Cheating and Plagiarism Policy for Accredited Courses

University's Guidance on Cheating and Plagiarism

For courses accredited by professional bodies such as the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) there are some derogations from the standard regulations and these are detailed in Cheating and Plagiarism

Both cheating and plagiarism are totally unacceptable and the University maintains a strict policy against them. It is YOUR responsibility to be aware of this policy and to act accordingly.

The basic principles are:

• Don’t pass off anyone else’s work as your own, including work from “essay banks”. This is plagiarism and is viewed extremely seriously by the University.
• Don’t submit a piece of work in whole or in part that has already been submitted for assessment elsewhere. This is called duplication and, like plagiarism, is viewed extremely seriously by the University.
• Always acknowledge all of the sources that you have used in your coursework assignment or project.
• If you are using the exact words of another person, always put them in quotation marks.
• Check that you know whether the coursework is to be produced individually or whether you can work with others.
• If you are doing group work, be sure about what you are supposed to do on your own.
• Never make up or falsify data to prove your point.
• Never allow others to copy your work.
• Never lend disks, memory sticks or copies of your coursework to any other student in the University; this may lead you being accused of collusion.

By submitting coursework, either physically or electronically, you are confirming that it is your own work (or, in the case of a group submission, that it is the result of joint work undertaken bymembers of the group that you represent) and that you have read and understand the University’s guidance on plagiarism and cheating.

You should be aware that coursework may be submitted to an electronic detection system in order to help ascertain if any plagiarised material is present. You may check your own work prior to submission using Turnitin at the Formative Moodle Site. If you have queries about what constitutes plagiarism, please speak to your module tutor or the Centre for Academic Success.

Electronic Submission of Work

It is your responsibility to ensure that work submitted in electronic format can be opened on a faculty computer and to check that any electronic submissions have been successfully uploaded. If it cannot be opened it will not be marked. Any required file formats will be specified in the assignment brief and failure to comply with these submission requirements will result in work not being marked. You must retain a copy of all electronic work you have submitted and re-submit if requested.

Learning Outcomes to be Assessed:

Apply software to measure, bill and price different works sections by the appropriate standard method using contractor’s tenders received, record and analyse, adjusting for anomalies, presenting a final recommendation.

Assessment Details:

Title: The aim of this assignment is to introduce the student to the role of the consultant receiving tenders, adjudicating and recommending a contractor for appointment by a client. This will involve the manipulation of priced data in the form of electronic bills of quantities to enable assessment of tenders together with detailed visual analysis and comparison of tenders presented in the form of graphs and charts.

Type: Coursework

Style: Analysis of priced BQ using software and compilation of analysis in a professional formal tender report together with a recommendation.

Rationale: This module develops on the skills and knowledge for quantification and cost management acquired in levels 4&5 for building works by focusing on the Civils Method of Measurement. Both Cost Management and Quantification are core competences of a quantity surveyor. To complete the process of the BQ production there is a need to learn the skills of analysis of tenders received and the presentation of that data in both written and graphical interpretation.

Assessment Details

• Capture data held in the electronic format and incorporated into priced bills of quantities.
• Receive tenders for work, evaluate electronically using software systems.
• Produce recommendations for tender award in the form of a Tender Report.

Task

To receive, electronically, not less than three tender submissions, to assess each submission against your own cost estimate (PTE) (Deliverable One) and produce a written recommendation to your client.

• Work is to be carried out independently using Excel, making particular use of formulas relating to cell data.
• The “tender submissions” will be CQ&C assignments (deliverable one work) created at the beginning of the module by yourself and your associates.
• Your own assignment will be your Cost Estimate (PTE) with three associates work being the “tenders”.
• I will allocate tenders.
• Briefings will be held in class lecture and seminar sessions to enable scope, clarity, presentation and extent of work to be discussed.

On behalf of your QS practice, BJ Quantity Surveyors produce the following to your client Eastern Developments:

• Written & electronic comparative schedule of all tender rates, quantities and items submitted.
• Written and electronic analysis of each tender compared to the “pretender estimate”.
• Written and electronic analysis of each tender compared to the “pretender estimate” but adjusted to enable a like for like comparison with the “pretender estimate” of major differences only.
• Explanation of rates, items and quantities, which vary and why.
• Explanation for adjusted tender figures.
• Visual comparison of the variances in rates, items and quantities
• Visual comparison of the trends within the tenders compared to current industry data
• Final recommendation as to the contractor to be awarded the contract.

Your final Tender Report must include both written and graphical sections on the three stages of analysis together with excel spread sheets itemising the analysis and changes proposed to tenders.