When a contract for road works is let, the contractor undertakes to carry out the work to the job plans and specifications, at a given price, in a specific time.
The aim of contract inspection is to ensure that the Employer’s requirements, as detailed in the contract documents, and as agreed between the principal and the contractor , are fulfilled by the due date for completion .
There are three important elements in the above statement.
· The Employer’s requirements are specified and agreed.
· The inspector must ensure that these requirements are fulfilled.
· There is a time specified
DEFINITIONS
Before proceeding, it is important to define the terms to be used. The following definitions are in accordance with the meaning assigned to the terms in the Road Development Authority’s General Conditions of Contract
· A Contract is an agreement between two parties – the “Employer” and “the contractor” – that for some consideration and under certain conditions, the contractor will do certain work as specified and agreed , for the Employer.
· The Employer usually the Road Development Authority of Main Roads is the party to the contract who stipulates the work and the standard of workmanship required , and who in the first instance nominates the conditions under which a contract will be entered into.
· The contractor is the person or company who offers to execute the works for the Employer for a certain consideration and whose offer is accepted by the Employer.
· The Engineer is the person nominated in the contract, usually the Consultant Engineer, whom both parties agree should impartially ensure that both the Employer and the contractor properly perform their respective obligations under the contract
The engineer’s Representative is the person to whom the engineer has delegated all or some of his powers under the contract. On Highway/Expressway contracts he is normally called the Team Leader(Foreign Funded JBIC)/Resident Engineer(ADB). The Assistant Resident Engineer or Chief Engineer/project Engineer is responsible for the detailed supervision and administration necessary to achieve the completion of the project within the terms of the contract.
He must also make certain , by way of site inspection and control, that the design adopted is adequate to meet the physical and geological conditions encountered on site once work has commenced.
It is important that the all the definitions are read carefully in contract, even though they may seem complex. Understanding of definitions is most important to a proper understanding of the principles of contract inspection.