Lessons learnt during construction assistance for the improvement of contract models

The consultant Bernard Ingenieure has two decades of design, site supervision and technical assistance experience working with Indian contractors on hydropower and infrastructure projects on the Indian subcontinent. This article presents the lessons learnt by the consultant from these projects, in particular the 126 MW Dagachhu Hydropower Project, which is due to be completed in 2014. The article subsequently describes how the consultant has applied regulatory measures in tender documents for its ongoing projects, as well as ideas for further measures to be applied in future contract models.
The regulatory measures intrude on what is traditionally considered to be the contractor's sphere of influence, such as selection of plant and equipment, personnel and works sequencing. Since the proposed measures are only as useful as the provisions to enforce their implementation, the fulfilment of contract conditions is linked to payment deductions, which have the aim of encouraging contractors to improve their performance and therefore project outcomes rather than to save cost.
Projects in India would benefit from replacing awards based on the lowest price with Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS), as this would promote improved Technical Proposals, hence an improved quality of construction. The marking schemes for Technical Proposals must be clearly defined and give traceable results to prevent subjective decision-making.