nec3 training – olympic park contracts
Client: McNicholas Construction (Holdings) Limited
Date: May 2008
Project Value: circa £15 million
Services Provided:
- Commercial Training
Project Overview:
McNicholas is a leading service provider to the utilities, communications, renewables and rail sectors with a turnover of around £150 million. The company has been in operation since the late 1940’s and supplies a range of services in civil engineering, construction, M & E, IT and general management.
In April 2008, McNicholas was awarded two contracts in relation to the construction of venues for the 2012 London Olympics along with the regeneration of Stratford City. These required McNicholas to deliver a “backbone” of services to the Olympic Park, with contracts to build networks for water, gas, telecoms and electrical civils across the Olympic site. In addition the company was also awarded the contract to provide the new IP Gas network to Stratford City.
These contracts were procured under NEC3 Options A and C with significant amendments to the standard forms made by the Employer. McNicholas identified a need to train its project management and commercial team, who though comfortable with the standard form of NEC3, were not familiar with the substantial amendments that had been made and the consequences in relation to the way in which the contracts should be operated and managed.
Schofield Lothian designed and facilitated a ½ day's training session on the NEC3 Option A and Option C contracts with specific reference to the amendments which had been made to the standard forms by the Employer.
We focused on four particular topics that we had identified as of importance to the client:
- Time (including programme and key dates)
- Payment
- Compensation Events
- Testing and Defects
The session took the form of a highly practical seminar, which focused on the mechanics of operating and managing these particular contracts, providing working examples of situations that the team might face on site.
In addition, we produced a detailed guide, which the team could use as a reference tool after the seminar. This outlined all the substantial amendments that had been made to the standard forms and the consequences of such amendments in relation to the way the contract would have to be operated.
Benefit to the client:
The McNicholas project management and commercial team are now able to operate and manage these contracts correctly by understanding the consequences of the amendments that have been made to the standard forms and how that will affect the way they operate these contracts in practice. Finally, a Q&A session that we ran during the seminar brought to light a number of issues that had already arisen, this forum then enabling the Schofield Lothian team to provide practical advice there and then, enabling the client to take the appropriate action.
If you would like to find out more about this project, then please contact us.
