CE2CPT-Construction Procurement

Module Provider: School of Construction Management and Engineering, School of Built Environment
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: CE1CMP Principles of Management EC100 Introduction to Economics LW1A05 General Introduction to Law
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Dr Ariana Darvish
Email: n.darvish@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
Construction procurement is complex for four reasons. The purchase of construction occupies a considerable effort in pre-planning; it takes place over a protracted period; single projects typically constitutes a large proportion of suppliers' and buyers' annual turnover; construction involves fragmented, specialized supply chains involving a large number of separate companies. Procurement of construction is a multi-disciplinary study encompasses organization, economics of market and firms, law and business economics. Issues of particular importance are high numbers of specialist trade contractors, the separation of design from construction, complex interactions between off-site and on-site fabrication and the role of professionals in the process. This is the context within which we need to understand the commercial processes of structuring, negotiating, recording and enforcing business deals in construction.

Aims:
To enable the student to provide guidance and recommendations on the development within a public or private sector organization of policies, strategies and procedures for the procurement of construction in the built environment, nationally and internationally.

Assessable learning outcomes:
It is expected that the student should be able to know, understand and evaluate:
' The legal, economic and organizational considerations governing procurement and tendering.
' Principles and strategies of construction procurement and tendering.
' Local and international frameworks for procurement and tendering of construction projects.
' The appropriate procurement and tendering strategy to specify for different projects.
' Variations in practice in different parts of the world.

Additional outcomes:

Transferable skills including critical analysis and academic report writing.

Outline content:
' The legal, economic and organizational contexts of procurement of goods and services.
' Principles and strategies of construction procurement and tendering.
' Decisions and responsibilities in construction procurement and tendering.
' Relationships between procurement, tendering, contracts, funding, performance of projects.
' Commercial processes of structuring, negotiating and recording price and scope in contracts.
' Effective management of project risk using procurement and tendering mechanisms.
' Procuring for environmental sustainability.
' E-procurement and e-tendering of construction projects.
' Frameworks for international construction procurement (procurement and tendering guidelines of major international organisations like the World Bank, IMF, EU, UN, WTO, etc).

Global context:
Variations in procurement practice in different parts of the world will provide useful context in two ways. First, for understanding better the distinctive features of British practice. Second, to enable students to understand the nature of variability in procurement practice in different regions of the world, with explicit reference to practice particular countries

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Combination of lectures and seminars.

Summative assessment- Examinations:
No final examination

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

On-line tests in Blackboard for reinforcing learning.

Essay 1500-2000 words.

Formative assessment methods:

Class discussions in seminars.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
An average mark of 40%

Reassessment arrangements:
Same as for main assessment, but a pass mark in either the total written assignments or the total class tests may be carried forward to the reassessment at the discretion of the module convenor

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 10 June 2024