In the layman's understanding, the chief engineer of a project is a specialist with a higher education in the field of construction and relevant work experience. In addition, this position implies excellent managerial and organizational skills. Moreover, the chief executive officer must regularly confirm his professional skills in advanced training courses. It should be understood that the quality of the entire project directly depends on the level of education, creative abilities and work experience of this specialist. After all, the customer’s needs are implemented into a specific construction project exclusively in accordance with his unique and modern ideas.
It is interesting that there is still an opinion that the GIP is fully responsible for all technical documentation. But the state of affairs in the industry has long since changed. Currently, this position is comparable to the traditional concept of “project manager”. In a succinct form, the responsibilities of the GIP are reduced to timely investment and achieving maximum financial efficiency. That is, the economic aspect associated with the optimization of production processes is at the forefront. And all technical issues, although with the consent of the chief engineer of the project, are still developed and implemented locally by more specialized specialists. It should be borne in mind that the project manager is only one of the participants in the global construction process for the implementation of the project, and he does not even have the physical ability to control all its stages.
General concepts about the position of chief project engineer
Many people believe that in the event of an accident, all legal responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the chief engineer of the project. In practice, the investigation to bring charges will identify the direct culprit in erroneous construction calculations. Of course, the project manager, who put his signature on the project documentation, in this case bears consolidated responsibility with the organization that provided the expert opinion. However, it is important to understand that today the employer is hiring for this position not the most qualified specialist in a construction project, but an experienced organizer who preferably also has a second economic or specialized education and communication skills.
In reality, the GIP regularly performs the main task of an arbiter, reconciling multiple contradictions that arise between various project participants. He always protects the investor’s side and strictly monitors compliance with safety conditions, and in controversial situations between specialists (for example, between an electrician and a heating engineer) he is guided solely by economic feasibility for their regulation.
There are no special requirements for applicants for the position of Chief Executive Officer. In this case, it is only necessary to clearly fulfill your responsibilities and effectively use your rights. An important advantage, all other things being equal, when selecting a direct candidate for the position of project manager is the presence of a second diploma (along with the specialized one).
In addition, it is believed that an applicant can be entrusted with the position of Chief Inspector only if he has at least eight years of experience in this vacancy. And for large industrial facilities such a qualification must be at least ten years. Thus, the age of the applicant, based on the specified parameters, must be at least thirty years old. It is interesting that there are simply no upper restrictions on the position of project manager, since the invaluable experience of people of the middle and older generations is difficult to overestimate.
Responsibility of the Chief Engineer
As for liability for failure to fulfill duties or for dishonest work of the chief engineer, it is determined by the Civil, Labor and Criminal Codes of the Russian Federation. These measures are applicable in cases of violation of labor protection or safety rules and regulations, resulting in material damage. In addition, the chief engineer is held liable for exceeding official duties and for certain offenses.
In addition, the chief engineer of a construction enterprise is held accountable for providing false information about the stage of work carried out under his supervision and within his competence, and about the implementation of the plan for them.
For the chief engineer, the fact that his subdivisions and employees have dishonestly or not fully fulfilled their labor duties will entail punishment.
This official will be subject to retaliation if he refuses to take action (or takes inappropriate action) to correct violations of rules identified during an internal or third-party audit. Such violations include safety, fire and labor discipline rules, if their failure to comply threatened the reputation and functioning of the enterprise, as well as the health and life of workers.
For incidents causing harm to the health of workers at a construction enterprise, the chief engineer is subject to criminal liability, since gross violations may subsequently be revealed, indicating neglect of official duties or incompetence of a specialist in a leadership position.
Job description of the chief engineer of the project
The project manager is a key person with a wide range of responsibilities, which include the following:
— provide technical supervision over all survey and design work;
— carry out author’s control over the construction and commissioning of a construction project;
— take comprehensive measures to improve the quality of design and estimate documentation;
— create tasks for subcontractors (monitor their execution) and work schedules;
— prepare information reports for concluding contracts with customers;
— exercise control over the patent purity and patentability of equipment and materials that are used for the first time;
— defend the project, including justification for all deviations from current building rules and regulations;
— carry out a full assessment of the risks associated with the implementation of the project;
— prepare a comprehensive conclusion regarding all rationalization proposals and inventions of project participants;
— carry out a regular review of the degree of customer satisfaction with the quality of services provided by the construction organization;
— defend the project in all authorities and examination bodies;
— maintain constant interaction with government and non-government structures in the field of expert assessments;
— distribute responsibility between managers and developers of design solutions;
— ensure optimal interaction between all involved services of the employer (accounting, contract department, etc.);
— organize a set of measures to establish optimal correspondence between technical documentation and design and estimate data;
— develop recommendations for potential candidates for positions of developers of specific design solutions;
— implement a set of measures to reduce costs for creating project documentation.
