GC21 meetings and workshops

Introduction

This guide details the requirements for meetings and workshops for GC21 construction contracts. 

• At start-up workshops, key stakeholders can start to develop cooperative relationships. The parties (principal and contractor) can also focus on progressing the project.
• At evaluation and monitoring meetings, the parties and stakeholders can try to resolve issues in an open and cooperative manner.
• At close-out workshops, they can review the management of the contract and project, and identify key learnings. These can help improve processes for future projects.

These workshops and meetings have proven to be highly effective in bringing together key stakeholders. They can discuss, share ideas and concerns, and identify innovations and improvements.

Preparation

The principal, assisted by the contractor, takes responsibility for the preparations for the workshops and meetings.

Scheduling of workshops and meetings

Workshops and meetings are scheduled according to the requirements of the contract listed in table 1.

Workshop planning

The parties agree on the various aspects of the workshops including:

• participants to attend (with client)
• date and time of workshop
• agenda
• use of external facilitator
• sharing of costs.

The principal arranges the venue, catering and the delivery of any background information.

The arrangements for the evaluation and monitoring meetings are usually agreed at the start-up workshop.

Workshop attendance

Table 2 is a guide of attendees at start-up workshops.

The attendees at close-out workshops usually comprise the persons listed under Minimum in table 2.

Table 3 lists the attendees at evaluation and monitoring meetings.

Project background material for start-up workshops

Project background material allows participants, particularly end users and community interest groups, to contribute more effectively.

This material may include:

• the purpose and key deliverables of the project
• details on the key components of the facility and their interaction
• contract program, milestones and estimated cost
• concept plans.

The workshop agenda should be provided to all participants in advance.

Key participants should prepare an opening statement. It should cover their organisation’s aspirations and expectations during the delivery of the project and for the completed works.

Download agenda template for GC21 start-up workshop DOCX, 49.68 KB.

Handouts for evaluation and monitoring meetings

Participants should receive:

• performance evaluation guide, example and form at the first meeting
• performance evaluation form and updated performance evaluation record at subsequent meetings.

Performance evaluation forms and examples are included in Attachments 2, 2A and 3 of the GC21 Edition 2 General Conditions of contract (last 4 pages of the GC21 – GCC document).

Handouts for close-out workshops

Prior to the workshop, participants should receive the agenda and the completed performance evaluation record from the last E&M meeting.

Download agenda template for GC21 close-out workshop DOCX, 38.24 KB.

Arrangements for workshops

The suggested timing and arrangements for the workshops are shown in the workshop agendas.

The venue for the start-up workshop should be comfortable and free from external disturbances.

Data projectors, electronic whiteboards or butcher’s paper may assist in presenting key points and recording participant contributions.

Arrangements for evaluation and monitoring meetings

These meetings are usually held before or after the monthly contract site meeting, ideally in a separate location to emphasise the different purpose of the meeting.

Facilitator for start-up workshop

For most workshops, the principal’s project manager performs the facilitator role due to their experience and familiarity with the project.

For larger, very significant or sensitive projects, an experienced external facilitator can offer the most effective means of conducting workshops. An external facilitator can:

• relieve the project manager from taking on additional duties in planning and conducting the workshop, as well as in writing up the workshop report
• allow the project manager to fully participate in the workshop
• be seen as a neutral, unbiased facilitator by both parties and stakeholders.

Start-up workshop

The purpose of the start-up workshop, as noted in clause 32 of the GC21 contract can be stated as:

• to promote a culture of cooperation and teamwork for the management of the contract
• to encourage the parties and others to work cooperatively towards achieving a successful contract.

This is achieved by:

• introducing the persons who will be involved in the project and affected stakeholders and how they can communicate
• agreeing on the composition, location and timing of meetings
• outlining the principles and application of cooperative contracting
• providing an opportunity for concerns and solutions to be discussed and for stakeholders to participate in the project
• explaining the rights and obligations of the contractor and principal

the following outlines the suggested content of the workshops.

Welcome

The facilitator opens the workshop. They welcome participants and advises their role, that is, to guide participants through workshop activities as listed in the agenda.

The facilitator outlines the:

• purpose of the workshop
• scope and overview of the contract (assisted by the project manager input if an external facilitator is used)
• agenda to be followed.

Download agenda template for GC21 start-up workshop DOCX, 49.68 KB.

Introductions

All participants at the workshop are asked to introduce themselves and outline their roles.

A project team directory is circulated amongst participants

Download team directory template DOCX, 38.39 KB.

Record names and details of all attendants. Note also any absent persons who are relevant to the project.

Opening statements – contract and project overview

The facilitator introduces key participants who make opening statements describing their organisation’s general aspirations and expectations of the project.

Generally, senior representatives of the principal, the contractor and the client make opening statements.

The facilitator will collect a summary of prepared statements for inclusion in the workshop report.

