Under the FIDIC red book contract, the taking over certificate is issued by the Engineer by Clause 10 (Employer’s Taking Over) to confirm that the works have been satisfactorily completed by the contractor except for minor defects and outstanding items of works. The taking over certificate should specify those known defects and outstanding works and require such defects and outstanding works to be completed within a specified period. The defects liability period commences upon the issue of the taking over certificate.
Using Project Management Information System (PMIS) like PMWeb, the project owner will have the taking over certificate process as one of the many processes that will be managed using the PMIS. The PMWeb form builder will be used to create the taking over certificate form which will include all needed fields such as contract details and the TOC conditions. In addition, it will include two tables, the first to capture outstanding works and the second for defective works.
The attachment tab will be used to upload pictures and documents that detail the report’s outstanding and defective works as well as related contract documents. The pre-assigned workflow will ensure that the taking over certificate is reviewed and approved by the authorized project team members. Since the taking over certificate is considered a formal project communication, an output form needs to be created for the TOC which all details captured in the TOC form as well as the workflow approval dates for each project team member involved in the review approval process.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with more than 35-year service record providing project management and control services to over 100 projects with a total value of over US $5 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment and Shopping Malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, and Telecommunication and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training, and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker on topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management, and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 35 years, he has lectured at more than 350 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South America. He has written more than 250 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He is a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), and Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE) and Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Masters in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – Kuwait University, Kuwait and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA and London Business School, London, UK.