Coursework Assessment Brief

School of Engineering and the Environment

Department of Civil Engineering, Surveying and Construction Management

Module Code

CE6211

Module Title

Site Practice and Management                       

Title of Assessment

Group Project (Coursework 1)

Summative (% of module) or Formative

Summative – this assignment is worth 60% of your module grade

Typical individual student hours required to complete the assessment

Approximately 40 hours (individually)

Assessment set by (and contact)

 

Submission deadline (date and time)

22 March 2021

Formal feedback

20 April 2021

 

Module Learning Outcomes

The following module learning outcomes and professional body learning outcomes are tested in this assessment:

 

(1) Participate in simulated team meetings at industrial managerial level

 

2) Apply a knowledge of technology, including road construction and traffic planning, suitable for a managerial overview of running building sites

 

3) Apply a  knowledge of programming software and use of a range of planning techniques that integrate with managing and planning for building sites

 

4) Apply management principles, theories of leadership, motivation, quality, Health and Safety requirements and sustainable design for a construction project

 

5) Carry out report writing and produce documents for a project

 

Assessment task and specific terms

 

The Primark Project, Kingston

 

Background Note

 

This coursework is based upon an existing real contract that has been won and built by a Build & Fit out Contractor called Beaver Construction. This project involves building a 3-storey side & rear extension including basement works. This also involves extending the existing store vertically for two floors introducing new staff accommodation space, roof plant and increased retail space and stockroom facility. In addition, the project involves the modifications for the existing store. The Client is ‘Primark’ and they have kindly produced drawings which will form the essential part of the documentation for this project. It is projected that we will arrange for a relevant site visit later in the term to see some related sorts of issues to take into account.

 

It is important that students find/contact the relevant local authority (or via website) and/or go to visit the site to learn what their (the Local Authority) requirements are, potential site restrictions, logistics, environmental considerations, etc. The site is located along Eden Street (a very busy retail street with shoppers and public transport, e.g. buses, taxis, etc.). It is equally important that students do not contact the firm or the client directly for further information – apparently this happened once in the past and caused some difficulty (if this occurs, it will result in zero mark)

 

You may carry out further research about the nature of the work as long as you use your discretion and consideration of privacy and proper research ethics and where necessary, as usual, provide your source/s, citation/s, reference/s. The Scope of the Work and key information is provided in the drawings and the assignment, electronically, which is accessible from Canvas. You are to work in teams. A set of hardcopy drawings are provided for each team – any further copies will have to be obtained by students at their own expense.

 

One of the aims of this project is to simulate as closely as possible real project working conditions, in preparation for potential careers in industry. With this in mind, copies of drawings are provided free by the client and often should be in the form of two copy sets. Often this is ignored and only one set is provided, where the cost of further copies is imposed upon the contractor. Here it is expressly stated that only one such set is provided. Furthermore, in an effort to create some sort of simulation of dialogue between the contractor, the architect and other professionals and to gain experience of meetings, it is envisaged that some information will be initially provided, whilst student will have to request further information, as considered necessary. This will take place in the meetings as shown in Module Guide, where teams will turn up for quarter hourly meetings at pre-arranged times – then write up the minutes and distribute them to all personnel involved by the following Friday. The chairman of the meeting will adopt the role of architect or other suitable consultant or professional.

 

All constructional information is as per the documents provided and as may be further elicited by question and answer during the meetings mentioned above, requests for further information being a common feature of contracts and of course it is expected that you carry this out in a professional manner, including with due regard to the contract pertaining. The contract type in question here is Design & Build. As the Design & Build contractor, it may be necessary for you to produce further contractor designs, to accommodate any changes and deal with any problems arising in a professional manner.

 

The contract value for Beaver Construction was nominally £15 Million. This can be utilised as a budget figure that is frequently provided by clients to contractors at the outset of the tendering process. BREEAM Excellent is required to be achieved for the final Development of the Building.

 

Your submission –

Essentially your task –is to put together a tender, competing in groups/ teams, representing different contractors and therefore whilst all tender information should be shared freely with all teams equally, in the spirit of non-collusion and competitiveness, teams should produce their own tenders without undue reference to others.

 

You are to provide (This list is not exhaustive):

 

1.    A fully priced up Bill of Quantities, together with a Summary Sheet, or Contract Sum Analysis and Form of Tender, indicating your Contract Sum total both in figures and words. To illustrate to the Client why ‘Design & Build’ will give the Client positive benefits.

 

2.    Possible alternatives that you may propose to the client.

 

3.    Manual drawings indicating your initial design sketches with notes.

 

4.    Revit drawings (BIM Software) showing the architectural plan to a suitable scale, together with a longitudinal cross section and a transverse cross section showing formation level, constructional details, depths of layers.

 

5.    Consideration of environmental matters.

 

6.    Outline resourcing for the project in terms of staff (engineers and supervisors etc.), direct workers and subcontractors etc.

 

7.    A method statement, including a Risk Assessment setting out how the work will be carried out in terms of sequencing, plant use etc. safely within the Health & Safety at Work Act, 1974.

 

8.    A section showing how BREEAM Excellent has been achieved for the final development of the Building, i.e. the credits that are awarded in BREEAM for certain design-features in the building.

 

9.    A Traffic Management Plan and plan of other logistics. Additionally, a variation order is going to be produced, to be provided at a later date: this will in effect necessitate the provision of traffic lights, a traffic calming arrangement and a new road. This will need supply of a suitable design (drawings showing the proposed new road construction details), specification and a price break-down.