Job description of the Chief Project Engineer
APPROVED BY: General Director ________________________ /_______________/ “____” ____________ 201_
1. General provisions 1.1. The chief engineer of the project belongs to the category of managers. 1.2. The chief engineer of the project is appointed to the position on a competitive basis in order to organize the development of design estimates, tender and other documentation necessary for construction and management of design and survey work, throughout the entire period of preliminary feasibility assessments and investment calculations, bidding, conclusion of an agreement with the customer, design, construction, commissioning of the facility and development of design capacities. The decision on appointment to the position of chief engineer of the project and on dismissal from the position is made by the General Director of the Company. 1.3. The chief engineer of the project reports directly to the General Director of the Company. 1.4. During the absence of the chief engineer of the project (vacation, illness, etc.), his duties are performed by a person appointed by order of the general director, who acquires the corresponding rights and is responsible for the improper performance of the duties assigned to him. 1.5. The chief engineer of the project is guided in his activities by: current legislation, regulatory materials for the design, construction and operation of facilities; The charter of the enterprise, local regulatory legal acts, regulatory and administrative documents issued by the head of the organization; this job description, as well as other local regulations. 1.6. A person with a higher professional education, five years of project management experience, and at least eight years of design experience is appointed to the position of chief project engineer. 1.7. The chief engineer of the project must know: - legislative acts, regulatory legal and administrative documents, international and state standards, technical specifications and other materials on the development and execution of design estimates and other technical documentation, catalogs of design documentation for mass use, technical regulations, building codes and rules, regulatory documents of state supervisory authorities, other regulatory materials in relation to the specialization of the position; — prospects for technical, economic and social development of the industry; — economics and organization of construction, labor and management; — basics of copyright and patent law; — requirements for environmental protection and environmental safety; — basics of labor legislation, rules and regulations of labor protection, safety precautions, industrial sanitation and fire protection; — advanced design and construction experience; — organization, planning, economics of design and engineering surveys; — design methods; — modern technical means for designing and performing computational work; — means of automation of design work; — certification procedure; — profile, specialization and features of the enterprise structure; — market methods of managing and managing an enterprise, its business plan; — technical, economic, environmental and social requirements for the facilities being designed; — the procedure for concluding and executing economic and financial contracts, contracts for the creation (transfer) of scientific and technical products; — local regulations relating to project activities. 1.8. To perform the functions and exercise the rights provided for in this job description, the chief engineer of the project interacts: - with the General Director of the Company or his deputy on issues of receiving instructions, instructions, orders related directly to his activities; as well as providing all necessary information on cash flow at the Company's cash desk; — with the chief accountant and his deputy(s) on the following issues: obtaining the necessary accounting and tax reporting; — with the head of the HR department on issues of obtaining personnel documentation; — with employees included in the project team, on issues of managing a specific project and monitoring its implementation; — with other employees on the issues of obtaining all the necessary, properly executed documents for carrying out operations to manage your project.
