15/09/2026
🚧Construction projects should be managed through contracts, proper supervision, and application of globally recognized construction standards.
⚙️ In Grenada, the globally recognised standards from FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers), are used in our construction contracts.
🏗️ FIDIC clearly sets out the responsibilities of the Employer, the Engineer, and the Contractor to support quality-driven project delivery, through amicable relations.
👷🏿The Client, usually referred to as the Employer, often has an (independent) Supervising Engineer to prepare the construction designs to be used by the Contractor.
👷🏽The Supervising Engineer is then responsible for supporting the contract administration, including interpreting the design, reviewing contractor-submitted variations for compliance, and supervising construction to ensure the work is completed to the agreed design and intended purpose.
👷🏾The Contractor is responsible for constructing the works in strict accordance with the contract, using the specified materials, techniques, and standards required in the construction design.
In FIDIC, the Contractor may also identify and recommend a better way to construct the work after identifying an unforeseen site issue. In this way, the Contractor submits a Technical Query (TQ) to the Supervising Engineer. The Client can then approve or rejects a proposed variation to the original design scope. This “Variation” is also known as a “Change Order” 📋
A Contractor cannot perform or bill for the extra work of a variation or change to contractual scope until the client formally approves for Variation or Change Order in writing. 📧
It’s also important to remember that the Client can also opt to stick to their preferred scope regardless of the outcomes. That’s the Client’s right. The Contractor cannot arbitrarily change the Clients project work.
The strength of FIDIC contracts lies in their General Conditions of Contract, which have been shaped by thousands of successful projects around the world. 🌎
