Contractors!

.

I am actually pissed with the reality that even if we did good, some people simply just try to abuse you for their benefit. I mean I am so pissed at the contractor that I am monitoring right now.

I am a person who actually highly believe in moral value and self integrity. I found it pretty amusing that many good people are easily exploited and being used. I cannot believe that being professional in my job can be really frustrating. Construction industry indeed is a industry that usually associated with corruption or so. But as for me, the definition of being corrupt does not associate the industry but the person who intend to be a corrupt. For the project that I have being working on now, I have a professional relationship and I have been assisting them to get what the contract need and what they need to do to achieve quality product.

I have never actually accept any form of reward that would favor them during the construction work and therefore I am not a corrupted person. But through the course of time, as stipulated in the contract document; I actually entitle safety fittings and provisions as I actually conduct inspection at site without being bias which actually risking me of falling. I did not receive the best of fittings particularly the substandard safety life jacket. It took them a million years to get what I want just to ensure my safety as I perform my duty. They shift the blame of not helping by refusing to inspect their work. I mean of course, safety is the main priority and hello, the record shows that there is no inspection request for that period of time. I have not delayed their work. Their negligence actually screwed them up. Can you imagine, I have to remind them especially their Managing Director about the Environmental Act 1994 where organization or individual can be penalize up to Rm50k or/and jail for contravenes safety aspect at work site. Needless to say the clause in contract. I will be shying away if I am reminded like this as a contractor who specified such act in their own Project Quality Plan.

After contravene my request as stipulated in the contract by preparing a realistic masterwork program and also histogram of workers for the project, they finally found out that they are behind schedule once their own engineer did the work program under my free tutoring. They said repair work is non-critical in schedule and therefore master work program is surely useless and baseless. They found out that actually Microsoft Project do shows Critical Path Method analysis regardless if that work is a repair work. The contract document stipulated directly or indirectly where time is of the essence. Once they found out that they need up to 1800% workers by December and they cannot level their workers, they start to back themselves up by blaming the consultant team. Of course, Extension of Time is their only mean and I doubt it they can finish even if they are granted. The client can grant extension by changing the completion date but have they change their attitude of bringing the project to a successful completion?

Gravely enough, the record shows their initial act of not putting effort in their planning. Now, got screwed in the meeting and repeatedly showing their stupidity in meeting; they are now in the verge of killing themselves. I would not put in details but they actually cannot do anything but to die together with the project just like animal in the slaughterhouse. Queuing up in line to suffer a painful to watch death execution. I am yet to scrutinize their possibility of finishing the project on time but any layman will shake their head when they have a look at their S-curves. Needless to say being a coward for not showing the physical progress graph instead hoping the financial progress graph would camouflage them.

After that, they go against the contract openly by ignoring the contractual need. A trial mix which cost them approximately Rm100 a batch is a problem. After delivered their goods, it took them two months to conduct mandatory trial. They choose to idle. They did not expect it as they did not go through the contract. Time has been wasted and the possibility of non-conformance is really there. Then, the last batch of logistic came in which are suspects when I have inspected since it did not conform the specs they have earlier submitted. Who is actually, deliberately, irresponsibly, obstinately and arrogantly delayed the processes which contributed to the delay of the project?

I found it is amazing that a contractor who do not need to bribe officers would actually be so unscrupulous enough to be negligence about safety at site. Regardless of the contract document and the by-laws, the contractor just continue with their obstinate mindset and deliberately delaying their own project. I have to help their young 'cikus' to actually learn Microsoft Project in order to finish up their task even up to 3am for almost a week. If not because of that, they would never get their eyeballs popped out from their socket and declared self-proclaim state of emergency.

What really bothers me is their attitude.

They are negligence with their work progress.
They are not good if not lacking in legal bindings and by-laws.
They are not good in interpreting English correspondence.
But worst, they are not treating me correctly.

After finding out that their progress at site is behind schedule, they now going on to blame the consultant for their delay. I was surprised that I am targeted as I hold authority at my site. They have set up dirty tricks where they have deliberately send correspondence last minute; a day before the Site meeting and on the same day of the technical meeting. Worst, they backdated the whole thing a week ago in responding to my correspondence two months ago. This is actually an act of submission of their own true color in handling their project if they are clever enough to know what they are actually doing.

Of course I nearly caught off guard but thanks to the Internet and since I cannot be separated from my computer. I found their incoming fax just before I left for dinner. I have to spend my time until late morning to prepare counter answers. It is easy since I have done my job accordingly. Only that it took my precious time as typing back the whole clause from the contract and Acts is time consuming. I am not agitated with their respond since their are amateur in construction but I am pissed with the way they treat me back with fucked-up attitude. They say they have to do so to save their company (in my expense?)

I have been understanding but I am not in breach of my professional contract. I also found it amusing how they would go about to achieve their goal in a stupid way by actually exposing their self to the possibility of being a lame, slow, incompetence yet acceptable contractor in the industry. Needless to say the legal aspect of it.

They should have forgotten. If they think that they have the (limited) knowledge in compiling for Extension of Time after deliberately delaying their own job, I also keep their Lost of Time sheet. So we see how they can go about it since I am very transparent. Anyway the client knows their acts and I have the record to prove them so. I also have records of being a good assistant to the client by making sure the work execute to the client's requirement without delays. A contractor have to juggle about three elements and these are quality, cost and time. They have to make sure any of these will not be sacrifice during the construction period.

Since I am not a corrupt, I will maintain professional ethics and will not be lenient in conducts. It is blatantly an act of being an hard-headed, selfish yet obstinate contractor and they will get what they deserve; no more tutoring for their personnel. No more free late night tutoring for their incompetent personnel and they would have to deal with the project like every other contractor; to be independent in processing their responsibility. No more! No more! Anyway it is not stipulated in the contract that I have to tutor their chaps.

I will not be sympathetic by not guiding them in engineering knowledge after office hours and I surely be much happier spending my time surfing and upgrading my knowledge alone at the night. They can go and fly kite with their boss. I mean it is their problem for being an engineer without the knowledge of CADs.

For now, I need time for myself to reflect if I am too exposed when I have been very warm to the contractor. I am pissed but I will still remain as a professional.

Talking about Class C contractor from KL and try to play the blaming game, they will never be on par with me who has been a contractor for almost 8 years now. All their dirty trick is in my sleeve however I will not be broken down emotionally but to continue as a professional.

I am proud that I am not corrupted or else I will be shredded dead meat. Thank God that I still have integrity within me. This keep me rolling all these years with good resume and past projects portfolio.

.