by Working in the construction sector involves dealing with labor, equipment, materials, sub-contractors, subordinates, designers, quality, and safety associates. As a construction engineer, the role involves delivery (meeting dates), the safety of persons you supervise, quality of installation, keeping within the budget, and reducing wastage. It is tough, hazardous and many times makes you travel more. But on a positive note, it keeps you healthy due to physical activities on site.
Good ethical companies will provide lots of training and assistance to keep up the quality. It is important that you orient yourself with the project scope, goals, and key performance indicators. You need to read the contract documents, project concepts, specifications, and drawings in the initial period of your time on the project. This helps a lot in understanding the project in general. It takes one or two weeks to understand the project and the people you will spend your time with for the duration of the project.
Another important task is to coordinate with other disciplines for the proper sequence of work. Also, you will be coordinating with MEP engineers and perform sanity checks.
Needless to say that your priority should be safety and quality. Never put progress or milestones ahead of these priorities. This is what is expected by project management in good ethical companies. Successful construction engineer achieves progress without losing sight of safe and quality work practices.
Also, you will need certain management plans to play your role. These tools are safety plans, QA/QC plans, inspection, test plans, and project schedule.
You should be familiar with work and work processes as per Standard Work Process Procedures ( SWPP). These standard procedures provide a flow of major activities with responsibilities. This will execute the various tasks that make up the construction phase of the project. In general, you should expect to participate in all phases of the project over the course of a field assignment.
Project Opening Phase:
The Construction Engineer participates in the following activities during the early project phase.
- Review engineering drawings and specifications, vendor documents, applicable codes and standards, project procedures, and permit requirements. Sometimes, engineers or structural designers design elements that are difficult to construct. This is where construction engineers come in to picture and solve constructability issues.
- Get to know your client’s representatives. This is important as their representative is the one to whom you sell the product. So, you need to involve them as required by Prime Contract at various construction stages as agreed in ITP’s. Prime Contract is an agreement between the client and your company)
- Know your subcontractors. Main or general civil contractors have to depend on subcontractors to execute specialist jobs. In this case, you have to manage the job in conjunction with the subcontract administrator.
- Review quantity and cost tracking requirements. On weekly basis, you have to report installed quantities to the project controls department.
- Know KPI’s ( Key Performance Indicators). The project QA manager will come up with a list of project indicators. It helps to know how the project is making progress in the main features. That is, concrete, steel, and length of cables pulled, etc.
- The field engineering manager will develop standard forms and checklists for the use of construction engineers.
- Develop take-off quantities for commodities not quantified by vendors.
- Order material required for construction aid or permanent materials required for the project.
- Help with temporary site services layout and design.
- Design and oversee the installation of temporary facilities and services.
- Review schedules and discuss any concerns regarding materials availability and work sequence with the manager.
- Work with interfaces and project schedulers to develop a logical and orderly construction sequence.
- Assist in developing heavy/ critical lift rigging plans.
Peak Construction Project Phase:
The crucial things to consider during the peak construction project phase:
- Receive and track material.
- Ask field engineering support.
- Review work-in-progress and completed installations for correctness against drawings, specifications, codes, and standards.
- Maintain stored material based on requirements. Check for materials requiring a controlled environment for storing.
- Monitor the completion of work in assigned areas or systems.
- Maintain client and contractor interface.
- Continue quantity reporting.
Project Completion Phase:
The completion phase can be a bit overwhelming. But with proper tracking of these following activities, you need not worry.
- Complete work in assigned areas or systems.
- Do final grading and paving.
- Finish site fencing and security.
- Complete site landscaping.
- Complete as-built drawings.
- Turn over systems to client.
- Perform surplus material inventory and redeployment.
- Develop sang list with help of QC, client’s representatives, and complete the work.
Precisely, as a construction engineer, you will be responsible for the project management of the structure of the house or any building. Additionally, you will be communicating with teams involved and ensuring deadlines are being met.
Keep this in mind. You have the opportunity to develop a good structural design that has the potential to change people’s lives and the industry as a whole.
Hence, create buildings which can withstand earthquakes, have multiple functions and are entirely energy self-sufficient.
If you have any questions, please shoot in the comment box.