18 BUSINESS AND TRAINING
• Certain employers dictate the professional fee they are prepared to pay, typically resulting in proportionally reduced services with a consequent increase in‘ Requests for Information’ from contractors. This may result in delays and / or errors on site, entitling the contractor to a revision of the date for practical completion and / or an adjustment of the contract value.
1.2 Determine the appropriate method and time to acquire construction services. This can be done by:
• Negotiation – deal with preferred competent service providers but not necessarily at the best value for money depending on market conditions.
• Invitation – based on an advanced design solution to involve a contractor with particular skills, a product licence or specialised construction equipment for a hybrid design and build solution( successfully applied in parts of Australia). Appointment by invitation implies that the contractor has the ability to execute the project to the specified quality within the time period allowed from previous experiences – at a fair price, but not necessarily at the most competitive price.
• Open tender – implies that any contractor( with a specified CIDB grading) can submit an offer – requiring careful analysis and background checking of all submissions, discarding noncomplying tenders to compile a short list of, say, 3 – 5 contractors for final consideration. By taking the average of the 3 – 5 tender lowest prices received – the contractor whose offer is closest to the median is likely to have realistically priced all aspects of the works without strategic omissions or an opportunistic profit.
1.3 Establish / confirm site conditions, including:
• Discrepancies between actual site conditions and survey and / or historical or as-built records and new construction information.
• Undocumented below ground services not shown in any servitudes or as-built records.
• Unexpected founding conditions not identified in the geotechnical survey.
• During excavations, discovery of historical relics.
• Obstructive neighbouring owners.
1.4 Construction information:
• All contract documents should be clear and well drafted to suit the application.
• Scope creep is the silent killer of delivery – within budget, on time – to the specified quality.
• Clarity prevents conflict.
• Unilateral changes instigated by the employer to SfCC, or by the contractor to standard-form subcontracts, which, in addition to altering the balance of the respective rights and obligations of the parties, may affect the works insurance and the consultants’ professional indemnity insurance cover. PA
www. plumbingafrica. co. za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline July 2026 Volume 32 I Number 05