Landscaping: an analysis of current contracting processes and documentation
Abstract
English: Landscape work, forms an integral part of most land development projects,
whether they are building works or civil works. Environmental protection, reha
bilitation and landscape beautification are nowadays considered essential
aspects in land developments.
Building contracts for the construction industry have been developed over many
years through the changing needs of clients and contractors, new levels of
technological skills and development of new materials and construction
methods. However, the varied nature and wide scope of landscape projects
often make them difficult to be reconciled with standard forms of contract
commonly in use in the construction industry.
This paper reviews the problem areas in the field of landscape contracting and
landscape maintenance brought about by a lack of suitable forms of landscape
contracts/subcontracts. Standard forms of contract generally do not allow for
the circumstances that are unique to landscape contracting, and this short
coming is regarded as a serious problem facing the landscape industry. This
paper will, therefore, also attempt to address the issue of how to effectively
reconcile landscape work with standard forms of contract that are generally
in use in South Africa, all of which have been written specifically for building
or civil works type projects. Afrikaans: Landskapwerk vorm ’n integrale deel van die meeste grondontwikkelings
projekte, hetsy bouwerk of siviele konstruksiewerk. Omgewingsbewaring en
rehabilitasie asook landskapverfraaiing word deesdae as onontbeerlike
aspekte van ontwikkelingsprojekte geag.
Boukontrakte vir die konstruksiebedryf is oor baie jare ontwikkel in reaksie op
veranderende behoeftes van bouhere en aannemers, nuwe vlakke van teg
nologiese vaardighede en die ontwikkeling van nuwe materiale en boume
todes. Die wyduiteenlopende aard en omvang van landskapprojekte maak
hulle egter dikwels moeilik versoenbaar met die standaard kontrakvorms wat
algemeen in die konstruksiebedryf gebruik word.
Hierdie artikel bied ’n oorsig oor die probleemareas in die veld van landskap
kontraktering en landskaponderhoud wat ontstaan as gevolg van ’n gebrek
aan geskikte kontrak en onderkontrakvorms. Standaard kontrakvorms laat
gewoonlik nie toe vir die omstandighede wat eie is aan landskapkontrakte
ring nie, en hierdie tekortkoming word beskou as ’n ernstige probleem wat
die landskapbedryf in die gesig staar. In hierdie artikel word die saak aan
gespreek hoe om landskapwerk effektief te versoen met kontrakvorms wat
algemeen in Suid Afrika gebruik word, maar wat almal geskryf is spesifiek vir
bou en siviele werk projekte.