ABSTRACT
A significant number of disputes arise within the construction industry in relation to poor workmanship and design failures. Sometimes the pressures of tight programmes and the potential of costly disputes result in the poor workmanship being accepted. Alternatively the employer may have expectations beyond those designed and specified by the consultants. The consultants then need to justify the specifications, which were probably selected due to financial constraints set by the employer. Preparatory work by the consultants in advising the employer what to expect in the building would go a long way to prevent some of the accusations of poor workmanship. Work, which is not in accordance with the contract documents, needs to be noticed and removed before too much is constructed. This is all a matter of the consultants making appropriate site inspections or having permanent staff on site. In times of recession there is greater pressure on the consultant to reduce his fees and this is bound to reflect on the service being offered. Site inspection is one of the most obvious areas for cutbacks to be made.
