A huge cause of delays (¹) are due to: coordination problems, and sometimes ineptitude, right from the top.

An example may help illustrate:

Dear Architect, There is a gaping hole in the middle of the submarine. Would you be against reconsidering the design? Rgds, Subcontractor

12 days later (Architects take forever to respond. ¯\(ツ)/¯):

Dear Subcontractor, In light of your RFI, I have completely redesigned the submarine. Instead of a hole, I”m now using fly-wire netting. This will prevent water from entering, and will protect against the high pressures existing in deep waters. Please redo all your drawings, and submit in 15 minutes. You’re delaying the project.

The subcontractor, who is to build a submarine with fly-wire netting, will look askance:

Dear Architect, Fly-wire netting? Please confirm. –Subcontractor

5 days later:

Dear Subcontractor, As I have already stated multiple times, pls use fly-wire. –Architect

Later on, the engineer catches wind of it. It will not do to have the structure collapse on his watch, rendering him liable in an expensive kangaroo court law-suit. It is safe to over engineer it, and let the builder deal with the costs. He writes:

Dear Architect, The submarine walls need to be AT LEAST 10 metres thick. Use reinforced concrete. Pls see the 1000 files attached. Sorry, I was too busy to cloud the changes. Update and re-submit. –Engineer

Further delays: the engineer has forced the architect to redesign the entire submarine. And he hasn’t clouded changes. Which makes it really easy to miss things, and cause errors. Besides that, a new problem arises: the submarine now sinks like a stone, and is unable to surface. This triggers further questions, delays, expenses etc.

Rinse and repeat x10.

Can you see how projects get delayed?

The Blame Game Starts

Soon, the developer, who doesn’t care about the details, starts getting frustrated. He’ll lash out:

Hi Subcontractor, I asked you to start fabricating some time last year. Why haven’t you started? Liquidated damages coming your way. Start ASAP.

Of course, fabricating something while the design has not yet been finalised, is dangerous.

But developers may compel this - they often do. If so, everything must be fixed, and retro-fitted on the fly (²), and if anything goes wrong: the subcontractor gets blamed. He’s caught between the devil and the deep blue: if he fabricates a bad design: it will fail. But if he waits for a better one, he’ll be walloped with liquidated damages.

Everyone’s pulling in different directions, and the central coordinator - rarely puts his/her foot down to bring the engineers and architects in line.

This is a comical example, but it adequately reflects reality: architects/engineers OFTEN propose structures that are not buildable, nor transportable, with RLs that are not workable, or that are too expensive, time consuming etc. and the entire project flounders, due to a central coordinator not bringing everyone in line.

The Solution?

The only thing that will save you, if you are a sub-contractor, is solid documentation:

• Charge for variations. For proposing solutions based on ludicrous design drawings.
• Record any delays.

How? the Quote App makes it simple. Hit the send button, and pass up your costs / delays to your principal. As soon as a cost is received, they can efficiently add their own costs, and pass that up the line, till it gets to the developer.