Facilitation of construction project management through building contracts: A South African perspective on the locally developed suites of contracts

Abstract

This article reviews the depth to which the South African suites of contracts may facilitate the effective implementation of construction
project management practices. The hypothesis states that the standard South African forms of contract for building work have evolved to promote control through construction project management processes. The South African suites of contracts are reviewed against the project management office’s (PMO) main focus areas for best practices. This endeavours to establish the conduciveness to facilitate good project management functions on building projects. The main clauses of each contract are compared to the construction project
management knowledge areas. Two contracts are reviewed, and it is established that both contracts (General Conditions of Contract for Construction Work 2015 and the Joint Building Contracts Committee’s (JBCC) Principal Building Agreement Edition 6.2) provide the employer’s agent (EA) the necessary authority to manage the project for its intended purpose. It became apparent that the contracts may allow certain project management functions to be implemented by placing different emphases on different aspects of the contract. Due to the complexity and uniqueness of each project, the number of standard contract conditions governing a contract are limited. A strong project management function must take place during the planning phases. The contract used influences the way in which the project management functions are applied during the project life cycle (PLC). Thus, the project manager must have an intimate knowledge of the content of the contract in order to implement the desired construction project management functions, as
required during each of the PLC stages.

Keywords: General Conditions of Contract for Construction Work (GCC), Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC), Principal Building Agreement (PBA), project life cycle; construction project management. 

Hierdie artikel ondersoek die diepte waarop die Suid-Afrikaanse bou-kontrakte die effektiewe implementering van  konstruksieprojekbestuurspraktyke kan fasiliteer. Die hipotese verklaar dat die standaard Suid-Afrikaanse kontrakte vir bouwerk so ontwikkel het om beheer deur konstruksieprojekbestuursprosesse te bevorder. Die Suid-Afrikaanse bou-kontrakte word vergelyk met die projekbestuurskantoor se hoof fokusareas vir beste praktyke. Dit streef daarna om die bevorderlikheid van goeie  projekbestuursfunksies op bouprojekte te evalueer. Die hoofklousules van elke kontrak word vergelyk met die  konstruksieprojekbestuur kennis areas. Twee kontrakte word aanskou met die doel om vas te stel of beide kontrakte (General Conditions of Contract for Construction Work 2015 and the Joint Building Contracts Committee’s (JBCC) Principal Building Agreement Edition 6.2) die werkgewer se agent die nodige magtiging verleen om die projek te bestuur vir sy beoogde doel. Dit het duidelik geword dat die kontrakte kan toelaat dat sekere projekbestuursfunksies geïmplementeer word deur die klem op verskillende aspekte van die kontrak te plaas. As gevolg van die kompleksiteit en uniekheid van elke projek, is die aantal standaardkontrakvoorwaardes wat ’n kontrak beheer, beperk. ’n Sterk projekbestuursfunksie moet tydens die beplanningsfases plaasvind. Die gebruik van die kontrak beïnvloed die manier waarop die projekbestuurfunksies toegepas word gedurende die projek lewensiklus. Die projekbestuurder moet
dus ’n intieme kennis hê van die inhoud van die kontrak om die verlangde konstruksieprojekbestuursfunksies te implementeer, soos benodig tydens elk van die projeklewensiklus stadiums. Sleutelwoorde: General Conditions of Contract for Construction Work (GCC),
Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC), Principal Building Agreement (PBA), projeklewensiklus; konstruksieprojekbestuur.