This is, of course, the engine room of every architectural practice. However brilliant the design, however competent the site administration the project will come unstuck without a first rate set of co-ordinated contract documents. This means that a carefully checked set of working drawings that has been cross referenced to a specification prepared specifically for the job is crucial. The co-ordination of the drawings and information of all the other specialist consultants is equally important. Without this information being available before tender there is little chance of budget certainty.
There are a number of factors that ensure that project information is delivered in the correct form:
- The use of properly trained and qualified staff is the most important. PMT employs 33 chartered architects and 20 other qualified technical staff.
- Continual Professional Development is obligatory for all staff, who each have personal development plans set out every year.
- In-house training takes place on a regular basis with all staff obliged to attend. Staff are also encouraged to go on appropriate external training courses.
- Our Quality Assurance system ensures that no work can be taken on without proper resourcing being allocated. The use of project planners for all jobs ensures appropriate time allocation and staff with the right skills for each stage of any job.
- We are fully committed to the use of Information Technology to make the integration of our work with that of other consultants as straightforward as it can be. Every member of staff has a computer at their desk. All the offices are networked and connected to each other by an intranet. All working drawing packages are completed on AutoCAD Release 2006 and LT2006.
- The firm has a technical panel made up of senior and experienced members of staff who keep our technical standards under review and who issue a monthly bulletin to all staff to draw attention to all appropriate changes in legislation, codes of practice, standards etc.
