Civil Engineering with Project ManagementMSc

Advanced Structural Design

Dissertation Project

Procurement and Contract Practice

The module aims to provide students with a critical awareness of the processes behind successful procurement and contract management of a construction project. It aims to develop their knowledge and understanding of the legal and contractual context within which construction projects operate and the project contexts that influence the procurement strategy. The module will explain the fundamental concepts of procurement and contracting as well as examining the project procurement management knowledge area processes: plan procurements, conduct procurements, administer procurements, and close procurements. It also covers project outsourcing techniques and tools including soliciting, selecting, and managing subcontractors. It will examine the construction project procurement cycle and the statutory and legal frameworks that need to be accounted for. Particular attention will be given towards sustainable procurement and the influence of an organisation’s Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategy on project finance and procurement.

The knowledge gained will enable the student to propose project contract and procurement strategies for planning, decision making, and control.

By the end of the module, students should be able to critically evaluate the following:
• the principles of Contract Law
• the roles and responsibilities of the contract parties
• contract selection and procurement routes
• procurement strategies available for different project types
• the impact of governance on a project procurement strategy for public and private projects
• how a procurement method contributes to an organisation and/or projects ESG goals
• the use of digital tools to aid procurement
• standard form of contracts and their procurement terms
• techniques to manage disputes towards resolution

Project Management Principles

This module will introduce the student to the fundamental theories and concepts for successful project management. It examines the theory behind project management and best practice in the built environment industries in a local and a global context. It will consider how organisational strategic objectives drive projects and the role the project manager performs in the early stages of the project lifecycle, including the development and use of models to drive portfolio and project management. Following this it will move the focus to the operational stage of the project and how the key project objectives are identified and managed towards a successful project completion.

The syllabus is guided by professional body project management bodies of knowledge and codes of practice (such as the APM and CIOB). The module explains the strategic context within which projects operate to enable the students to understand that a project needs to have a strategic fit with the organisation's wider aims and ambitions. By the end of the module students should be able to critically evaluate the following:

• the link between organisational strategy, programmes, and projects
• project economics
• project finance mechanisms
• project management methodologies and their underpinning theories
• the challenges of leading a complex project
• the contribution project management makes towards a sustainable built environment
• the responsibilities of the modern global project manager
• strategies to monitor and control the complete project lifecycle

Research Methods in Civil Engineering and Group Design Project

Advanced Structural Analysis and Finite Element Method

Managing Risk and Uncertainty

The aim of this module is to provide the student with knowledge and understanding of risk and uncertainty theories and an appreciation of the differences between risks found on different project types.

Responding to today’s highly complex project landscapes, the module looks at risk management in a contemporary way, including complex projects which involve an unusual degree of uncertainty and unpredictability.

The module will introduce students to risk analysis techniques and how they can help the project team in making decisions under a highly dynamic project landscape. It will provide students with the tools to identify and assess risk and make informed decisions including how to manage risks within the context of a changing project environment. The module looks at “managing change” from the perspective of the risks involved.

By the end of the module students should be able to critically evaluate the following:

• The level of individual element and overall project risk
• Project complexity and risk
• Tools available to manage qualitative and quantitative project risks
• Appropriate means to manage risk
• The links between project change and risks

Project Planning and Delivery

The module aims for the student to develop a critical awareness of project planning and delivery principles alongside developing the skills necessary to deploy them to manage a construction project. Through enquiry-based learning it will facilitate a project scenario to allow the students to deploy the tools necessary to successfully plan a project and monitor a project's resources.

The syllabus is guided by professional body project management bodies of knowledge and codes of practice (such as the APM and CIOB) and the module explores the pre-construction and delivery phase of the project to enable the students to understand that detailed planning of a project is needed to help in the successful delivery of the construction phase. By the end of the module students should be able to critically evaluate the following:

• project constraints and how they are identified and accommodated.
• project risks and strategies to accept, avoid, control, transfer and monitor them.
• internal and external stakeholders to the project and how to manage their expectations.
• the requirements of a project delivery plan for the pre-construction and construction phase of a project and once produced how to control it throughout the construction phase.
• Produce and maintain a detailed project programme

The sustainable adaptation and re-use of existing infrastructure and buildings

Transportation Engineering Systems and Simulation