 

10. A Construction Programme sequencing the time durations for the construction activities, in either Network or Bar Chart form, or both as considered suitable for the efficient running of the works.

 

11. A draft Construction Phase Plan (in terms of the CDM Regulations 2015) paying particular attention to hazardous activities such as demolition and particular considerations of work.

 

12. A plan showing the contractor’s site establishment, offices, toilets, main plant, materials storage etc. (Site Layout Plan).

 

13. A final presentation of your tender bid, as it were to the client, indicating what you have taken into account and how the cost builds up for your offer price.

 

As with any real life project the information given in the brief may not be complete. To facilitate your submission a series of meetings, as mentioned above, has been set up between all contractors, the architect, the engineer, the client and any other appropriate member of the professional team. These meetings will take place as shown in Module Guide. The purpose of these meetings is for contractors to ask questions. Each contractor will take it in turns to write up minutes of these meetings and to distribute these to all participants, again as mentioned above. Good timekeeping is essential.

 

Re Meetings (The dates of the meetings are provided in the Module Guide on Canvas):

–       Agenda to be sent to the Client (Module Leader) in advance – this is to be at least 2 working days before the date of the meeting.

–       Minutes to be sent to the Client (Module Leader) within 5 working days after the meeting.

 

Marks will be allocated on how each team performs as a team, as professionals conducting themselves at meetings, making valid contributions and asking appropriate questions, upon the report submitted, which is essentially the tender bid – and the final presentation, backing up the tender offer, which happens frequently in the, so called, real world and which can often form a vital part of whether a contractor is successful in his or her bid. As with many contract conditions, whilst realistic and competitive pricing will undoubtedly be a consideration, other factors will be taken into account, such as an appropriate response to the client brief, imaginative and appropriate alternative suggestions, environmental and health and safety considerations, evidence of sound planning and an indication of an appropriate level of quality provision.

 

General Information/Requirements:

 

Marks will be attained for all aspect of your work including sensible assumptions, durations, etc. sensible method/sequence of construction, optimum use of resources, correct use of the software, presentation and structure of report, etc. Therefore, with the above in mind, best presentation in all aspects of this coursework is encouraged. The coursework must be submitted to canvas as one merged PDF file.  Maximum page size is to be A3.   The name of the group members must be clearly written on the front sheet.   The report must be submitted in the usual manner by the date shown on the front sheet.

·         Report should carry “Cover Page” and “Table of Content”.

·         The first page (Cover Page) should include the following information:

o   Title

o   Group Name along with Your Names and Student Numbers

o   Course

o   Academic Year

·         Pages must be numbered for ease of cross reference.

·         The report must be word processed and submitted to canvas as one merged PDF file.

·         If any additional assumption(s) is needed you should clearly state, the assumption(s) made at the beginning of each task and justify your assumption(s).

·         In your drawings, diagrams and sketches clarity is the utmost importance.

·         Use diagrams and sketches as much as possible. They should be placed in appropriate place. A diagram or sketch says a thousand words. So, use them.

·         Computer diagrams/drawings relevant to your report to be cut A4/ A3 size and placed in appropriate place and not at the back of your report and submitted to canvas as one merged PDF file.

·         All figures/illustrations/tables need to be numbered must have appropriate captions and their source must be cited.

·         Consult Plagiarism guidelines

·         Edit and proof-read work prior to submission

·         The text must be referenced using Harvard style (guidance available on the library website)

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment Criteria

Assessment of your submission will be based on the following weighted assessment criteria as given below which relate to the specified module and PSRB learning outcomes. Assessment criteria are reproduced in Canvas in a rubric.

CE6211 Group Project (60% of the overall module assessment ) Marking Scheme

Component

Criteria

1. Meetings (10%)

• Attendance & Attitude
• Preparedness & Assistance
• Prompt and informative Agenda (before the meeting)
• Prompt and informative Minutes of the Meeting

2. Format (2.5%)

• Type in 12-point Arial font, double-spaced .
• Check for spelling, grammatical errors.
• List all references used:  books, articles, pamphlets, internet web resources, etc.
• Use a binding folder in which to keep every component of your project.

3. Teamwork (2.5%)

The team worked well together to achieve objectives.  All data sources indicated a high level of mutual respect and collaboration.

• Group cooperation & Group leadership
• Distribution of group tasks
• Communication among group members

4. Research/ Subject Knowledge/  Content    (15%)

•  the content (Refer to the Coursework brief)                                                                                  • Demonstrated evidence of extensive research effort
• A depth of thinking about the topics covered
• Demonstrated knowledge of the content by integrating major and minor concepts into the response
• Accuracy of the content

5. Supporting Material     (5%)

Analysis and design considerations
were well supported by the information (Refer to the Coursework brief). Examples include:
• Initial design sketches (Manual /CAD drawings)/ Site Layout Plan.
• Project Drawings, plus drawings showing a traffic management plan and plan of other logistics

6. Organisation (2.5%)

• Organised with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• The content is comprehensive and logical and all parts are interrelated and meaningful.

7. Creative and Innovative (2.5%)

• Shows originality of approach
• Innovative ideas/methods/techniques are clearly demonstrated

8. Individual Contribution (5%)

• Allocated marks in your group in the Peer Assessment Form
• List of tasks for each individual is responsible for (quality/content/relation)
• Observations from Group Meetings

9. Group Presentation (15%)

• accuracy and currency of information (15)
• appropriate selection of material for presentation to target audience (15)
• clarity of presentation of material to audience (15)
• creativity of presentation (10)
• quality of reflection on group work (20)
• Time and Q/A (25)                                                                                                      

 

 

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