# Definitions

Please note that many definitions are still missing. These will be available in the near future.

**Anchors** are normally prestressed steel tendons that are drilled into the soil or rock and cement-grouted to the Shoring Wall. Anchors are used to provide the necessary horizontal forces to retain temporary or permanent Shoring Wall systems for deep excavations.

**Contract Administrator** is a business administration professional who oversees the creation, negotiation, signing and upholding of contracts.

**Construction Method Statement** is a document that describes how to carry out construction activities in a safe order. It consists of a set of clear instructions from arriving on site, carrying out the works, to leaving the site at the end of the works.

**Development Application** is a formal application to develop a site, or some form of building, that requires the assessment and approval of a government body. It is usually submitted to the local council and consists of standard application forms, supporting technical reports and plans (often drawn by an architect).

**Dilapidation Report** is the result of a survey conducted to identify and record the condition of a property at a given point in time.

**Early Works Package** is a contract governing any preliminary construction works to be carried out prior to the finalisation of a full contract package. In my experience it tends to be the work below ground, or earthworks. It’s particularly useful because it allows the limited work to start, which can take several months to finalise, depending on the size of the job, while waiting for the Development Application to be granted.

**Shoring Wall** is a temporary wall that is often used during deep excavations to prevent the overturning of the retained soil.

**Subsidence** is the gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land.
