 https://pixabay.com/get/eb33b90d2ef0003ed95c4518b7494090eb70e4d704b0144093f0c97ba0e5b7_960.jpg

3 https://pixabay.com/get/ea35b2082ff3093ed95c4518b7494090eb70e4d704b0144093f0c97bafe9b6_960.jpg

4 https://pixabay.com/get/e834b5062df4033ed95c4518b7494090eb70e4d704b0144093f0c97bafe5b3_960.jpg

 

 

About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

What is the difference between a Tender and a Project?

What is the Difference between a Tender & a Project?

This is one of the most asked questions that I have received over the years. What is the difference between a Tender and a Project?  So I thought I would break it down as best as I understand it.

A Tender is is put out for supply of services or products where various entities can bid to be awarded the contract. This is one phase in a Project life cycle and generally happens over a short period of time e.g. two to three weeks.

A Project is the full life cycle from Conceptual stage to Completion/Postponement/Cancellation.

The stages of a project could be broken up as follows:

Conceptual stage is the beginning phase of the project.

Client / Developer – Feasibility Process – Securing Funding – Request for Proposal – Procedural stage involves obtaining various approvals and authorisations. Basic Design – Geotechnical Study – Licensing – EIA Process – Property Rezoning – Professionals.

Design & Tender

This stage involves detailed design, the tender process and bill pricing. The majority of the Project Professionals have been appointed at this stage. Bidding Contractors’ details are listed under Bidders. Detailed Design – Expression of Interest – Negotiation – Tender – Anchor Tenant – Invited List.

Awarded & Underway

The main contractor and subcontractors have been awarded and construction is underway.

Complete/Postponed/Cancelled

Practical completion is nearing the end or is structurally complete. The project is on hold for various reasons.
All this information is captured on our system in an accessible manner for our subscribers so they can keep up to date and put their business’s in the right position to take advantage of the opportunities that exist.

This is a very basic explanation, I know.  If you want to add to it, please feel  free to provide feedback for those reading.

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About Carmen Barends

Social Media adventurer exploring new frontiers and learning how to survive. Tongue in cheek and mischief are the order of any good day topped with a sprinkling of laughter.

What is a Project?

posted in: General 3

What is a Project?

What is a Project?

I googled the definition and got the following: (1) An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim (from www.oxforddictionaries.com) and (2) something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme (from www.dictionary.reference.com).

Well the definition of Project at www.L2B.co.za is OPPORTUNITY. Yes, that’s right, OPPORTUNITY!

We source information on new construction that is planned and add it to our website as a Project. These Projects are potential Leads that can be accessed by our subscribers through the various stages it goes through, namely: Conceptual (idea) Procedural (studies) Design (drawings) Tender (pricing) Awarded (whoo-hoo got the job) Underway (building) and last but not least, Complete (finished).

We are dedicated researchers (my team of ‘investigators’ and I) that are constantly updating our projects with relevant information as we follow the progression of each project.

So, where does my definition of OPPORTUNITY take place?… Everywhere!

At each stage, there is an opportunity depending on what you do. Whether you are interested in the Private Sector or Public Sector, Project Management or only interested in Private construction work, it is worth your time and energy to investigate subscribing to Projects at Leads 2 Business. For example in Conceptual stage, a Professional Team is needed (could that be you?), once the drawings are done in the design stage,  a Quantity Surveyor is needed to draw up the Bill (this can be priced on our L2Q platform – but that is a story for another day), are you the Contractor that is going to be Awarded or are you the Vendor with the beautiful light fittings that you are so keen to install in a new building for everyone to admire? Oh yes, don’t forget about the scaffolding required and security needed on site.

Think about it, I have mentioned so many OPPORTUNITIES already, make sure you are not the one missing them.

About Debbie Wessels

I started at Leads 2 Business in April 2008 in the tenders Department and transferred to the Projects Department during the same year. I was appointed Head of Department for Projects from February 2011 to March 2022. April 2022 I started a new adventure as Content Regulator.