Problems with material management are one of the most frequent difficulties people encounter in the construction sector. Poor material management can cause issues with your project’s overall time frame.
The facility owner, engineering firm, and construction management contractor may all have different ideas about how building projects should be handled. In contrast, all parties generally concur that the project’s primary objective in project material management is to guarantee that the materials are ordered and delivered to the construction site on time to prevent construction delays.
If this isn’t done appropriately, there may be specific frequent difficulties and pitfalls that could cause significant delays. If you encounter problems while working on your construction project, material delays might also increase project expenses and schedule impacts.
However, you can attain the perks of material management only if you have experienced construction contractors on board.
Here are some of the most frequent material management problems and some advice on how to solve them.
Procuring Bids
A project’s scope frequently changes as it is being put together, which could impact the bidding process. An excellent illustration of this would be if the project’s owner decided to switch to higher-quality materials without altering the project’s overall budget. Usually, the general contractor will consent to this and then determine what modifications can be made and how to make them in collaboration with their specialised on-site contractors.
By keeping all of the contractors informed and involved throughout the process, this problem may be avoided. This issue can be avoided by hiring every contractor up front. The contractors can all give the owner more accurate estimates of costs and completion dates. They can also assist the general contractor in determining what modifications to the project can be made to accommodate the changes the owner requests.
Lack Of Planning
All things in the planning phase will result in challenging building issues. The following are the critical planning problems that directly result in poor construction material management:
- Incorrect or faulty construction sequencing that results in the assignment of incorrect milestones
- Engineering deliverable submittal dates that are out of line with the overall delivery timetable
- The engineering, procurement, quality, and construction strategies for the project need to be interconnected and integrated
The project team should undertake planning tasks thoroughly, keeping in mind the interfaces between all project phases and areas, to address these problems. Setting delivery targets and acceptance standards will enable engineering and procurement activities to be coordinated and procurement activities to be coordinated with successful material management.
Also read: How To Optimize And Improve Material Management Inventory In Construction
Incoherent Project Organization and Communication
A pillar for having efficient project material management in addition to planning is establishing healthy project communication management, team organization, and integration. This allows project stakeholders and various parties to convey plans effectively. In general, poor organization and communication can result in:
- Poor coordination of efforts between engineering and procurement on one side and procurement and construction on the other resulting from failure to establish clear communication routes.
- Team members lack of ownership and responsibility will lead to a mismatch of expectations and hinder them from concentrating on the goals of the material delivery process.
- Delays in important activities involving the acquisition of materials are caused by hesitation in making decisions and securing the necessary clearances.
To avoid construction from suffering later due to poor material management, the engineering team must take the following steps:
- Ensure the bill of quantities is precise as inaccuracies could result in material shortages or waste.
- Make sure material parameters meet design standards.
- Design as much as feasible with off-site construction or prefabrication in mind.
- Think about modular and standardized design.
- Utilize value engineering to improve the design.
About Taurus Projects
Taurus Projects is a top-rated construction contractor in Fort Saskatchewan. We have been a prominent part of the Alberta and Western Canadian construction business landscape since 2006. Taurus Projects offers site construction services, mine site construction services, material management services, commercial fleet management services, and much more.
Looking for professional material management services? Contact us today.