Overview of cooperative contracting

The facilitator, usually with input from the principal’s representatives, provides

• a general overview of cooperative contracting in terms of the contract:
  • cooperation (clause 3)
  • duty not to hinder (clause 4)
  • early warning (clause 5)
• where beneficial, an outline of the principles of cooperative contracting:
  • commitment
  • open communication
  • trust and respect
  • timely responsiveness
  • joint evaluation of the team's performance

Read more about cooperative contracting.

Note where a modified GC21 contract is used the overview should be adjusted accordingly, taking into account the principal's intentions.

Cooperative contracting applied to the contract/project

The facilitator works with the participants to identify practical applications of the cooperative contracting principles to the contract and project, such as:

• communication methods to ensure the parties and stakeholders are informed in a timely way of contract activities and changes. This could involve bulletins, daily or weekly briefings and access to key personnel.
• commitments to work together to facilitate the performance of the contract and achievement of project objectives. This could involve being flexible in resolving problems, while still complying with contract and facility operational requirements.
• identifying possible improvements to the utility or quality of the project. It should be clarified that the contractor is required to develop and construct the principal's design without change. Any proposed changes are recorded for follow-up by the principal and client before requesting the contractor to advise on the effects of proposed changes.

Evaluation and monitoring

The facilitator outlines the evaluation and monitoring (E&M) process, as described in this guide. This ensures familiarity with the purpose and benefits of the joint evaluation of the team’s performance.

The GC21 contract E&M process forms (attachments 2, 2A and 3 in the GC21 Edition 2 General Conditions of Contract DOCX, 454.95 KB) may be beneficial in this regard.

The members of the E&M team will usually constitute the 2 authorized persons, a client representative and selected stakeholders. The names of the team members are recorded by the facilitator.

Arrangements for the E&M meetings, including the date, time and location of the meetings are also agreed upon and recorded.

Communications matrix

An important aspect of any project is that all stakeholders have a channel for communicating concerns and suggestions.

With the help of the parties, the facilitator develops a matrix (or chart) with the preferred communication channel for each person.

The matrix should consider the communication protocols under the contract and for each organisation.

The facilitator should clarify that the principal’s authorised person is the only person with authority to act on behalf of the principal under the contract.

All project-related matters that affect the contract must be directed through the principal’s authorised person to the contractor’s authorised person. This is particularly important where contract price or time for completion may be affected.

Additionally, the principal and the contractor should nominate at least 2 people each with 24-hour telephone numbers as contact people for emergencies.

Download team directory template DOCX, 38.39 KB.

Presentation by contractor

Where previously agreed, the facilitator invites the contractor to outline progress to date, as applicable, on their:

• contract program
• work, health and safety management plan
• environmental management plan
• quality management plan
• services locations
• other activities of interest to the attendees

This segment of the workshop allows the contractor to interact with the participants and demonstrate its ability to manage the contract.

Key concerns and solutions

The facilitator conducts a short risk workshop.

Relevant risk areas (for example, safety, environmental, emergencies, traffic, communications, disruptions) are listed and input is sought from participants on their concerns and risks.

Solutions or methods to minimise the agreed key concerns and risks are then identified and recorded for implementation, where feasible, by the parties and stakeholders.

A form for participants to record their concerns and solutions is included.

Download agenda and key concerns form template DOCX, 49.68 KB.

Closing comments

Workshop participants are invited to make written closing comments for inclusion in the workshop report. They are also given the opportunity to briefly address the workshop.

The facilitator advises the participants on the availability of the workshop report (usually within one week following the workshop).

The facilitator thanks the participants for their attendance and participation and formally closes the workshop.

Refreshments

Refreshments in the form of a light meal and beverages are provided following the conclusion of the workshop.

This encourages participants to continue with discussions in a more leisurely and unstructured manner.

Workshop report

A report writer, normally the facilitator, will prepare the report.

The principal will normally comment on the draft and may request comments from others.

The final report is distributed to all workshop participants.

Evaluation and monitoring meetings

The evaluation and monitoring (E&M) meetings should be held as agreed at the start-up workshop.

First meeting

The purpose of the first meeting is to explain:

• explain the aims of E&M meetings
• go through applicable procedures
• agree on the key performance indicators (KPIs) to be evaluated and monitored.

Purpose

The E&M meeting provides the opportunity to discuss issues of concern in the relevant contract and project. This includes issues that may be sensitive to some stakeholders.

The environment should support the resolution of issues. Issues are not restricted to the contract. They can include other concerns relevant to the broader project.

A risk to be aware of is to follow a routine procedure with the aim of completing the meeting, rather than resolving issues. Complacency can make meetings ineffective. Every meeting should aim to identify and resolve an issue.

Evaluation is of the performance of the participants as a team. The scores recorded during the E&M meeting are for the active use of participants to improve the performance of the team and project outcomes.

The scores are not to be used as a means of judging the performance of any one individual or stakeholder group.

In particular, E&M scores are not to be confused with a system for contractor performance reporting. Scores from E&M meetings shouldn't be used to represent contractor performance.

Determine KPIs

Performance evaluation forms are included in Attachments 2, 2A and 3 of the GC21 Edition 2 General Conditions of contract.

