Project Management, Supervision, and Contract Administration
Contract framework
Every project rests on the owner-contractor agreement and its incorporated documents: general conditions, specifications, drawings, and addenda. Know the order of precedence clause. A change order modifies price and/or time and is signed by both parties; a construction change directive (CCD) directs work before price is agreed, typically on a time-and-materials basis; an architect's supplemental instruction (ASI) clarifies but should carry no cost or time change.
Cost and time control
Compare delivery methods and pricing structures: lump sum, guaranteed maximum price with savings split, cost-plus-fee, and unit price. The CPM schedule is the backbone of delay analysis: activities with zero total float lie on the critical path. Compensable delay is owner-caused, excusable non-compensable delay is weather or force majeure, and non-excusable delay belongs to the contractor. Liquidated damages compensate the owner for late completion.
The paper trail
RFIs, submittals (shop drawings, product data, samples), substitution requests, daily reports, pay applications supported by a schedule of values, retainage, lien waivers, substantial completion versus final completion, punch lists, and warranty start dates. Supervision means coordinating trades, verifying work in place, and documenting conditions before they become claims.
Traps
Notice deadlines and time-is-of-the-essence clauses; oral directions acted on without written confirmation; assuming submittal review transfers design responsibility; confusing substantial completion with final payment; and pay-if-paid versus pay-when-paid provisions.
Rule of thumb: only critical-path delay moves the completion date. A 10-day delay to an activity with 15 days of total float buys zero time extension.