ABSTRACT
Much of the good practice from earlier stages continues – clear communication, collaborative working and accurate management of information are central to successful working. Roles need to be defined and risks managed on a constant basis. The construction stage is where the balance of risk moves even further towards the client – up to this point the costs may have been substantial but nothing has been constructed, so changes have been simple. As construction begins an unrealistic budget can encourage the contractor to cut corners to maintain their profit margin, reducing the quality below the specification and disappointing the client. Contractual controls should mean that the client should never pay for sub-standard work, but if the budget is too low to achieve the specification this may be a consequence. Construction is the stage where the client can see that real progress has been made.