2. Job responsibilities 2.1. Chief engineer of the project: - Prepares and approves the task for performing engineering survey work, the task for preparing design documentation for a capital construction project; — Determines the criteria for selecting participants in the work of performing engineering surveys, preparing design documentation and selecting performers of such work, as well as coordinating the activities of performers of such work; — Approves the results of engineering surveys and design documentation; — Presents, coordinates and accepts the results of engineering surveys and preparation of design documentation; — ensures planning of the enterprise’s activities on issues within its competence; — organizes the preparation of a calendar plan for the development of design and other documentation for construction, calendar plans for the production of scientific and technical products; — participates in the development and preparation of schedules for the implementation of research, design, engineering and technological work for facilities where new technological processes and equipment with a long development, design and manufacturing cycle will be used; — monitors the timing of development of design and estimate documentation, timing of design and survey work; — monitors the compliance of the technical and economic levels of the adopted design decisions with the established requirements, the economical expenditure of funds for design and survey work, the timeliness of the development of design and estimate documentation; — coordinates design and survey work throughout the entire project complex; — controls the timeliness of placing orders for the supply of equipment and materials, organizing their acceptance, filing, if necessary, claims against manufacturers and suppliers; — organizes monitoring of the progress of work on the implementation of the project; — organizes work to check for patent purity of technological processes, equipment, structures, materials and products first used or developed on the project; — analyzes and systematizes the experience of design, construction and operation of constructed facilities, prepares, on this basis, proposals to improve the technical level and economic efficiency of design solutions; — takes the necessary measures to ensure the required dynamics of investments and the receipt of income from the implementation of the project, sufficient to compensate investors for the resources they have invested and the risk they have taken; — ensures compliance with norms and standards for the design, construction and operation of facilities, other individual customer requirements for the technological level and quality, architectural expressiveness and social significance of facilities; — ensures the practical application of advanced scientific and technical achievements and the introduction of advanced technologies to ensure the competitiveness of the enterprise in the domestic (world) market; — exercises control over the activities of subcontractors insofar as they relate to the conduct of its project; — participates in tenders (auctions) held by the customer when placing an order for the design of objects. 2.2. Prepares data for concluding an agreement with the customer for the performance of design and survey work and the provision of engineering and consulting services, including the stages of development, the composition and volume of documentation for construction, the conditions for insuring risks associated with the development of the project and its implementation, justification negotiated prices, copyright and intellectual property protection, confidentiality conditions. 2.3. If necessary, participates in determining the composition of project participants, including subcontracting design and survey organizations, distributing tasks among them, concluding agreements on the scope of work, deadlines for their completion and payment terms. 2.4. Provides a high technical and economic level of designed objects based on the use of the latest achievements of science and technology, the most appropriate and economical design solutions. 2.5. Ensures compliance of the developed design and estimate documentation with urban planning and other norms, state standards, rules and instructions. 2.6. Ensures the development of the most appropriate and cost-effective design solutions. 2.7. Ensures that projects comply with technical specifications for design and working documentation. 2.8. Participates in the selection and approval of the location of the facility, in the preparation of design assignments and, if necessary, in the organization of engineering surveys. 2.9. Provides technical management of design and survey work during the design of the facility and supervision of its construction, commissioning and development of design capacities. 2.10. Takes measures aimed at improving the quality of design estimates and reducing the consumption of material resources during the construction of facilities, reducing the cost of their operation based on improving the quality of design, urban planning and architectural planning solutions. 2.11. Protects the project in the examination bodies, carries out the necessary approvals with state authorities and local governments. 2.12. Participates in the work of commissions for the selection of sites (routes) for construction, in the preparation of design assignments and in the organization of engineering research for the development of design estimates and other technical documentation, and organizes its development. 2.13. Forms assignments for subcontractors to perform the work entrusted to them and provides these organizations with the necessary initial data, resolves issues that arise during the development of documentation. 2.14. Taking into account the actual state of construction or in connection with the introduction of new regulatory documents, it prepares motivated proposals for the customer to make changes to the working documentation. 2.15. Provides timely resolution of issues related to design and arising during the construction process, commissioning of the facility and development of design capacities. 2.16. Organizes work to eliminate detected defects in design estimates and other technical documentation, as well as to record the expenditure of approved estimates. 2.17. Conducts the necessary approvals with state supervisory authorities and other organizations of justified deviations from current norms, rules, and instructions. 2.18. Prepares reviews and conclusions on rationalization proposals and inventions, draft standards, technical specifications and other regulatory documents related to design and construction. 2.19. Takes part in the examination of projects, preparation of publications and preparation of applications for inventions, attends seminars and practical conferences in his specialty.
3. Rights The chief engineer of the project has the right to: 3.1. Receive assistance from the General Director of the Company and his immediate superiors in the performance of his official duties. 3.2. Represent the design organization in institutions, organizations and enterprises on the development, coordination and review of design and other documentation for construction, manufacture and supply of equipment and materials, construction and development of design capacities. 3.3. Make decisions and conduct correspondence over your signature on issues of technical and economic assessments and investment calculations, bidding, concluding an agreement with the customer, design, construction, commissioning of the facility and development of design capacities. 3.4. Conduct negotiations and enter into preliminary agreements with the customer upon receipt of an order for the design and construction of a facility, including the contract price and other conditions for the work. 3.5. Form the composition of participants in the development of the project, including specialists who are not part of the organization’s staff, determine their powers, forms of organization and remuneration, incentives and penalties. 3.6. Check the status of project development, including with the involvement of competent specialists and organizations as experts and consultants, compliance with established design deadlines and the quality of design solutions in the process of developing project documentation. 3.7. Make decisions about the formation of a reserve of funds and its use. 3.8. Conduct additional inspection or testing of structures, carry out quality checks on any part of the structure. 3.9. Suspend construction and installation works if they are carried out with deviations from the project, if technical conditions and rules for the production of these works are violated, as well as if their quality is unsatisfactory. 3.10. Prohibit the use of any materials and equipment that do not meet the established requirements. 3.11. Suspend the fulfillment of contractual obligations if there is a need for additional approval with the customer for the implementation or acceptance of construction and installation work with deviations from the technical specifications for the project.
