ACHIEVING APPROPRIATE QUALITY

The paper examines issues of quality assurance, quality management, and obtaining value for money with special reference to road construction projects. The contractor has a contractual obligation to ensure compliance with specified standards under an ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) contract. The contract provides for an engineer to monitor the contractor's compliance, by requiring tests to be performed, conducting independent tests, and observing and inspecting the construction of the works and the manufacture of relevant components. The contractor's heavy liability for failure suggests that it is in his interest to implement strict quality control systems. Confidence will be achieved only if contractors can provide evidence of the existence and reliable operation of a quality control system which can be audited independently. The authors believe that the adoption of formalised quality management systems would be an important first step in changing persistent and potentially wasteful attitudes in contractors and clients to those which would ensure the achievement of specified standards. They would provide documented management and quality control systems that in turn provide auditable evidence of the systems' operation. These principles are discussed in relation to Design and Build contracts. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 898969.