Page 275 - Urban Construction Project Management

230 Chapter Eleven
Construction materials and equipment are often stored in the subcontractor shanties and
storage areas, where they may be under lock and key. However, this does not stop
people from breaking in and stealing valuable equipment. In addition, materials and
equipment may be stored on the floors of the construction site where the work is being
performed. Often this presents an open invitation to someone who may be looking to
steal the material for reuse or resale. This is often referred to in the industry as MONGO
(or the salvage value of the materials, such as copper, steel, brass, nickel, and aluminum
to the local salvage yard). One sure sign of this is when the recycling truck arrives at
the loading dock of the site during construction. Reels of 500MCM copper cable over
500 feet long have disappeared after delivery, to be resold for salvage value. When
events like this happen, it is detrimental to the construction process because the mate-
rial has to be re-ordered, resulting in additional expenses and potential delays to the
project. This cost is often born by the subcontractor, as most contracts read that it is
the subcontractors’ overall responsibility to secure their own materials in a safe man-
ner. If the loss is large enough, the subcontractor may consider filing a claim with their
insurance carrier; however, this usually results in an increase in the insurance policy
premiums and difficulty renewing policies.

SECURITY OF PRE-ORDERED MATERIALS

Often construction materials have a long lead-time, and must be procured prior to the
award of subcontracts and the start of the construction process. Items such as refriger-
ation equipment, cooling towers, generators, UPS systems, raised flooring, etc. need to
be ordered by the CM/GC and then assigned to the appropriate subcontractor upon
delivery. Materials that are pre-ordered may arrive prior to the start of construction, and
will require off-site storage until they can be delivered to the site and set in place. In
addition, large quantities of construction materials such as light fixtures, raised floor
panels, etc., may need to be stored off-site until they are ready to be installed.
Consideration should be given to an off-site storage facility, usually a fully bonded and
insured warehouse, which will be able to store these materials for an extended period.
It is important to note that the materials should have a certificate of insurance prior to
being paid for by the owner to protect everyone’s interests.

CONSTRUCTION SITE SECURITY PLAN

The construction site’s security plan must be coordinated with the overall site logistics
plan for the project. Exhibit 11-1 indicates the overall site logistics plan, which also
incorporates the site security plan.

Exhibit 11-2 is a checklist for a site security plan.

Exhibit 11-3 is a checklist for project ID card and access procedures.