4. Responsibility The chief engineer of the project is responsible for: 4.1. For improper performance or failure to fulfill one’s official duties as provided for in this job description. 4.2. For causing material damage to the employer - within the limits established by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation. 4.3. For offenses committed in the course of their activities, within the limits established by the administrative, civil, and criminal legislation of the Russian Federation. 4.4. For violation of information confidentiality regimes, failure to ensure systematization and safety of documents to which he receives access in the course of carrying out his job duties, in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. 4.5. For violation of the requirements of the Company's Internal Labor Regulations, fire and safety regulations, Rules for working with documents constituting a trade secret, in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.
GUI Rights
Since designer supervision is currently not provided for by the relevant regulations, these functions, as a rule, are provided only in local documentation. Thus, according to the job description, the GIP has the right to participate in the following project activities:
— working commission for the selection of sites and routes for construction;
— survey and design of utilities;
— tenders and auctions for design and survey work;
— negotiations to conclude contracts with contractors;
— the process of making proposals to change design and estimate documentation in accordance with new legislative requirements.
Job responsibilities of the chief engineer at a construction enterprise
Such a high position involves a fairly wide range of responsibilities:
- organization of the production process;
- determination of production prospects;
- determining development paths in the modern market;
- equipping the enterprise with resources and equipment to ensure its competitiveness;
- promoting profitability of the construction process, reducing costs and increasing efficiency;
- developing plans for the reconstruction and development of the enterprise, coordinating them with senior management;
- control and improvement of the quality level of constructed construction projects;
- supervision over the repair of construction equipment, its adjustment and testing;
- control over the personnel of the enterprise: improving their qualifications, training additional workers of appropriate qualifications, concluding agreements with scientific organizations and universities on the provision of newly minted specialists;
- cooperation with regulatory authorities;
- performing the functional duties of the director of the enterprise during his absence.
Responsibility of the ISU
The chief engineer of the project, as part of his job duties, must strictly follow the legal norms in force in our country, including SNiP, Urban Planning Code and GOST.
The GIP is directly responsible for the practical application of the requirements of GOST ISO 9001-2011 and GOST ISO 9001-2015. He must regularly engage in self-education in order to improve the level of his qualifications, and periodically undergo training at relevant departmental courses. A competent project manager must have a complete understanding of the management system and organization of production processes at the enterprise. His area of competence includes all promising construction developments, as well as labor protection rules and protective standards of patent and copyright law.
The project manager, within the framework provided by Russian legislation, is responsible for the technical and economic indicators and architectural solutions at the construction site. He is obliged to prepare estimate and design documentation in a timely and complete manner, and also strictly adhere to the job description.
Recently, the position of assistant superintendent has been introduced, which provides for the training of young personnel for this responsible and complex work.
Required knowledge
The professional horizons of the chief construction engineer should be very broad. As part of his profession, he is required to know:
- construction rules and regulations;
- methods of conducting construction work and technology;
- legislative basis for the activities of construction organizations;
- major achievements in science and technology, as well as the experience of leading enterprises in the construction industry;
- procedure for execution and conclusion of financial and business contracts;
- economic, managerial and organizational aspects of labor and production;
- specialization of the enterprise, its profile and structural features;
- production capacity of the enterprise;
- economic and technical development prospects;
- basic technological methods of work;
- procedure for approval and development of construction plans;
- procedure for attracting investors, capital investments and other financing;
- labor organization requirements during the construction of construction projects;
- how to develop and execute design and estimate documents and other technical papers;
- the procedure for maintaining records and reporting on the construction activities of the enterprise;
- norms and rules of labor protection, safety, fire protection and industrial sanitation;
- norms and provisions of environmental legislation;
- sanitary and hygienic standards.
