Good Practice Guide by Brindley Richard;

Author:Brindley, Richard;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RIBA Publications
Published: 2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Establishing the project team

Construction projects have increasingly complex team structures, particularly for the design team, even on simple projects. Changing legislation and ways of working are creating new roles, such as project and design managers, Principal Designer, and specialist consultants and advisers on planning, environmental impact, cladding, drainage, fire safety, etc.

It is crucial that you, and everyone else involved with the project, understand your role and your relationship to the other members of the project team. Help to ensure everyone is clear about who is doing what, who reports to whom, who decides on what, and who takes overall responsibility. The RIBA Plan of Work includes the use of a Responsibility Matrix, which is a schedule that defines what each role does and who they are. For more complex projects, with many different roles and relationships, this can become a large matrix. The CIC provides a multidisciplinary role and responsibility matrix template as part of the CIC Scope of Services documentation, which is helpful for more complex and larger projects.9 The RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract allows the various roles that the architect is to take on in the project to be specified in the schedule of services.10

Issues generally arise at the interfaces of the different roles and their responsibilities. Areas of contention can arise around the junction between the below-ground and above-ground drainage and services, the ownership of the overall BIM/CAD model, and the checking and updating of the project programme. There should be a check on the communication, digital, technical and software capabilities and compatibilities of all members of the design team, which can be confirmed in a BIM execution plan.

The contract terms for the various members of the design team should be similar (if not identical) and compatible with each other, regardless of whether the specialist consultants or subconsultants are appointed directly by the client or by the lead consultant or architect. Direct appointment of consultants by the design team leader or architect does, however, increase the responsibilities, liabilities and management control of the design team leader or architect.

It is particularly important that the design team members' appointment contracts have the same levels and limits of professional indemnity insurance cover, contractual liability periods, methods of dispute resolution and copyright ownership and similar terms and conditions for their services. This should also apply to new members of the design team, who may come on board during the course of a project.

The client, the other design team members or, even, your own practice may not wish to disclose the full content of their individual appointment contracts. However, it is advisable and legitimate to ask the client to confirm that key terms and conditions are the same for all members of the design team. You have more control over the terms and conditions for subconsultants directly engaged by you. Ensure that they have the same terms and conditions for the project as you do, so there are no gaps or differences in your professional obligations. There is a subconsultant version

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