Construction Glossary

Architect of Record

The architect of record is the person whose name appears on the building permits associated with a specific property. However, it is vital to remember that this is not always the person who planned the project, but rather a person hired by the company/individual to manage the paperwork on-site.

As-built drawings

A set of drawings that are marked-up by the contractor building a facility or fabricating a piece of equipment that show how the item or facility was actually built versus the way it was originally designed. At the completion of a project, the as-built drawings describe what was actually built.

Bid

Price proposal / tender, based on design documents and specifications.

Bill of Quantities (BOQ)

The bill of quantities is a document prepared by the cost consultant / quantity surveyor that provides project specific measured quantities of the items of work identified by the drawings and specifications in the tender documentation.

Blocking

Blocking is the use of short pieces of dimensional lumber in wood framed construction to brace longer members or to provide grounds for fixings.

Blueprints / Drawings / Sheets

A blueprint is a drawing that provides a detailed visual representation of building. Blueprints typically specify a building's dimensions, construction materials, and the exact placement of all its components.
The word "blueprint" originated in the mid-nineteenth century when engineering drawings were printed on blue paper with white lines. In the modern construction industry, physical blueprints typically aren’t blue.

Box Crib / Cribbing

A box crib or cribbing is a temporary wooden structure used to support heavy objects during construction, relocation, vehicle extrication and urban search and rescue.

Building engineer

An essential people on a construction site who is expert in the use of technology for the construction, design, assessment and maintenance of the built environment.

Building Information Modelling (BIM)

A computerised model of a building to aid in the lifecycle of constructing the building.

Change Management

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organisation and on the individual level to achieve a required business outcome.

Change Order

Change Order is a bilateral agreement between parties to the contract–an owner and general contractor, general contractor and subcontractor, two or more subcontractors–to change the contract. A Change Order represents the mutual consensus between the parties on a change to the work (added or removed from the original contractor’s scope of work), the price, the schedule, or some other term of the contract.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

CAD, or Computer Aided Design, is software used by engineers, architects, designers or construction manager to create designs or blueprints. These designs are precise drawings or illustrations of new buildings or plans and can be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional.

Construction Management Software

A software designed to assist construction project managers in running a project more efficiently and effectively.

Contractor designed portion (CDP)

Contractor Designed Portion refers to an agreement for the contractor to design specific parts of the works. The contractor may in turn sub-contract this design work to specialist sub-contractors. CDP should not be confused with design and build contracts where the contractor is appointed to design the whole of the works.

Cost Codes

Construction cost codes are the defined list of codes based on labor activities that are used for tracking, managing, reporting on the amounts, quantities, budgets, profit and other account information associated with the job.

Course

A course is defined as a continuous row of masonries, such as bricks or concrete blocks.

Cross bracing

Cross bracing is a structural technique utilized to reinforce building structures in which diagonal supports intersect. Cross bracing is usually seen with two diagonal supports placed in an X-shaped manner.

Daily reports

A construction daily report typically completed at the end of the day by a Foreman / site engineer which document job site activity such as crew information, materials installed, equipment used, work completed, safety incidents, and other relevant information. It is one way of keeping a detailed record of all project activities, updates, delays, and more.

Design-bid-build

Design–bid-build is a project delivery method in which the agency or owner contracts with separate entities for the design and construction of a project. In this model, the owner contracts with a firm to design a building then solicits bids from the general contractor to oversee construction. The general contractor may solicits bids from many (trade) subcontractors to perform the labor.

Design-build

Design–build is a project delivery system in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor. It can be subdivided into architect-led design–build and contractor-led design–build.

EMS (Environmental Management System)

Environmental Management System (EMS) is a framework that provides assistance to a company in accomplishing its environmental objectives by maintaining consistent control over its activities. ISO 14001 provides a framework to develop Environmental management systems and its accompanying audit programmes.

Facilities management

An interdisciplinary process focusing on the long-term maintenance and care of buildings and facilities to ensure their functionality and support for their primary activities.

Field Work Order

A written order to the Contractor, authorized by the inspector, for minor changes or alterations in the work, not involving extra cost and not inconsistent with the overall intent of the Contract documents.

Floorplan

Details the layout of a building when viewed from above (birds-eye view).

HVAC

An abbreviation for the subsection of construction which includes heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

Integrated project delivery (IPD) is a construction project delivery method that seeks efficiency and involvement of all participants (people, systems, business structures and practices) through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction. One common way to further the goals of IPD is through a multi-party agreement among key participants. In a multi-party agreement (MPA), the primary project participants execute a single contract specifying their respective roles, rights, obligations, and liabilities.

