BLCN28003 - Construction Contract Administration

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In Construction Contract Administration you will be introduced to the principles of law, contract administration, and dispute resolution in the construction industry. In this unit, you will investigate a range of issues and claims arising in the construction process. In particular, you will develop an understanding of certain general conditions and legal concepts relevant to contracts such as unjust enrichment, frustration, waiver, estoppel, and specific performance. You will also gain knowledge of alternative dispute resolution methods and become familiar with the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Brisbane
Online
Sydney
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Brisbane
Online
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 30%
2. Research Assignment 50%
3. Online Test 20%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 92.31% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 46.43% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Sute Student Evaluation
Feedback
Best aspects of the class were the clear and knowledgeable explanations
Recommendation
Lectures and tutorials will continue to provide up to date knowledge, real-life examples and industry relevant learning material.
Action Taken
We updated our teaching methods to include contemporary and industry-relevant content. Specifically, our lectures and tutorials now feature current information, real-world examples, and industry-specific materials. This change has significantly enhanced student engagement and the overall learning experience.
Source: Sute Student Evaluation
Feedback
Some field visits or practical knowledge should be added to the unit.
Recommendation
A site visit was held for Perth Students in a previous term and an industry expert visited in class this term. From 2024 face to face classes led by lecturers on Sydney and Brisbane campuses will further connect to the local construction industry.
Action Taken
We incorporated experiential learning opportunities to enrich our curriculum and support student development. This year, a site visit for students was a valuable addition to our unit. It helped students familiarise themselves with a real construction project, allowing them to apply theory in practice.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Well-organized course content on Moodle site
Recommendation
We will continue to maintain and enhance the high level of organisation of the content on the Moodle site. This will include regular reviews and updates to ensure that the unit content remains user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection
Feedback
Invite an industry guest lecturer to speak on a unit topic
Recommendation
We will explore the option of inviting a guest lecturer with relevant industry experience to provide insights and practical knowledge on a selected topic. We will coordinate with the guest lecturer to ensure their presentation aligns with the unit's learning objectives. This will enhance students' learning by providing real-world insights, networking opportunities, and practical knowledge relevant to their future careers.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Critically analyse and reflect using cognitive and creative skills on legal concepts and their application for the construction industry
  2. Identify optimum contractual solutions using Australian Standards general conditions of contract
  3. Evaluate and interpret commonly used contract price and project delivery options to enable the procurement of complex construction projects
  4. Formulate and apply available remedies to construction contract disputes
  5. Evaluate and interpret the complexity of issues associated with identifying and selecting the different types of insurances used for construction projects.


Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Research Assignment • • •
3 - Online Test • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Knowledge • •
2 - Communication • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • • •
4 - Research • • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Online Test • •
2 - Research Assignment • • • •