Information release schedule for construction
If not all the information required to construct the works has been prepared or issued when the tender documentation is issued or the contract executed then an information release schedule may be prepared which gives dates for the release of information from the consultant team. There may also be schedules for the release of information from contractors to the consultant team.
These schedules may also indicate procurement periods for major items and reasonable durations for design approval procedures. Without such information, schedules can be unrealistic or unachievable.
Schedules should be kept up to date and may be changed to reflect changes to the construction programme. Such changes should be brought to the attention of the client, and any implications for the project highlighted.
Schedules may include reasonable durations for design approval procedures, trigger dates for contractor or specialist design, dates for commencement of purchase or manufacture and dates for site delivery/installation. The inclusion of these dates is very beneficial in demonstrating that the information release dates are credible and realistic.
Schedules should also allow for the realistic resourcing of consultants staff by giving a sensible spread of workload. Consultants must ensure that they are entirely comfortable with the information release schedule prior to it being incorporated into any contract documents.
An information release schedule may form part of the tender documentation or contract documents. Consultants can be reluctant to produce information release schedules for this purpose because of concerns about being held to the dates on the schedule (even where the progress of construction does not require information when the information release schedule proposes it). Failure to keep to the dates set out in the information release schedule may then be a matter for which the contractor attempts to claim an extension of time an loss and /or expense.
If there is no information release schedule, the contractor's master programme may include dates for the release of information, which the consultant team may comment on, but should not approve. If there is no sort of schedule at all, it may be sensible for the contractor and the consultant team to agree one.
Even without an information release schedule, the contract is likely to require that information necessary for the contractor to complete the works is made available to them at a time that it is reasonably necessary for them to receive it.
Information release schedules may need to include specific release protocols where building information modelling (BIM) is used.
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