Types of consultant in the construction industry
Contents |
[edit] What are consultants?
Consultants are professionals, appointed by a client to perform expert tasks on a project. This might include:-
- Providing advice on setting up and defining the project.
- Developing and co-ordinating the design.
- Preparing production information and tender documentation.
- Contract administration.
- Inspecting the work of contractors and other suppliers.
Functional Standards Common Glossary, published by the Cabinet Office, describes consulting services as: ‘Advisory and related client service activities, the nature and scope of which are agreed with the client, are intended to add value and improve an organisation’s governance, risk management and control processes without the internal auditor assuming management responsibility. Examples include counsel, advice, facilitation and training.’
It is very important that the exact role of consultants is clearly defined in appointment documents. For more information see: Appointing consultants.
[edit] What are the most common types of consultant?
Other than minor projects, most construction projects are likely to required the following consultants:
The client may wish to allocate the roles of lead designer and lead consultant to one or more of these consultants to co-ordinate the work of the rest of the team. It might also be appropriate to appoint a design co-ordinator for the co-ordination and integration of design prepared by specialist contractors, and an information manager for building information modelling, and a contract administrator to perform administrative tasks required by the construction contract.
During the early stages of a project, the client might also appoint independent client advisers to give them professional advice. They might also appoint a project manager to represent them and to take responsibility for the day-to-day management of the project.
[edit] What other types of consultant might be required?
Depending on the type, complexity and size of the project, a very wide variety of consultants might be required. Some of these are listed below, with links to articles providing more information about the role of each:
- Access consultant.
- Acoustic consultant.
- Approved inspector (for building regulations approvals).
- Archaeologist.
- Business management consultant.
- Chartered environmentalist.
- Client design adviser.
- Client's representative.
- Civil engineer.
- Construction manager.
- Consulting engineer.
- Contract administrator.
- Ecologist.
- Employer's agent.
- Employer's BIM adviser.
- Environmental consultant.
- Facilities manager.
- Fire engineering consultant.
- Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) consultant.
- Health and safety consultant.
- Information and communications technology (ICT) consultant.
- Interior designer.
- Landscape architect.
- Local consultants with specialist knowledge of local procedures, culture, and so on.
- Lighting designer.
- Management contractor.
- Masterplanner.
- Party wall surveyor.
- Planning consultant.
- Programme consultant.
- Public health consultant.
- Rights of light surveyor.
- Security consultant.
- Site inspector (clerk of works).
- Specialist contractor.
- Structural waterproofing consultant.
- Surveyor.
- Transport/traffic engineer.
- Vertical transportation (VT) consultant (also called a lift & escalator consultant)
For consultants to work effectively as a team they should adopt collaborative practices as early in the project as possible. The requirement to adopt such practices should be included in appointment documents. See Collaborative practices and Consultant team start-up meeting for more information.
[edit] Sub-consultants
Given the increasing complexity of many construction projects it is becoming more common that a consultant appointed on a project, will in turn themselves appoint consultants to undertake some or all of the work for which they have been engaged.
In this case, the client's consultants may be referred to as prime consultants or first tier consultants whilst the consultants that they appoint are generally referred to as 'sub-consultants' or second tier consultants. This is similar to the relationship between clients, contractors and sub-contractors.
See Sub-consultants for more information.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Appointing consultants.
- Architect.
- Architect's fees.
- Building engineering services.
- Building Information Modelling.
- Collaborative practices.
- Commercial management.
- Commercial manager.
- Consultancy playbook.
- Consultant team start-up meeting.
- Consultation.
- Consulting engineer.
- Design liability.
- Designers.
- Fees.
- Integrated project team.
- Integrated supply team.
- Professional indemnity insurance.
- Sub-consultants.
- Specialist designers.
- Team management.
- Typologies.
Featured articles and news
ECA skills recharge at the House of Commons
Electrical sector feels skills shortage bite.
The impact of pandemic and new legislation on courses
CIOB Academy’s course take-up inked to external factors.
An artist, philanthropist and ex-Army helicopter pilot
Q and A with self-representing artist, Hannah Shergold.
Building Safety Regulator appoints permanent director
And publishes three-year strategic plan.
Update on the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)
Introducing changes to make it more effective from 2024.
2023 CIOB photography competition
Shortlist announced for 2023 public choice award vote.
The last of the Victorians. Book review.
Grimsby's Kasbah: where’s that?
An exotic name that is shrouded in mystery.
This weeks guest editor, Ankita Dwivedi of Firstplanit.
Fropm practice to research and the business of materials.
Terms, histories, theories and practices.
Types of work to existing buildings - repurposing of buildings
Alteration and everything else before demolition.
2023 HSE data on workplace injuries and ill health
And CIOB's response.
Building Safety Act and Secondary Legislation
Presidential update from CIAT's Eddie Weir PCIAT.
Starting pistol Statement for an election campaign?
Rates freeze, NI cuts, full expensing; early election?
Positive pressure or positive input ventilation
Could this be a remedy for condensation, damp or mould?
Unlocking a Healthier Tomorrow
Report on Social housing retrofit in Scotland 2023
Call for ministerial group and National Retrofit Delivery Plan.
Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.