Background
On a main contract, KS Danmark found that the project basis was structured with a large number of structural sections.
The division could seem logical at first glance from the design side, but in the execution and control phase the structure had a practical consequence: a large number of structural sections could lead to a correspondingly larger number of separate control and documentation processes.
That meant more administration for the contractors, the inspectors and the consultants who would subsequently receive and review the documentation.
The challenge
A structural section is not just a heading in the project material. The division affects how control and documentation are structured throughout the project.
If the project is divided into more structural sections than necessary, it can lead to an unnecessarily heavy documentation process with more separate reports and repetition in the control work.
KS Danmark therefore assessed whether some of the structural sections described could, from a technical point of view, be handled in a more appropriate way.
The solution
KS Danmark took up the structure with the relevant engineer.
The review showed that some of the items set up as separate structural sections could be structured as control sections under a relevant structural section, where this was technically possible and could be accepted within the project’s control basis.
This did not change the fact that the relevant checks still had to be carried out and documented. What it did change was the way the documentation was organised.
The result was a simpler structure with fewer separate documentation processes.
The result
The adjusted structure reduced the number of separate reports that had to be prepared and subsequently processed.
The contractor had fewer separate reporting processes, the control function got a more unified structure for the documentation, and the engineer/structural engineer had fewer separate reports to receive and review.
The project was thus able to achieve administrative and financial savings without reducing the checks that were necessary for the specific project.
Control must be sufficient – but the structure need not be unnecessarily heavy
The case illustrates why it can pay to look at the DS1140 structure before the documentation work really gets going.
It is not about removing necessary checks. It is about making sure that structural sections, control sections and the documentation structure are set up appropriately for the specific project.
A relatively early review can therefore make a difference to time spent, administration and costs throughout the rest of the control process.
If you have a project with many structural sections, KS Danmark can review the project’s control and documentation structure and identify areas where there may be grounds for a more appropriate set-up.
Any changes must be made on a technically sound basis and in dialogue with the relevant designers.
Contact KS Danmark before the control and reporting work is fully under way.
About the case: The case is based on a specific main contract where KS Danmark assisted with DS1140. The project and the parties involved have been anonymised. The changed structure was handled in dialogue with the relevant engineer.
