NHC

OPERATING PROCEDURE

PROCEDURE FOR COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS

Custodian

DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION

CONTENTS
1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Definitions and Abbreviations
4. References
5. Responsibility
6. Procedure
7. Records and Attachments

Reviewed By – Quality Management Approved By –Director of Innovation

Representative (QMR) (DI)

Signature Date Signature Date

REVISION HISTORY

Approved By.
Rev Date Details of Revised Checked
No. change/Reason for By By
Revision QMR CUST
Review
1.0 PURPOSE

This procedure defines the communication process and protocol between NHC and
Contractor. While open, honest discussions are encouraged at all levels of these
organizations, at the same time a formal process is also required.

2.0 SCOPE

This procedure provides the project team with direction on how communication occurs
between the Contractor, Contractor’s Designer, and Client team. This procedure
includes communication protocols for the following:

o Written communication and distribution of design and construction documents.

o Verbal communication protocols for Contractor’s Design Team and Reviewer’s.
o Verbal communication protocols for Construction Team.

3.0 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS

3.1 DI – Director of Innovation

3.2 PM – Project Manager
3.3 PC – Project Coordinator
3.4 HD - Head of Department
3.5 NHC - National Housing Corporation
3.6 ISO – International Organization for Standardization
3.7 IDR - Inter- discipline Design Review

4.0 REFERENCES

4.1 QMS-NHC-OP201 – Control of Scheduling

4.2 Quality Management System Manual- Transbay Transit Center
4.3 Design-Build demonstration program - Quality Manual Outline

5.0 RESPONSIBILITY

All Parties (Contractor, Project Manager/Contract Administrator, Employer NHC)

6.0 PROCEDURE

Communication Framework between the Contractor and Contract Administrator

6.1 Correspondence and Submissions

This document present the communication protocol recommended to be used

under NHC design and build projects. Contacts details for the Contract
Administrator (CA), Contractor and the Employer should be provided for purposes
of ensuring smooth flow of communication. The format to be used for
correspondence and submissions are also detailed.

QMS-NHC-OP002
6.2 Contract Administrator’s (CA) Contact Detail

(a) Figure 1 below present the communication flow from the Contractor. All the
project correspondence such as letters, design submittals, progress reports etc,
from the Contractor to the CA shall be sent at the physical address provided.
Unless it is the requirement under the Contract, scanned copies all
correspondence may be e-mailed to the CA at the address to be provided.
Originals shall be exchanged in the site meeting. Contractor may also send to
ProjectManager.com or similar, if in use. Note that the documents such as
Interim Payment Certificate (IPC), Claims or Notices must be transmitted in
original form. All correspondence shall be sent under the signature of
Contractor’s Representative (CR). Other signatures may be authorized from
time to time by written notification of the CR. The Contractor shall receive
instructions from CA on the type of original correspondence, copy of whach shall
be sent to Employer.

Correspondence (Figure 1)
Contractor CA

Original
/at site
CA’s Office meeting

Copy
(email)
Copy
(ProjectManager Contractor’s
.com) Transmittal
Copy File
(email)

Letter 2 Copy
(Transmittal Slip)

Letter 1 Courier
Copy
(Transmittal Slip)

Original/
Hard copy

(b). The Contract Administrator’s [insert physical address]

Physical Address:
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

QMS-NHC-OP002
 (c) Contract Administrator’s e-mail address: [insert e-mail address]
E-mails sent to the above address must also be copied to the following
addresses:
[Insert address 1]
[insert address 2[
[insert address 3]
[add more addresses as
necessary]
When the Contractor has dispatched any item of correspondence to the CA
by courier, the Contractor must advise the CA of the date of dispatch, give a
brief description of the contents of the dispatch, the name of the person given
the document. This information should be sent to the above e-mail
addresses. In addition, the Contractor must supply the person delivering the
item of correspondence, with the following contact details for the CA.

