Construction phase plans: what should yours contain?
Every construction project needs a construction phase plan before work starts. The useful question is not whether one exists, but whether it reflects the project, risks and management arrangements.
Reviewed 24 August 2026 · By Lloyd GodsallWho prepares the construction phase plan?
For a project involving more than one contractor, the principal contractor must draw up the construction phase plan during the pre-construction phase and before setting up the construction site. For a single-contractor project, the contractor must prepare it. The client must ensure a plan is in place before the construction phase begins.
The plan should be proportionate. A short, straightforward project does not require the same volume of information as a complex multi-contractor scheme, but brevity is not an excuse for missing significant risks or unclear control.
What useful plans normally explain
- Project scope, key dates, people and management responsibilities
- How site rules, cooperation, communication and consultation will work
- Welfare, first aid, emergency and fire arrangements
- Site access, deliveries, traffic, security and protection of the public
- How design information, temporary works and changes will be controlled
- Arrangements for higher-risk work and significant project-specific hazards
- How contractors, competence, RAMS, permits, inspections and evidence will be managed
Common weaknesses
Plans often fail when they describe the company rather than the project, leave responsibilities unnamed, copy hazards unrelated to the work or promise controls that the team cannot implement. A plan also needs to be reviewed as the scope, design, programme and site conditions change.
A useful test
Could a newly appointed site manager use the plan to understand who controls the job, what the main interfaces are and where the project needs particular attention? If not, it probably needs work.
What HSE says
HSE describes the principal contractor as responsible for planning, managing, monitoring and coordinating the construction phase. Read the official HSE principal contractor guidance.
Need a new plan or an independent review? See our RAMS and construction plan service.