How To Handle The Flow Of Materials To Your Large Construction Job
Posted on: 18 February 2019
One of the challenges of handling a large construction job is handling the flow of material that is necessary to complete the work. A large construction job requires a lot of materials, and it can be a job in and of itself managing all the necessary supplies.
#1 Figuring Out What Materials the Job Requires
On a large construction job, it is generally the job of the procurement engineer to determine what materials are needed for the job. Determining the necessary materials is not an easy job. It requires reading the site plans and combining that information with safety and building requirements in order to come up with the supplies. A procurement engineer considers the breadth of the job, the architectural plans for the structure, and the specific plans for various systems, such as the plumbing, electrical, etc.
#2 Choosing the Materials
Once all the materials that are needed for the job have been identified, then generally a material engineer will then check over the procurement engineer's work. They will compare the material requested with the site plans. They will locate and find the material, and then double check to make sure the materials they have found match the site's needs and requirements as submitted by the procurement engineer.
#3 Ordering the Material
After the material has been chosen, it is up to the procurement department to handle contacting the supplier and ordering the materials. If any materials are not available, the procurement department will have to check with the materials engineer before approving any replacements. The procurement department oversees handling the logistics of ordering the materials and paying for them.
Oftentimes, the procurement department will use a construction material delivery company to act as a good between. The construction material delivery company will pick up all the supplies at the various suppliers and make sure the supplies are delivered to the work site on time. They will also run errands for extra parts and supplies when necessary and are generally on-call during normal working hours.
#4 Checking the Materials
When the materials are delivered to the worksite, generally a specific person oversees an on-site quality check. During the onsite quality check, someone, generally a quality engineer, will make sure that all the right supplies were delivered and that they meet the standards of the job. The quality engineer will also make sure that all the supplies are placed at the right location or stored in the right place.
Handling materials on a large worksite is a multi-person job. It starts with a procurement engineer who determines what the job needs, and a material engineer who checks their work and determines the exact materials to use.
A procurement department and construction material supplier company then arrange for the order and delivery of the materials. Finally, a quality engineer checks each order and determines where the supplies will go. On some large job sites, a storekeeper may even oversee keeping track of supplies once they are delivered, and the overall manager of the project may need to sign up on deliveries as well.
When running a large job site for the first time, make sure that you have a well-established flow chart for dealing with ordering and processing all the necessary materials for the job.
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