Pre-Job Conference

The pre-job conference should be conducted prior to starting the work and
provides the opportunity for all parties to meet and define everyone’s
responsibility and level of authority on the contract.

There have been numerous instances where a client has hired a coating
inspector without defining the roles and responsibilities, which ultimately
leads to confusion and potential conflict.

The pre-job conference is the ideal opportunity to discuss every aspect of the
forthcoming contract.
Pre-Job Conference

The pre-job conference should be attended by the client or owner, the coating
inspectors, contractors QA/QC personnel, supervisor or manager and
integrated third party personnel.

The meeting should be used to discuss:

 The overall purpose of the contract and the client’s requirements.

 The coating specification and all the relevant sections.
 The procedures and processes to be used on the contract.
 Lines of communication and authority.
 The programme, resources, working hours etc.
 Documentation.
 QA/QC.
 Health and Safety.
Pre-Job Conference

The pre-job conference should be defined by the client who should ensure
that the meeting is a requirement of the contract or within the coating
specification.

The pre-job conference should be conducted before any of the work is

planned or has commenced, ideally 2-4 weeks before the start of the contract.

If practical, a site visit should be conducted to review the works or contractors

premises.
Pre-Contract Meeting

An agenda for the pre-contract meeting should be developed and issued to all
parties prior to the meeting.

Minutes should be taken at the Pre-Contract meeting, however, this should

not be conducted by the coating inspector.

The minutes of the meeting should be distributed in ample time for all parties
to agree or disagree

The agreed minutes should be filed in the contract file, as these may be
required during the contract.
Programme

The works programme should be discussed at the pre-contract meeting as the

programme will dictate the following:

 The start and finish dates of the contract.

 The resources required by the contractor which will dictate the plant and
equipment necessary along with site accommodation etc.
 The programme will also detail the surface preparation and coating
activities allowing the coating inspector to review the inspection
requirements.

The hours of work and number of days should be detailed as more than one
coating inspector may be necessary if day shift and night shift working are
planned.
Coating Specification

The pre-job conference should review the coating specification.

The coating inspector can go through each section of the coating specification
with the contractor.

The contractor has the opportunity to address any concerns with the coating
specification and raise any technical queries allowing ample time for a review
by the client or client’s representative.

The client has the opportunity to discuss specific items in the coating
specification such as training of personnel, specialist types of plant or
equipment and knowledge and experience within the coating etc.
Coating Inspector

Regardless of the pre-contract meeting, the coating inspector has specific

duties, which include:

 Being professional
 Having the knowledge to assist with the contract
 Being on time for work and available for the inspection activities
 Being fair and honest
 Being calm and objective

The coating inspector should not be used to supervise the works and is
responsible for protecting the client’s interests by ensuring that they work in
accordance with the authority granted.
Summary

Within this training unit, we have reviewed the requirement to have a pre-
conference meeting with all parties concerned with the contract.

We discussed the items on the agenda and the importance of conducting this
conference.