Job Costing

Construction job costing is a detailed pricing method used to accurately calculate project expenses by looking at all the granular costs for each completed work and measures if activity costs align with the overall budget.

Lean Construction

A newly developed delivery system in which a study is conducted to minimize the waste of material, time, and effort, resulting in an efficient project.

Lien

A claim made against a property by contractors or sub-contractors who has not been paid on work done on that property.

Monocrete Construction

Monocrete is a building construction method utilizing modular bolt-together pre-cast concrete wall panels to create concrete structures.

Pay Applications

A construction pay application, or pay app, is a grouping of documentation shared between contractors and subcontractors or contractors or owners during payment. It is like an invoice, and it varies per project. Pay applications include the paperwork that proves construction work took place and provides confirmation that the billed amount is justified and correct.

Precast Concrete

Precast concrete is a building material made by pouring concrete into a reusable mould or "form," curing it in a controlled environment, and then transporting it to the construction site and lifting it into position.

Punch List

A punch list is a document that is generated during major milestones or near the end of a construction project. It lists work that does not adhere to contract specification and requires completion by the general contractor before final payment. E.g. damage to existing finishes, materials, incorrect or incomplete installations.

Purchase Orders (PO)

A purchase order is a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services.

Request for Information (RFI)

An RFI is a request for information that is used to get clarification on any ambiguities or gaps in documentation, such as specifications, drawings, contracts, and the other documents.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

A request for proposal (RFP) is a business document that announces a project, describes it, and solicits bids from qualified contractors to complete it.

Request for Qualification (RFQ)

A request for qualifications is a document that asks potential suppliers or vendors to detail their background and experience providing a specific good or service. It asks questions and explores the company’s experience, capabilities, customer referrals and past performance. The response to the RFQ will describe the company or individual's general qualifications to perform a service or supply a product but generally will not include specific details or price proposals.

Request for Quote (RFQ)

A Request for Quote in construction is a form of correspondence between project owners seeking pricing information from vendors capable of fulfilling their specific needs. RFQ focuses on the cost of the exact specifications which the company requires for a project.

Schedule of Values

A Schedule of Values is a document that is used by all parties involved in a construction project, from general contractors and subcontractors to property owners and construction managers, to spell out the value and cost of every billable work item on a step-by-step project timeline and the proportion of the work that has been performed so far. Schedule of values are utilized by contractors to help with processing pay applications.

Section

Section typically refers to a view of a structure as though it has been sliced in half or cut along another imaginary plane, which is generally, but not always a vertical plane.

Shop drawings

A Shop Drawing is prepared by a contractor, sub-contractor, manufacturer or a supplier for the manufacturing, assembling and installation of prefabricated components in a construction site.

Specifications

Specifications are precisely written documents that describes scope of work, any materials that are to be used, the methods of installation, and the quality of workmanship under contract.

Subcontract

An agreement made between the main contractor and a subcontractor or trade contractor to perform a specified set of construction services.

Submittal

A submittal refers to the written and/or physical information provided by a responsible contractor (i.e., contractors and subs) to the general contractor which is submitted to the design team for approval of equipment, materials, etc. before they are fabricated and delivered to the project. Submittals can be presented in various formats, such as shop drawings, cut sheets on equipment, and material samples. Submittals are required primarily for the architect and engineer to verify that the correct products and quantities will be installed on the project in compliance with the design documents/contract documents.

Transmittal

A transmittal, also called a letter of transmittal, is a document that is sent along with other documents, files, or samples. It shows when the items were sent and provides proof that they were sent.

Target Value Delivery (TVD)

Target value delivery (TVD) is a management practice used throughout all phases of design and construction to deliver projects within a fixed budget, while meeting the operational needs and values of the client.

Time and Materials (T&M)

Time and materials (T&M) contract are method of contracting which is used in construction when the project’s scope isn’t predetermined, making it difficult to agree on a fixed price and timeline for the contract. Contractor is paid strictly on actual costs, including time and materials, and is usually a mutually-agreed-upon profit and overhead.

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC)

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is a type of technology that creates digital models of buildings and project sites. Architects, engineers, and contractors use VDC models to visualize and plan building designs, processes, schedules, budgets, and more. VDC and BIM are related but differ in purpose.

Zoning

Government regulation which decides how areas or districts of property can be used.