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Will digitalisation end construction disputes?

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  1. We have been tracking progress and events from smart phones for two years now. There is still room for interpretation. It’s not over yet.

  2. The main contractor through Risk management, brought into being the sub contactor. Sub contracting there works out, which in turn reduced their profit they make from a contract, but in turn they reduce the risk they have.

    Unfortunately managing this way adds many different management layers which adds significant costs. Mainly due to compounded over head and profit and length of time resolutions (Consultants).
    This situation is now so bad that the sub contractor, should now be replaced with the Main Contractor building the buildings themselves, as employing sub contractors no longer reduces the risk for the main contractor, which was the reason the sub contractor was born.

    For example if a single work process was to be sub contracted out 3 times, Main Contractor, Sub Contractor 1, Sub Contractor 2, all have reduced there risk, but also all have charged OHP @10-16%, giving an actual management cost of 30%.
    I am sure this 30% instead of being used for risk management would be better off used for the construction works its self and would cover any eventuality ie Risk that may arise.

  3. Very valid points made. Establishing the facts continues to be a challenge within the industry. Retrieving historic information is often hampered by the way data information is collected, whether it be written in a tablet or photographs being taken. Working in a fragmented industry where contractors rely upon sub-contractors, and vis versa for information and staff mobility results in site staff moving within the project duration, often leads to factual data and information being lost. Technical solutions that capture greater amounts of data and information, day to day, leads to greater certainty of historic events. Technologies such as openspace.ai captures information in a google maps style imagery, which allows a daily record of activity to be viewed historically, which as you suggest, results in disputes being avoided.

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