Throughout the 2010’s, we saw
a number of construction projects fail to meet contractual deadlines and/or
costs.
Projects launched during this
decade are heading into the early 2020’s without being completed on time or on
budget.
This is not unlike the
situation for a number of projects in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
The old saying that “we
learn from our mistakes” doesn’t seem to apply to construction of buildings
or infrastructure projects.
NOT ONLY A QUEBEC PROBLEM
Québec is not alone in this
experience.
Researchers have seen this
situation in some twenty countries worldwide.
There are numerous examples,
including some of the world’s most prominent large-scale projects.
The Suez Canal expansion
(Egypt) in 2014 cost $8 billion, twice the initial budget.
The Sydney Opera House
(Australia) was constructed between 1958 and 1973 with an initial estimate of
$7 million.
The final total: $102 million.
The Channel Tunnel
(France/England) was estimated at $13 billion, including $2.1 billion for
construction “contingencies”.
When it was completed in
1994, the tunnel would cost $21 billion.
Here at home, the Montreal
Olympic saga is still the most commonly cited example. Estimates for the
Olympic Park were $190 million, including $71 million for the stadium.
The final total: $850
million.
BREAKING THE MOLD
What was once a trend is now
the standard worldwide.
Whenever major projects
report delivery delays leading to cost overruns, popular opinion jumps to the
forefront.
However, disagreements
quickly fade away, and then life goes on.
It’s obvious that this trend needs
to be stopped and we have to unravel the stranglehold over the construction
industry.
As we all know, ”Rome was
not built in a day”, so it may take several years to reverse this trend.
The perfect picture exists
and we can set a course towards that goal in 2020.
Challenging “the way we
do things” can influence both project developers and the general public.
Funding for these projects
often comes from pension funds, which represent one of the main sources of
investment.
This is money that most
workers would like to see invested in something more than just paying for cost
overruns caused by, among other things, schedule delays.
THE SOCANIN PERSPECTIVE
We can gradually introduce
this change by addressing these projects with the primary objective of
completing them on time and within budget.
With this goal in mind,
SOCANIN offers a solid, unique strategy in project planning, management and
commissioning.
It’s a “way of doing
things” that works for all construction projects at all times, from
beginning to end.
SOCANIN’s founding president, Pieter ‘s Heeren and his team have been committed to this approach since the early 2000s and their strategy and vision will bring in more satisfied clients in 2020.
To learn more about our services or to discuss with Mr. Pieter ‘s Heeren about your project, contact us!