Week 2: Day 6

Abu Dhabi Day Trip

On Friday, we headed out to Abu Dhabi early in the morning. To start the day, we traveled to Masdar Institute. Masdar Institute is the central hub of Masdar city which upon completion will aim to be the most sustainable city in the world. At the Institute, Mr. Volk gave us a tour of the campus and explained the entirety of the proposed city construction which when completed will house up to 40,000 residents. We were baffled by the sustainable design and green technology used in this city, especially the network of self-driving electric cars. These self driving cars will one day theoretically comprise a vast network known as Personal Rapid Transport system.

Next, we headed to Ferrari World located in Yas Island. There, we rode the fastest roller coaster in the world, drove a virtual formula one simulator and toured virtually over Italy. In our opinion, the visit to Ferrari World was a mesmerizing experience that truly lived up to its reputation.

After a long morning, the interns enjoyed lunch at the Viceroy Yas Hotel where we had a delicious international buffet. Later after lunch,  we toured the  Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is one of the largest worship places in the world. We were astounded by the gigantic structure and the perplexing architectural works. To conclude the night, Mr. Yabroudi invited us to the movie theater to enjoy a movie as a relaxing end to the long day. 

Week 2: Day 5

Thursday morning was special, the DSLIP interns head to the Ready Mix Beton concrete batch plant in Dubai.

At first, a meeting was held in the conference room with Mr. Adel William who shared with us information about Ready Mix Beton's experience in Dubai. In addition, Mr. William's explained the successive steps in concrete batching procedure, specifying the properties and role of all the materials used in the mix.

 Afterwards, two teams were formed for tour visits to see the discussed stages of the process in a detailed manner. Concrete strength, water absorption and batching tests were conducted in the presence of the interns. Then we left the site and went back to the office where we had lunch and then we had the midterm quiz.

 

In the afternoon teams A, B, and S went to Al Safouh Park where we held the volleyball tournament. We had fun discovering each other's skills in volleyball; in the competition, the A-team was first, S-team came second and B-Team was last.

Week 2: Day 4

Commercial Management of The Construction Process

On Wednesday, we got to learn more about the commercial side of the construction management. In the first lecture of the day, Mr Andrew Mcleish, commercial manager at DCC, explained to us how a traditional contract is usually formed: In short, it all starts with an offer from the client, accepted by the Contractor. Both parties will then consider the conditions of the project and work on creating legal relations. Now before any traditional contract is made, a design should be developed by the client and architect and then a feasibility study must be made by the contractor to choose the best projects to work on for which bidding documents will be prepared. The tender stage, from submission of pre-qualifications and tender to the selection of the contractor and the contract award were all discussed in details. Also the post contract period was discussed including  the interim payments, the work documentation, the defects liability period, etc..

Mr Andrew explaining the offer and acceptance process.

After lunch, a second lecture was given by Mr. Chris Battle, also a commercial manager at DCC. 

In this lecture, we discussed the alternative types of procurement such as design and build, turnkey, guaranteed maximum price, partnering contracts, etc.. Important aspects of any contract like the bonds and financial instruments, the contract terms, the measurement provisions and the program of works were considered. Mr Chris ended his lecture in a remarkable way where he gave us useful tips on how to write a CV and a cover letter, and how to do an interview.

Week 2: Day 3

Cost Estimation and Pricing

Tuesday was a day spent learning about cost estimating in construction management by Mr. Naim Mohamed, Chief Estimator at DCC. For the first half of the day, we went over the process of submitting tender documents and what documents are included. We then learned about the division of works in a detailed Bill of Quantities (BOQ). The major categories of works in a detailed BOQ are the preliminaries (in-direct works), enabling works, concrete works, masonry works, thermal and moisture resistance, timber joinery, metal works, finishes, painting and decoration, accessories, MEP works, vertical transportation systems, fixtures and equipments, furniture, fittings, and equipments, and external works and landscaping.

After lunch, we continued with the second half of the lecture. We learned about the procedure for pricing and estimating and went over examples given in the notes. The first step to pricing is checking the quantities in the BOQ, and the second step is obtaining float inquiries for a proper quotation on price. Next is unit rate analysis for direct works, such as concrete works and formwork, and for indirect works, such as supervision, facility, transportation, and equipment costs. Subcontractor quotations are included separately. Compile all prices together into a Basic Bill of Quantities and prepare a summary sheet for uplift. Once the markup and profit are approved, the Final Tender Price is obtained.

After a long day at the office, we went out for a group dinner at Sammach, a traditional Lebanese seafood restaurant in the Souk Al Bahar in the Dubai Mall. As usual, there were a vast assortment of appetizers to eat and a huge red snapper as the entree. We had a variety of Lebanese desserts to eat as well. It was a pleasant way to close out the night.

Group Dinner at Sammach Restaurant