Costs and Benefits of Materials Management Systems

Planning and communications are probably the two most important elements of any effective materials management system. (SD-17, p. 4) The responsibilities of all areas of the project need to be clearly defined early in the project. Further discussion is needed by the owner to relay specific project characteristics or constraints that may alter the scope or cost of the project’s materials management effort. These may include restricted lay down areas, schedule compression and changes, cash flow requirements, design changes, etc. The contractor then needs to communicate the exact materials procedures he has chosen to implement on the project.