Construction representative: Scheduling and cost management

Technically advanced organizations responsible for construction efforts invest up to 15% of the cost of the effort in construction representative manpower and supporting resources. Construction representatives are technically qualified individuals who perform quality actions for customers or buyers of constructed facilities. These actions may include engineering, inspection, materials testing, administration or surveys. This paper discusses a Construction Management Program that schedules manpower and controls costs of construction representatives. This program includes three phases. The planning phase forecasts future construction representative needs for the agencywide effort. The staffing phase schedules and assigns personnel to specific projects after a construction contract has been awarded. The monitoring phase furnishes performance and cost reports that compare actual results with the staffing estimates. The program provides useful information for the improvement of resource utilization and positive control of costs. This construction management program has assisted in a more than 2% reduction in costs of construction representatives for the Arizona Department of Transportation.