Construction projects are executed with the input from a variety of project participants, including the owner’s team, professional team and the contractor. In some procurement models such as design-build projects, the relationship between the professional team and the contractor allows for automatic, extensive early involvement and collaboration at an early stage of the project. Pre-Construction Engineering defines all the activities required to prepare a project for its’ construction phase. This incorporates activities such as risk identification and management, interaction with stakeholders such as local communities, project labour agreements, safety risk reviews, schedule optimization, value engineering and constructability or buildability. This process is a collaborative effort, in the interest of the project. Early collaboration between the owners’ team, the professional team and a contractor is not always possible, typically in the case of more common “design-by-employer” procurement processes. A common cause of project failure is frequently ascribed to a lack of pre-construction engineering. Project outcomes may be significantly improved through constructability reviews in projects which have benefits in cost and risk reduction as well as schedule optimization. If constructability considerations in the design process are well managed, the input from the contractor into the design concept allows for the consideration of construction preferences, construction methods and safe operations during project execution. This presentation will illuminate the need and benefit for project owners and designers to consider the constructability of their projects. It will address constructability aspects to be considered by the designer as well as the possible collaborative processes. It will finally propose how the process, and lessons learnt, may be implemented. 

Werner Jerling spent the majority of his 35- year career in the Civil Engineering Construction environment, during which time he gained experience in the field of designing and constructing large reinforced concrete structures for a multitude of South African and foreign clients in a multitude of different industries. Werner has a particular interest in relationships and risks contractors need to manage as part of the construction process and the subject of preconstruction engineering.

Emeritus Professor Jan Wium worked as structural engineering consultant and project manager for 20 years before joining Stellenbosch University in 2003 as specialist in structural concrete and structural dynamics. In 2010 he was appointed to initiate the Chair in Construction Engineering and Management at the Department of Civil Engineering and developed the post graduate programme at Stellenbosch University in this subject field. His research interests include construction quality, affordable housing, modular concrete construction, and constructability in construction.

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