The EPCM contractor

An EPCM contract on a lump sum basis does not solve the problem of antithesis there is now every incentive for the contractor to minimize the EPCM input, but none to promote better EPCM performance. This goes even further in the contract, where the EPCM contractor is reimbursed by a percentage of DEC there is now a positive incentive to raise the DEC. If this can be done in ways which reduce the EPCM input, for instance by purchasing large packages or choosing more expensive suppliers and contractors who require less surveillance or expediting, the EPCM contractor scores twice. 

Suppliers under the supervision of the EPCM contractor furnish the necessary materiel for the project. The work on site will be carried out by construction contractors who are also under the supervision of the EPCM contractor. Special service providers may be engaged by the owner, by the EPCM contractor or by a construction contractor for duties such as surveying, civil site and laboratory testing, for carrying out destructive tests and nondestructive examination associated with welding or for the interpretation of results obtained from these activities. 

These appellations of the parties involved and theirs roles as defined above will be assumed throughout this handbook. Whilst the perspective presented is essentially that of the EPCM contractor, the same principles can be adapted to the situation of the other participants. In Section 3.12 guidelines are given for applying the principles and procedures proposed in this handbook to the smaller construction site, where structures and facilities are present on a smaller scale. 

Concerning the process technology, it may be owned or licensed by the owner or by the EPCM contractor. For the sake of simplicity we have assumed that this technology is owned by the owner and embedded in the basic design. 

What are the depth and scope of the preliminary design to be provided by the owner to the EPCM contractor ... 

Will the EPCM contractor carry out all detailed design across all disciplines, or in certain specialized areas will this be part of the scope of work of the selected construction contractor, in the case of, for example, a complete water treatment plant or an electric substation ... 

Will related disciplines be separated contractually or combined For example, will mechanical equipment erection and piping prefabrication/erection be the subject of two distinct contracts or of a combined contract, which in effect shifts the interface between the two disciplines from the EPCM contractor to the single chosen construction contractor ... 

Very importantly, what will be the responsibility interfaces between the owner and the EPCM contractor towards project completion and how will they evolve over time What are the definitions of construction completion, commissioning, start-up, performance testing and commercial operation Which organization will be responsible for each of these phases and how will the work scope be shared ... 

Interfaces are potentially where mistakes occur, so they should not be excessive in number and should be placed logically in terms of physical works and documentation. Bitter experience shows that indiscriminate division of a project into a multiplicity of contracts with badly defined boundaries is detrimental to quality inter alia because the EPCM contractor s supervision is diluted over too large a number of suppliers and construction contractors with their associated interfaces. 

We can further examine the owner/EPCM contractor/ construction contractors model chosen in Section 1.3, with two alternatives illustrated in Figure 1.3. Option 1 shows a project where the EPCM contractor is responsible entirely and solely to the owner of the project, based on a lump-sum price. 

Supervision of construction contractors and materiel suppliers by the EPCM contractor for and on behalf of the owner . 

Effective QA enables the EPCM contractor to master quality issues, getting it right first time with the resulting economies of time, money and effort. Externally, QA exercised by the EPCM contractor helps give confidence to the owner in the capacity of the former to deliver the plant to specified requirements. The same reasoning can be applied concerning suppliers and construction contractors. Their own QA measures produce internal benefits and, in addition, contribute to convincing the EPCM contractor and the owner as to their capabilities and the conformity of materiel supplied and works carried out. 

Having already determined the project strategy as proposed in Section 1.4, which defines how the job is to be cut up and responsibilities for the various parts allocated, it is essential that at as early a stage as possible, the owner and the EPCM contractor formally review the project from start to finish in order to define relationships and interfaces. This joint exercise should include a review of the construction phase. Figure 3.1 outlines, in the form of a system, exchanges between the principal entities on site, that is, the owner, the EPCM contractor and the construction contractors. Also shown are the links to their respective head offices and with the utility companies, the insurer and the authorities, which together constitute the environment in which the site system is set. As the future arrangements take shape the discussion can focus onto a more detailed definition of who does what on site in the form of a matrix, an example of which is shown in Table 3.1. This anticipates a more detailed treatment presented in subsequent chapters and sections. 

By the EPCM contractor head office Audited Audited Audited Audited ... 

A close working relationship between the representatives of the owner and of the EPCM contractor on site is essential for the smooth working of the project. However, requests on the part of owner s personnel for alterations and additions must be formalized otherwise they can get out of hand. The EPCM contractor must evaluate their technical impact as well as the impact on cost and delivery, and then the owner can decide... 

Chapter 4 presents a more detailed discussion concerning the EPCM contractor on site. 

Constmction contractors are chosen for their competence in the various disciplines. They bring to the site the necessary human and physical resources together with the stmcture, organization and procedures necessary to meet their contractual obligations. With the prior permission of the EPCM contractor, a construction contractor may subcontract part of its workscope, but in that case the construction contractor is entirely responsible for the quality of work of the subcontractor. The construction contractors receive engineering... 

The more complex items of equipment, in particular complete packaged units, often require visits by supplier s representatives (SRs) to supervise the critical phases of erection, testing, commissioning and start-up. Their presence may even be continuous rather than on a visit basis. The purchase order will normally define the points at which visits are to be made and the costs and payment arrangements of such visits. Visits may be related to the question of guarantees, so it is important that they are organized on a sound basis. These services can be expensive, so the EPCM contractor needs to be firmly in control. This means ... 

During construction it might be preferable for the authorities engineer to be based on site. When the site is in a cmmtry with which the EPCM contractor is not familiar, it is essential to have an input of local knowledge. It is common practice also... 

There may well be considerable overlap between the responsibilities of the utility companies, the insurer and the authorities. For example, the electricity supply company may be the de facto or even the de jure authority for the plant electrical installation. In some countries the enforcement of regulations concerning boilers and lifting devices may in effect be left to the insurer. For this reason it may be advantageous for the EPCM contractor s authorities engineer also to be responsible for liaison with the insurer and the utility companies. 

Use known and tested construction contractors who will attain quality goals with minimal supervision on the part of the EPCM contractor. 

This chapter examines how the EPCM contractor can organize its task on site, first of all in creating its quality plan and then in determining the composition of the site team. The attributes of key members of staff, whose actions and attitudes are crucial for attaining quality objectives, are then evoked, followed by a study of the division of responsibilities for quality control. 

Define the EPCM contractor s site organization (Chapter 4 and Figure 4.1) and in particular responsibilities for quality... 

Define the role of the EPCM contractor s engineering department on site, including document control, and the site s interface with the project information technology infrastructure (Chapter 6). 

The above constitutes the main working elements of the EPCM contractor s site quality management system,... 

Site engineer. This is the site representative of the EPCM contractor s head office engineering department responsibilities can include document control (see Chapter 6). 

So this leads us to the question of how and by whom QC is managed within the EPCM contractor s organization. Figure 4.2 presents two alternative schemata ... 

Once the construction contractor is working on site, there will be regular progress meetings with the EPCM contractor. On the same occasion parallel quality meetings can be held. Items can be selected from the above agenda to establish a... 

Describe document control function on site with respect to documents received from the EPCM contractor and/or generated by the contractor itself. Refer to separate procedure if appropriate and attach a copy as an appendix)... 

The EPCM contractor will provide a site wide system, but give details of any internal system)... 

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