Richard Kirkham

The statutory duty of public service ombudsmen (PSO) is to investigate claims of injustice caused by maladministration in the provision of public services. This book examines the modern role of the ombudsman within the overall emerging system of administrative justice and makes recommendations as to how PSO should optimize their potential within the wider administrative justice context. Recent developments are discussed and long standing questions that have yet to be adequately resolved in the ombudsman community are re-evaluated given broader changes in the administrative justice sector. The work balances theory and empirical research conducted in a number of common law countries. Although there has been much debate within the ombudsman community in recent years aimed at developing and improving the practice of ombudsmanry, this work represents a significant advance on current academic understanding of the discipline.

This new edition of the classic quantity surveying textbook retains its basic structure but has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent changes in the industry, especially in procurement. Although over the last 20 years a number of new procurement methods have evolved and become adopted, the recession has seen many clients revert to established traditional methods of procurement so the fundamentals of cost planning still apply - and should not be ignored. The first edition of this leading textbook was published in 1964 and it continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the practice and procedures of cost planning in the procurement of buildings. This 9th edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect changes that have occurred in the UK construction industry in the past six years. Whilst retaining its core structure of the three-phase cost planning process originally developed by Ferry and Brandon, the text provides a thorough grounding in contemporary issues including procurement innovation, whole life cycle costing and modelling techniques. Designed to support the core cost planning studies covered by students reading for degrees in quantity surveying and construction management, it provides a platform for understanding the fundamental importance of effective cost planning practice. The principals of elemental cost planning are covered from both pre- and post- contract perspectives; the role of effective briefing and client/stakeholder engagement as best practice is also reinforced in this text. This new edition: Addresses The Soft Landings Framework (a new govt. initiative, especially for schools) to make buildings perform radically better and much more sustainably. Puts focus on actual performance in use at brief stage, during design and construction, and especially before and after handover.Covers recent changes in procurement, especially under the NEC and PFIProvides more on PPP and long-term maintenance issues Offers an improved companion website with tutorial worksheets for lecturers and Interactive spreadsheets for students, e.g. development appraisal models; lifecycle costing models

The statutory duty of public service ombudsmen (PSO) is to investigate claims of injustice caused by maladministration in the provision of public services. This book examines the modern role of the ombudsman within the overall emerging system of administrative justice and makes recommendations as to how PSO should optimize their potential within the wider administrative justice context. Recent developments are discussed and long standing questions that have yet to be adequately resolved in the ombudsman community are re-evaluated given broader changes in the administrative justice sector. The work balances theory and empirical research conducted in a number of common law countries. Although there has been much debate within the ombudsman community in recent years aimed at developing and improving the practice of ombudsmanry, this work represents a significant advance on current academic understanding of the discipline.

Whole life-cycle costing (WLCC) is rapidly becoming the standard method for the long-term cost appraisal of buildings and civil infrastructure projects. With clients now demanding buildings that demonstrate value for money over the long term, WLCC has become an essential tool for those involved in the design, construction, operation and risk analysis of construction projects. Whole-life costing: risk and risk responses offers a thorough grounding in both the theory and practical application of WLCC. Part I deals with the fundamentals, providing the general background to appreciate WLCC concepts and whole life risk management techniques at the key decision-making milestones through a project’s life. Part II covers the design stage, including service life forecasting and environmental life-cycle assessment techniques in WLCC. Practical frameworks both for assessing whole life risks and risk responses, as well as guidance on developing WLCC budget estimates are also developed. In Part III, the authors consider WLCC during the construction and operations stages, with a strong emphasis upon risk analysis methods and dynamic WLCC assessment. With its mixture of established theory, best practice and innovative approaches, this book will help you make more accurate assessments of the long-term cost effectiveness of projects by: providing a thorough grounding in the theory of WLCCdemonstrating how decision-making uncertainty can be reduced by basing choices on sound risk management principlesidentifying a systematic approach to planning the post-occupancy costs.