Project Committees

Project Committees assist Estates and Buildings in determining issues arising between the Office and User Departments.  They do not relieve Estates and Buildings of its responsibility to secure the best professional advice available on behalf of the University or its monitoring of professional Design Team and Contractor performance.  

Determination of Issues

Contentious issues may arise between Estates and Buildings and User Departments particularly when the project brief is being formulated.  These can include:  

• The Funding Limit set for the project is such that priorities may have to to be determined by the User Department who otherwise would wish to see their optimal requirements totally provided for.
• The space demands of User Departmens may be excessive in terms of Planning Norms.
• Where more than one User Department is involved tensions can arise from a refusal to share high cost facilities.
• Failure by User Departments to provide adequate and timeous data on the brief.
• Failure by User Departments to accede to a design "freeze" which is essential if a satisfactory project programme is to be achieved physically and financially.
• User Departments requesting changes to the project brief after a contract has been placed.

In all such cases it will be the duty of the Progressing Committee Chairperson to secure a solution.   

Issues arising in the course of the Contract

At contract stage various problems can arise mainly between the Contractor and the Design Team.  On occasion the Director of Estates and Buildings may involve the Chairperson.  The Director will keep the Chairperson fully informed of disputes which, if unresolved, could jeopardise the project programme.  Examples include:

• Failure of the Contractor or Design Team to perform.
• Failure of the Contractor or Design Team to heed advice or warnings issued by Estates and Buildings.
• Unauthorised expenditure being incurred by the Design Team.
• Unforeseen problems which will materially affect the progress of the project.  These could include the unexpected provision of additional funding sufficient to enable or encourage the user Department to increase the content of the contract.

Monitoring and Reporting

The Chairperson will expect the relevant Estates Development Manager to set up regular meetings of the Progressing Committee.  Meetings will have a well-structured agenda and will be attended by the full Design Team and the User Department representative.  The latter will generally be the person identified at the outset of the project by the User Department as their nominated representative.  The relevant staff from Estates and Buildings will attend and minutes will be taken by a Clerk.   

The Chairperson must not directly authorise or control budget expenditure without reference to Estates and Buildings.  Where it becomes clear that the contract will over-run its allocated funding limit the Chairperson will report this to Estates and Buildings who will take the matter to Estates Committee.  Reports to Estates Committee will be brief and will follow a structured format. 

• The Progressing Committee will hold monthly meetings which will be timetabled to follow monthly Design Team meetings or Monthly Design Team/Contractor site meetings and will precede Estates Committee meetings.  In general, a cascade of Monday (DT or DT/C); Wednesday (PC); Monday (BC) schedule should be organised.
• The Chairperson will attend Design Team/Contractor site meetings as an Observer.
• A User Group composed of representatives from the departments who will evenutaly occupy the subjects of the project will be identified.  Updating meetings on progress will normally be held at three-monthly intervals but additional meetings between members of the Design Team and the Users may be necessary to clarify minor outstanding design points.