Digitising and Streamlining Processes and Tools

Digitising and streamlining processes and tools

During my years on assignments in quantity measurement, valuation and quantity control, I saw a clear need to digitise and streamline processes and tools. The available tools were few, and the processes for quantity measurement and valuation were partly inefficient. Above all, every assignment seemed to come with its own Excel templates and ways of working. The year was 2015, and the idea behind CASAI was born.

Background

In quantity measurement and valuation assignments we have delivered, we have among other things seen the following problems with processes and tools:

• poor or non-existent collaboration within the project team around quantity measurement and valuation
• unclear expectations for how quantities should be reported (both internally and externally)
• missing traceability between calculated quantities and calculation source files
• missing traceability of communication related to quantity measurement and valuation (external and internal)
• project members change and large amounts of information are lost

There is a shared interest between Client and Contractor in solving these inefficiencies.

Today, quantity calculation is typically handled in software such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, SBG Geo, Topocad and Gemini. CASAI is a platform focused on the process rather than the calculation method itself (for now).

Solution

We start from the Contractor/Performer perspective on collaboration within the project team. In many projects, a quantity surveyor or commercial specialist is appointed to “own the quantities”. It then becomes that person’s job to manage quantity measurement and valuation for the project, often alone. In some cases this works well, and in others it does not. Quantity measurement and valuation on a project should be a collaboration across the project team: site crews, quantity specialists, supervisors, project engineers, site managers, project managers and others. 

This is needed to ensure that deviations that should be valued are captured, that there is a shared understanding when interpreting measurement and payment rules (MER, the Swedish measurement and compensation rules linked to AMA), that deviations and remarks on construction documents are handled correctly, and that missing BoQ codes are discovered and managed.

The problem with Excel-based quantity measurement systems is that you almost completely lose the ability to collaborate inside the project team. In CASAI we have put strong focus on functionality that supports collaboration: task boards, code-level communication flows (internal and external), notes, individual user permission levels and more.

The problem with Excel-based quantity measurement systems is that you almost completely lose the ability to collaborate inside the project team

David Söderström

For project management roles such as project managers or site managers, CASAI creates a new level of insight into how quantity measurement and valuation work is progressing, which helps safeguard liquidity in the project and in the company.

Quantity measurement and valuation is a central part of a project, because a successful project is often measured in profit and client satisfaction by management and shareholders.

Beyond the commercial incentives for digital and efficient tools, there are sustainability aspects that many client organisations value today. By using CASAI, your company can contribute to UN Goals 9, 11 and 16 in the Agenda 2030. Read more on our website https://casai.io/ or contact me and I will gladly explain more.

From the client’s perspective there is interest from auditors and, above all, construction management and project management staff in having controlled and transparent processes for commercial settlement on projects. With CASAI, the Contractor and Client get stronger collaboration, traceability and a more efficient dialogue. With CASAI’s flexible workflows, codes can be submitted continuously instead of the Contractor sending every code linked to an interim measurement submission on a single date. That improves the working environment and quality for the reviewing party, while the Contractor gains better liquidity as a result of faster, clearer processes.

With CASAI’s flexible workflows, codes can be submitted continuously instead of the Contractor sending every code linked to an interim measurement submission on a single date. That improves the working environment and quality for the reviewing party, while the Contractor gains better liquidity as a result of faster, clearer processes

David Söderström

Disagreements that arise between the parties during quantity measurement and valuation often concern quantity reporting and how extensive that reporting should be. Anyone who has worked with this process knows that creating supporting evidence after the fact takes as much effort as the quantity calculation itself. One reason conflicts often appear here is that the cost picture for the client is not yet “under the microscope” when the project starts. During the project, variations and change orders (ÄTA in Swedish standard contracts, covering alterations, additions and omissions) often appear and the contract sum grows. Another explanation can be incomplete design, or that the designer had weak input such as existing ground models and geotechnical investigations. Contract quantities then no longer hold, and the quantities the contractor produces deviate sharply from the contracted BoQ.

Client-side representatives then need to defend this upwards in their organisation, for example to politicians or a management team. The magnifying glass comes out, and the Client tells the Contractor that the scope of quantity reporting needs to expand. The Contractor then faces extra work that sometimes sits inside the contract and sometimes does not. The parties are often not aligned on what the contract includes, and the result is disagreement and conflict.

The Contractor then faces extra work that sometimes sits inside the contract and sometimes does not. The parties are often not aligned on what the contract includes, and the result is disagreement and conflict

David Söderström

That disagreement can be removed if the parties agree early on what is reasonable to report and which types of supporting evidence should be provided for each code. That is why we built functionality in CASAI where the client can set reporting expectations at code level. The Contractor can also require specific types of evidence internally at code level to keep documentation and quantity reporting at a solid standard throughout the project. If you are cost-conscious, as I am, it feels wrong to produce quantity reports that cost SEK 3,000 for a code when the payment for performing the civil works is only SEK 1,500.

That disagreement can be removed if the parties agree early on what is reasonable to report and which types of supporting evidence should be provided for each code. That is why we built functionality in CASAI where the client can set reporting expectations at code level

David Söderström

Traceability and documentation of calculated quantities and supporting evidence is often weak. Maintaining a link from Excel sheets to calculation source files is time-consuming and often skipped. Frequently an Excel file is delivered with an attached folder structure. In the best cases I see something like /Submission n/CBB.3111/. The problem with that structure is that if review happens in submission 10, the reviewer needs to open 10 folders to assemble the total and get an overview, which is very time-consuming. In most cases all evidence is dumped into one folder. Review then becomes extremely time-consuming and sometimes impossible, because it is hard to know which files were used to arrive at a figure (quantity). The Contractor struggles to explain the calculation, and the Client loses trust. The result is usually long, drawn-out meetings where several people spend time that could have been removed with a system that secures traceability in the supporting documentation.

Email dialogues about different codes and interim measurement submissions usually disappear into someone’s inbox.

If the client’s project management team does not receive traceable documentation of the quantities that they can defend upwards in their organisation, those quantities are unlikely to be approved.

If the client’s project management team does not receive traceable documentation of the quantities that they can defend upwards in their organisation, those quantities are unlikely to be approved

David Söderström

When staff involved in quantity measurement and valuation are replaced on projects, either at the Contractor or the Client, large amounts of important information linked to the process often disappear, which leads to rework. With solid documentation and traceability, the negative impact of staff changes can be reduced

If the right conditions are in place for quantity measurement and valuation, there is substantial time and money to gain for the whole project.

Already curious about CASAI’s functionality? Read more in our articles:
How to create interim measurement requests and period submissions in a Bill of Quantities
How to send interim measurement requests for review

David Söderström