Attachment 2 is a sample performance evaluation form with suggested KPIs. As projects may have different issues, a blank performance evaluation form is also provided (Attachment 2A).

The main goal of the first meeting is to agree on topics or KPIs that reflect specific project concerns and potential issues that the team can deal with.

Procedure

The recommended procedure is for each KPI to be addressed separately and a consensus score determined as follows:

• where possible, prior to the meeting, team members complete their own personal scoring and identify issues of concern
• team members present their scores and clarify the reasons for their scoring, raising any relevant issues that affected their scoring
• the range of scores presented for each KPI are discussed and their reasons reviewed
• actions to deal with identified issues are agreed
• a team score for each KPI is recorded on the performance evaluation form and performance evaluation record
• agreed actions to deal with issues are recorded.

For continuous improvement, participants should be critically constructive and allocate conservative individual scores and discuss these with the team.

The team is advised to resist the temptation to record the highest or even the average score. Lower scores can promote more meaningful discussions, brainstorming and action planning to improve project outcomes.

Where a consensus in the score cannot be reached, it is appropriate to record the lowest individual score as the team’s score.

Second and subsequent meetings

The above procedure is applied to score KPIs and identify issues.

The chairperson plots the group scores against each KPI on the performance evaluation record (Attachment 3) and presents these records to the participants.

The participants review and discuss:

• the status of previous identified issues and strategies to deal with unresolved issues
• success factors for improving performance and factors that will or have resulted in declining performance
• strategies to promote the continuation of any positive outcomes and trends and avoid the continuation of any negative outcomes and trends
• assigned responsibilities to ensure corrective actions are carried out.

Responsibilities for actions should be assigned to the most appropriate team member(s), not only the parties to the contract.

Preparation for next meeting

• the chairperson hands out copies of blank performance evaluation forms (Attachment 2A) to each participant for use prior to the subsequent meeting
• a new rotating chairperson for the next meeting is identified
• the chairperson closes the meeting
• the chairperson documents the outcomes of the meeting.

Close-out workshop

The purpose of the close-out workshop is to provide an assessment of the team’s performance. It's also an opportunity to review management processes.

At the workshop, principal and contractor collect feedback on things such as:

• design
• contract documents
• communication
• cooperative contracting strategies.

Collecting feedback enables the parties to develop improvements for future contracts.

The close-out workshop should include:

Welcome

The facilitator, usually the principal's project manager, opens the workshop. They:

• welcome the participants
• announce the purpose of the workshop
• outline the agenda.

The facilitator also summarises the highlights of the contract.

Opening statements

The key stakeholders (principal, contractor and client) make opening statements.

The statements describe their organisation’s overview of the performance of the contract and project.

Evaluation and monitoring learnings

Participants review and discuss the performance evaluation record of the E&M meetings. The aim of these discussions is to:

• identify success factors and factors that resulted in of low or declining performance
• discuss ideas to promote more positive outcomes and avoid negative outcomes in future projects.

New concerns, solutions and innovations

Participants can discuss new concerns, solutions and innovations that may help in future contracts.

They may also review and discuss outcomes in the completed project.

Closing comments

The facilitator asks participants to note their closing comments in writing for inclusion in the workshop report. Comments may cover whether they found the workshops valuable, and any other suggestions.

The facilitator also invites participants to briefly go through their closing comments at the workshop.

The facilitator advises when the workshop report will be available. This is usually within one week.

The facilitator thanks the participants for their participation, and formally closes the workshop.

Refreshments

As for start-up workshop.

Workshop report

As for start-up workshop.

Reporting

Workshops and meetings form an essential element for the management and progress of the contract. On completion, the outcomes of the workshops and meetings should be recorded and distributed.

Suggested report guidelines are outlined below.

Start-up workshop report

The contents for a start-up workshop report should be concise and could include:

• title page (including name of contract, date of report, contact details)
• table of contents
• introduction with a list of organisations involved in the project
• opening statements from key stakeholders
• team directory
• communications matrix
• key concerns and solutions
• opportunities and innovation
• closing statements.

An appendix with relevant documents may be attached if considered beneficial.

Evaluation and monitoring meetings

The outcomes of the evaluation and monitoring meetings should be incorporated into the close-out workshop report.

Where a close-out workshop is not held, an evaluation and monitoring meetings report should be prepared and could include:

• title page (including name of contract, date of meeting, venue)
• meeting attendance directory
• identified issues and trends
• agreed performance evaluation form used during the project
• completed final performance evaluation record.

Close-out workshop report

The contents for a close-out workshop report should also be concise and could include:

• title page (name of contract, date of report, contact details)
• table of contents
• introduction
• attendance directory
• opening statements
• evaluation and monitoring learnings
• new concerns, solutions and innovations
• closing statements.

The following documents should be included in an appendix, if required:

• performance evaluation sheets
• performance evaluation record

Distribution of reports

A copy of the reports should be provided to each participant of the workshops and relevant meetings.

For contracts involving the Public Works, a copy of the start-up workshop report and the close-out workshop report should be sent to the Category Manager – Construction.

Related resources

Find more resources on the construction category page.