INDUSTRY A successful electrical power and lighting project depends on effective planning in the form of: Drawings Schedules Contract specifications Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY This contract documentation provides a concise picture of the objectives for the electrical project work to be done. It also serves as a record of intent for owners and as instructions and guidance for contractors, electricians, installers, and others performing the work. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Contract documents, which might also include surveys and test data, are legal documents, and they can be used as evidence in court cases involving contractor malfeasance, or failure to comply with the intent of the drawings and specifications. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY The present conformity to accepted formats for drawings and specifications is the result of years of practical experience reinforced by accepted national and international standards issued by government agencies and private standards organizations. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY The standards organizations are advised by experienced personnel from the ranks of manufacturers, contractors, and other interested parties. The intent of standards is to produce unambiguous documentation that is understandable by all project participants, from engineers and architects to contractors, project supervisors, electricians, and installers. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Contract and tender The majority of electricians are employed by a consultant firm or government and therefore are not likely to become involved with the administrative side of the business. However, it is important that the electrician is aware of the procedures involved in obtaining the work he or she is to carry out. Usually, the first step in obtaining a contract to carry out an installation is to tender a price for the work. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Tender A tender is, by dictionary definition, an offer to supply goods and/or services at a fixed rate. In many cases this is a simple procedure but on larger jobs the tender can be become complicated, and considerable experience is necessary to complete such a tender correctly. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Contracts The law relating to contracts is extremely complicated and involved, and hence only the most basic concepts will be considered.
In simple terms, for any job there is a main contractor, which can be an electrical installation firm, building firm or decorating firm, etc., depending on the work to be done. This main contractor is responsible to the client (that is, the person ordering the work to be done), either directly or via an agent such as an architect. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Should the main contractor employ the services of another firm, this firm is called the subcontractor and is responsible to the main contractor Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Electrical Drawing Objectives Drawing for an electrical project serves three distinct functions: 1. Describes the electrical project in sufficient detail to allow electrical contractors to use the drawings in estimating the cost of materials, labor, and services when preparing a contract bid. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY 2. Instructs and guides electricians in performing the required wiring and equipment installation while also warning them of potential hazards such as existing wiring, gas pipes, or plumbing systems.
3. Provides the owner with an as-built record of the installed electrical wiring and equipment for the purposes of maintenance or planning future expansion. The owner then becomes responsible for recording all wiring and equipment changes. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Electrical Specifications Electrical specifications for buildings or projects are written legal descriptions of the work to be performed by the electrical contractor, subcontractors, and electric power utilities and the responsibilities and duties of the architect/engineer, general contractor, and owner. Electrical specifications and electrical drawings are integral parts of the contract requirements for the performance of electrical work. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Because specifications are a significant part of a legally binding contract, typically involving expenditures of thousands or even millions of Malaysia Ringgit (RM), it is important that they be mutually compatible with the drawings and as free as possible of errors or discrepancies. Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY It has long been known that even minor errors in wording or intent or the presentation of incorrect data or measurements can result in expensive repairs or replacements of hardware, lost time in the completion of the schedule, and serious project cost overruns due to delays and the need for additional labor and supervision Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY In most engineering and architectural firms, regardless of size, specifications writers are skilled persons with technical backgrounds who report to a responsible project supervisor. The preparation of an error-free specification is a time-consuming task calling for the writers patience and the ability to deal effectively with complex technical details. PPKSE Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY The process might call for many drafts and revisions following the review, comments, and corrections made by persons within the architect/engineering organization with specialized knowledge and experience in each of the trades involved in the project. As with drawings, all responsible reviewers are expected to sign the final version that is released for bid. PPKSE Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Nevertheless, this does not relieve specifications writers of their responsibilities, because they are expected to have sufficient knowledge of the project to make them capable of finding and resolving any discrepancies between the specifications and the drawings. PPKSE Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Discrepancies are most likely to occur when: A generic master or prototype specification is used without making all of the modifications necessary to reflect what is actually shown on the working drawings. Revisions that should have been made in a previously prepared drawing are indicated only by a note in the revision block, leaving the drawing unchanged. Revisions in items that are listed both in schedules on the drawings and in the written specifications are made on only one of these documents. PPKSE Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY A Typical Format For A Specification 1. Introduction 2. Scope of supply 3. Service and environmental conditions 4. Compliant international standard 5. Definition of technical and non technical terms 6. Performance (or functional) requirements 7. Design and construction details 8. Inspection and testing PPKSE Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY 9. Spare parts 10.Documentation 11.Packing and transportation 12.Appendices if necessary Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Bill of Quantities (BOQ) A document used in tendering in the contracting industry in which materials, parts and labor (and their costs) are itemized. It also (ideally) details the terms and conditions of construction, supply and installation or repair contract and itemizes all work to enable a contractor to price the work for which he or she is bidding Electrical Installation Designs THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY Four main items in Bill of Quantity (BOQ): Preliminaries Electrical Installation: Wiring, Supply & Install Miscellaneous Testing & Commissioning
Technical Specifications For The Supply, Installation, and Commissioning of Electro-Mechanical and Information and Communications Technology (Ict) System Installation