Atypical Day
I’m back!! It has been such a busy month – so busy that I hardly have the time to blog! And when I do find some quiet time, I can’t seem to find the words to express my thoughts, because my head is still buzzing from a hectic day at work… So what entails in a day for Jolll? What is her typical day at work like??For starters, my work is based on a per project basis, and for each construction project that I am involved, I am responsible for:
1) sourcing and ordering materials
2) preparing monthly progress claims (which I call it as ‘counting dirt’ as I mainly calculate earthworks these days)
3) certifying my suppliers’ and subcontractors’ claims to us
4) writing and managing correspondence to and fro my clients
Multiply the above by 3, which is the number of ongoing projects I have on hand now, and you’ll get the idea of my typical workload…
In addition, I am also involved in tendering for additional projects. And for each tender, I’ll have to:
1) source for material prices again
2) do my quantity take-off i.e. calculate how much material is required for a certain structure, for e.g how much formwork, steel and concrete is needed for a certain drain.
3) Calculate and establish prices to put into our tender for submission
On a typical month I would probably get an average of 2 tenders a month, but this past month, I had completed 4 (with 2 more to go…)
So u can imagine what its like for me in the last month – My phone is ringing constantly every 5-10 minutes. I get calls from my sites wanting me to order materials for them; I call up my suppliers to enquire about prices and availability, and order them. I get calls from suppliers and subcontractors chasing me for payment, I said I will check and call them back. I get calls from my site again asking me when the materials will be delivered; I call up my suppliers to check on the delivery status.
At the same time, amidst all this calling, I have to prepare my progress claims, calculate my tenders, entertain suppliers that pop in unexpectedly to my office for service calls, draft letters and correspondence, deal with angry and annoying suppliers and handle disputes between my site personnel (??!) Yeah that was what happened last week, and I was dragged into it unwittingly…
So I guess you all can understand why my head is still buzzing after a day’s work, and why I was unable to write anything decent. Anyway, this is all part and parcel of this industry, and I have learnt to manage it and take it into stride.
The main thing is: I am back!!
Jolll Meowed at 6:18 pm
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