As mentioned earlier, quality in construction is too
important to be left to chance. A look at history gives some
insight into the problem. Through the first half of this
century, engineers and architects were in total control
during the design phase. During the construction phase they
carried out a role described as 'supervision', insuring that
the owner received his money's worth in terms of quality.
In the 1950s and 1960s, owners became increasingly concerned
with cost and schedule, areas where design professionals
were not providing good control. 6 The emphasis
continued to be on quality and control of exposure to liability.
At about the same time, the widespread use in the public
sector and, to a large degree, in the private sector, of the
sealed competitive bid gave the owner the advantage of competitive
pricing, but also forced the general contractor to look
for every advantage during construction to control cost and
maintain a profitable stance. As mechanical and electrical
systems became more complex, the general contractor turned
responsibility for such work over to subcontractors, including
quality control of their workmanship. Through
contract, subcontract and sub-subcontract, the general
contractor ended up delegating responsibility for quality