How to Add Permits in Project Scheduling

Permits are critical aspects of construction projects that must be prioritized. Permit delays can cause project activities to be delayed.

In reality in the field, permits often have an uncertain duration.

For example, you are building an overpass project or a road that passes through an underground tunnel. Some of the permissions you need to pay attention to are:

  • Traffic diversion permit
  • Cutting tree permit
  • Permission to move utilities
  • Permit to excavate in public areas
  • And others

Then how do you enter the authority’s permit in the project schedule?

Due to their sometimes unpredictable schedule, you can include a permitting schedule in the project design phase.

My assumption is that your projects are divided into phases:

  • Project for the feasibility study phase
  • Project for the design phase
  • Projects for the construction phase

This initial permit should have been done during the project’s design phase, not during the construction phase. If you just include this permit schedule in the construction phase, the potential delay will be bigger.

You have coordinated at the beginning with the relevant authorities so that during implementation you only have to take care of the final permits which are usually related to administration or documents.

For example, if you have work in green areas, you need to coordinate to do tree cutting, replant trees in areas outside of the project work, how many trees need to be cut and how many trees need to be replanted. Who is the interested authority, etc.

So, in terms of the permit, when the design is in progress or completed, you must coordinate the design with the authority.

The risk of a design change is greatest when your project work area is near public facilities such as sidewalks, bus stops, security posts, areas of private residents’ land, green areas, and others.

Also, read what is the critical path in the project schedule?

Even if you began coordination with the authorities permit during the design phase, when the project construction phase begins, you must still create a particular schedule for the final permit with a specific duration (depending on the complexity of the permit).

This time frame must be determined at the start of construction (preliminaries part). Because the duration of this permitted activity is frequently uncertain, try to provide a float for it.

Some of the risks associated with permits that can cause delays:

  • Changes to local government regulations.
  • Changes in the authority department.
  • Changes in conditions in the field.
  • Design changes.

This permit schedule is very crucial for the project owner, so the contractor who makes the schedule needs to coordinate with the project owner.

There are often delays in permits on the agreed schedule in the contract due to the lack of attention of the project owner on the permit schedule which results in losses on the part of the owner because permits are often considered the responsibility of the owner, especially in government projects.

The following is an example of implementing a schedule for licensing in a construction project:

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