Last edited 01 Nov 2017

Construction progress meeting

During the construction stage, the contract administrator (sometimes referred to in different forms of contract as the 'architect/contract administrator', 'project manager', 'engineer' or 'employer's agent') holds regular (often monthly) construction progress meetings attended by the contractor and if necessary members of the consultant team.

The client, client representative or project manager may also wish to attend these meetings. Construction progress meetings may require decisions to be made and so it is important that they are attended by sufficiently senior individuals if delays are to be avoided.

Construction progress meetings are an opportunity to:

Receive progress reports from the contractor (the contractor may hold a progress meeting, sometimes called a production meeting, with sub-contractors prior to the construction progress meeting).
Receive progress reports from the consultant team.
Receive cost reports from the cost consultant.
Receive records of sub-contractors and labor on site.
Receive progress photos (which may be required from the contractor if included in the preliminaries, or may sometimes be commissioned separately by the client).

They are also an opportunity to discuss major issues raised, such as:

Any special circumstances which may affect the contract at any stage.
Testing regimes.
Mock-ups.
Quality issues.
Weather reports.
Issues that may impact on costs.
Health and safety issues.
Issues with neighbours (such as noise, dust, vibrations, rights of light, access, safety, etc.).
Off-site fabrication and off-site payments.
Earned value analysis.
Design issues.
Warranties.
Look ahead to the next period (including specific requirements for progress photos during the next period, which may include off-site fabrication photos).

Meeting minutes should be prepared, with a requirement that any disagreement with the items recorded in the minutes is raised within a pre-defined period (perhaps one week). The progress meetings will also result in the preparation of a construction progress report for the client.

On construction management projects, the construction manager holds regular construction progress meetings with the client and consultant team, however, they will also hold regular construction progress meetings with trade contractors to discuss on and off-site progress against the programme and to co-ordinate the release of information. It may sometimes be appropriate for these meetings to take place at the trade contractor's premises. Construction progress reports will then be prepared for the client.

On large projects, the construction manager may hold a daily logistic meeting on site with trade contractor foremen to organise, schedule and co-ordinate on-site shared services such as deliveries and off-loading, hoists and craneage, scaffolding, safety issues, rubbish clearance, etc.

Similar meetings may be held on management contract projects between the management contractor and the works contractors.