ABSTRACT
Every employer should be aware of the three conflicting parameters of time, cost and quality. Virtually all disputes within the construction industry relate, in one way or another, to these three issues. Projects are required to be completed in short periods and on occasion consultants and contractors are too optimistic in their advice. Costs always seem to escalate rather than reduce. This endorses the need for proper briefing and sufficient time for designs and specifications to be prepared and tendered. Risk areas should be identified and contingencies should be built into the budget when the project is passing the employer approval stage. The subject of quality is, however, liable to be a subjective assessment. Of course specifications can be written incorporating standards such as British Standards, but sometimes the tolerances incorporated within these standards can make the difference between an acceptable solution and one that is visually not acceptable.