1st Contact: [insert name] 2nd Contact: [insert name]

Mobile Number: [insert number] Mobile Number: [insert number]
(d) The Contract Administrator’s Office Telephone and ProjectManager.com Link (or
similar where these apply) are as follows:

Tel: [insert number]

Link: [insert webpage link]

(e) All correspondence from the CA shall be under the signature of:
[Insert name and title of the authorised person],

Other signatures may be authorized from time to time by written notification

from the CA.

6.3 Contractor Contact Details

(a) Figure 2 below presents the communication flow from the CA. All
correspondence from the CA to the Contractor, will, in the first instance, be
sent by e-mail to the Contractor’s Representative. In addition, the CA will
send a scanned copy of all correspondence to the Contractor by
(ProjectManager.com or simlar or by email). The originals of all
correspondence will be handed over to the Contractor by the CA at the next
site meeting following dispatch of the correspondence items by e-mail. All
correspondence from the CA to the Contractor will be copied to Employer as
necessary.

QMS-NHC-OP002
 Correspondence (Figure 2)
Contractor
Contract Administrator

Contractor’s NHC& Contractor at the

Office progress meeting
Copy Copy
Copy (email) (ProjectMana
(ProjectMana ger.com)
ger.com) Copy
Copy Original
(email)

Latter 1 Letter 2 Original Contractor’s

Transmittal
File
Copy (Transmittal Slip)
Document
Transmittal
Copy (Transmittal Slip) Form
Original

(b)1 The Contractor [insert physical address]

Physical Address:
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

(c) Contractor’s e-mail address: [insert e-mail address]

E-mails sent to the above address must also be copied to the following
addresses:
[Insert address 1]
[insert address 2[
[insert address 3]
[add more addresses as
necessary]

(d) The Contractor’s Office and ProjectManager.com link:

Tel: [insert number]

Link: [insert webpage link]

1
Contractor to provide details
QMS-NHC-OP002
6.4 Correspondence Headings and Topic

(a) All letters and emails are to be uniquely identified. Each item of
correspondence shall contain one subject only. Generally each item of
correspondence from the Contract Administrator will be issued under the
following reference:

(b) To reference a particular piece of correspondence it is only necessary to use the

file reference number. E.g: Our Ref: “{CA/NHC/XXX/YYYY/ZZ” (e.g.
“BICO/NHC/XXX/YYYY/ZZ”). Where;
i) “CA” refer to name of the Contract Administrator such as BICO;
ii) “NHC” refer to the name of the Employer;
iii) “XXX” refers to the author of the letter, in this example John Joseph;
iv) “YYYY” Refer to the description of the project by its plot number;
v) “ZZ” refers to the sequential number of the letter,

(c) The front page or submittal document of all Correspondence shall contain a
Subject consisting of a Heading and a Topic. The Heading and Topic to be
used on all correspondence shall be as per the following example. All letters
will include the following:
Sender’s Address
Our Ref: (Sender’s unique ref no) Date
Recipient’s Address
Subject: (Heading)
(Topic)
Your Ref: (If the letter is in response to the recipient’s earlier
correspondence then the reference no and date of the recipient’s earlier
correspondence shall be noted here)

6.5 E-mails

The Contractor and the CA shall use the following e-mail protocols:
(a) If an email is sent to (“To”) the CA or the Contractor it signifies that the
sender expects the receiver to designate high importance to the e-mail and
expects the receiver of the e-mail to read and reply to the e-mail as soon as
possible;
(b) If an email is copied to (“cc”) the CA or the Contractor then it signifies
that the sender wants the receiver to take note of the e-mail and does not
necessarily expect a reply from the “cc” recipient;
(c) The Contractor or CA shall include as part of the subject of the e-mail the
QMS-NHC-OP002
 unique reference number of the attached correspondence. Each e-mail sent
may only cover one subject and accordingly any attachments to an e-mail
shall also be relevant to only the single subject. If the Contractor or CA
wishes to send items of correspondence on several different subjects, then
individual e-mails for each subject shall be sent.

7.0 RECORDS AND ATTACHMENTS

QMS-NHC-OP002