CVIL 1184 Lesson 1 - Introduction to Construction Management

Vocabulary flashcards covering construction contracts, specifications, project types, project management phases, and professional service roles based on CVIL 1184 Lesson 1 notes.

Construction Contract

A mutual or legally binding agreement between two parties based on policies and conditions recorded in document form.

Specifications

Documented descriptions of products, materials, and work required by a construction contract, developed alongside the design and structured according to work packages.

Prescriptive Specifications

Specifications written for more complex buildings that give suppliers scope to innovate and adopt cost-effective methods of work, potentially offering better value for money.

Performance Specifications

Specifications written for straightforward, well-known building types that give the client more certainty about the end product.

Product Specifications

Specifications defining requirements by standard, attributes, naming (perhaps allowing equivalent alternatives), or by nominating suppliers.

Workmanship Specifications

Specifications defining quality through compliance with manufacturers' requirements, reference to a code of practice or standards, approval of samples, or testing.

Construction Project

The organized process of constructing, renovating, or refurbishing a building, structure, or infrastructure.

Public Projects

Projects financed by the government that are typically owned, and may be operated, by the government.

Private Projects

Projects that are financed, controlled, or commissioned by a private party rather than a government entity.

Residential Housing

A category of construction that includes single-family houses, multi-family dwellings, and high-rise apartments, where developers or sponsors often serve as surrogate owners.

Institutional and Commercial Building

A broad category of construction encompassing various project types and sizes where owners usually select professional consultants and arrange facility financing.

Specialized Industrial Construction

Very large-scale construction projects with high technological complexity, where deeply involved owners often prefer design-builders to shorten overall completion time.

Infrastructure and Heavy Construction

Publicly owned projects financed through bonds or taxes, characterized by a high degree of mechanization replacing labor-intensive operations.

Project Management

The overall planning and coordination of a project from conception to completion, aimed at meeting stated requirements on time, within cost, and to required quality standards.

Financial Planning Consultants

Professional advisors, such as CPA firms or investment banks, engaged early in strategic planning to evaluate economic feasibility, tax law implications, and long-term financing options.

Architectural and Engineering (A/E) Firms

Technical consultants engaged to develop preliminary designs and act as prime professionals supervising construction and on-site quality inspection on behalf of the owner.

Design or Construction Firms

Organizations that integrate design and construction management into a single entity to avoid designer-constructor conflicts and enhance constructability.

Professional Construction Managers

Prime professionals originating from A/E firms or general contractors who offer comprehensive management services from project inception to completion.

Operations and Maintenance Managers

Contracted professional managers who handle specified operational and maintenance tasks for facilities, sparing owners from providing in-house expertise.

Facilities Management

The discipline of planning, designing, constructing, and managing space across structure types, covering corporate policy, forecasting, real estate, space inventories, operations, and maintenance.