BCN 3727 CONSTRUCTION SITEWORK & EQUIPMENT 

Term Project (200 Points) 

Final Report and Presentation are  due on Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m. 

  1.       INTRODUCTION and PROJECT DESCRIPTION

During construction work, it is necessary to conduct site preparation and excavation works for the foundations of buildings. For this project, you are given the site preparation and excavation works for the foundation of a large mixed used residential/commercial project close to downtown Miami. The land is 300 yards long and 200 yards wide. The site is reasonably level terrain with firm ground and approximately less than 25% rock content. The project specifications require excavating 5 ft. of the entire land area. You have identified a disposal site 4 miles away from the jobsite with a 4% slope upwards from the site to the disposal. Most of the soil at the site consists of common earth with 25% swell. You can make reasonable assumptions wherever information is not provided in this project description (e.g., about soil density and moisture content of the soil, etc.). You need to clearly state your assumptions before making any calculations regarding the earthmoving/earthwork operations.

  

2.       INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to define three equipment crew compositions (one primary fleet and two alternatives) for this project. Crews may include combinations of dozers, excavators, hauling trucks, loaders, support vehicles, etc. Complete the following:

1. Identify Equipment

•        Research appropriate brands and models using the internet, operator’s manuals, and other commercially available data.

•        Use manufacturer performance characteristics (e.g., bucket capacity, engine power, gross machine weight, productivity rates) as the basis for your analysis.

•        Make reasonable assumptions where needed (e.g., soil density and moisture content).

2. Analyze Each Fleet

Using the data collected, determine: a) Productivity of each fleet

b)  Ownership and operating costs

c)  Trade-offs between productivity and cost across fleets

d)  Rent, lease, or buy options, with rationale for each option

3. Compare Alternatives

•        Evaluate and compare the fleets based on their ability to perform the job, their productivity, and by comparing rent/lease/buy options for each

•        Estimate project time and cost for each

4. Select Optimum Fleet

• Present your final choice of the most effective fleet, supported by your analysis.

 

                

3.       GRADING 

The term project will be graded out of 200 points and is worth 15% of the total course grade. Deliverables include: 

(1)             Meeting minutes of the student group’s first meeting to acknowledge announcement of the term project instructions, to discuss project objectives, goals, and to determine a work schedule. 

(2)             Preliminary calculations of the productivity of the primary fleet of vehicles, including preliminary calculations of the two alternate fleet choices. 

(3)             A written report.

(4)             A 15 to 20-minute group presentation on your project.

(5)             A group evaluation form to rate the performance of the other group members.  The report, presentation, and group evaluation are due on Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

 

3.1       First Meeting (25 points) – Due February 19, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

1.     Acknowledgement of announcement of Term Project. Each student in the group should indicate that they have reviewed the term project and understand the term project scope and instructions. 

2.     Meeting minutes of first meeting discussing project objectives, goals, and creating a schedule to follow regarding the work (additional meetings, calculations, project sections, etc.)

 

3.2       Preliminary Calculations (25 points) – Due March 19, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

1.     Preliminary calculations of productivity of the primary fleet of vehicles and alternatives. 

2.     Estimation of total project time per fleet of vehicles.

 

3.3       Report (100 points) – Due April 17, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

The report will consist of:  

1. Cover page and Table of Contents (2 pages – mandatory) (Not having a cover page and a table of contents incurs an automatic 10-point penalty) 

2. Abstract (5 points) (1 page)

• An abstract is essentially a summary of the entire report and highlights the main purpose of the report, methods, key findings and conclusions in a concise and easy to read format. (300-400-word limit)

3. Introduction (10 points) (2-4 pages) • Provide an overview of the project. 

• State all assumptions.

4. Main body (70 points) (No page limit, must include each of the 5 sections below) This is the content of the main body of the report. It must, at a minimum, include:   

•        The characteristics of the identified equipment (e.g., bucket size, gross machine weight, engine power) along with references to the manufacturers’ manuals.  

•        An estimate of the time/productivity it takes to complete the job with the selected equipment fleet with all detailed calculations.

•        An estimate of the ownership and operation costs with all detailed calculations.

•        Discussions about your decisions on buy/rent/lease options for each fleet and the rationale of your decisions.

•        Analysis of the cost versus the productivity tradeoffs and the selection of the optimum fleet composition. 

5. Conclusions (10 points) (2-4 pages)

•        Summarize your decisions regarding vehicle choices, buying/renting/leasing equipment and other project choices. 

•        Discuss the factors that may have changed your final choice (e.g. soil type and density, distance from suppliers, etc.)

•        Discuss the problems that you think are likely to happen during this sitework project (e.g. adverse weather conditions, safety issues, etc.) and ways to deal with such problems.   

6. References (5 points)  

•        Include a list of references that your report cited. 

•        Use an alphabetical order for listing the references.

 

3.4      Presentation (50 points) – Due April 17, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

This is the group presentation. All team members need to be present. The content of the presentation should, at a minimum, include:

•        The characteristics of the identified equipment

•        Productivity, cost analysis and tradeoffs between productivity and cost 

•        Comparisons of different equipment crews/fleets

•        Decisions on the optimal equipment crew/fleet and reasons for choosing such crew/fleet.

 

Notes: You are suggested to use tables and charts to summarize your calculation results. 

Please save the detailed calculations for the written report. Your presentation will be graded on:

1.      Delivery (10 points) 

•        Enthusiasm    

•        Adequate pace 

•        Tone (can we hear you) 

•        Proper voice projection/modulation 

2.      Organization & contents (20 points) 

•        Clear objectives 

•        Logical structure 

•        Effective use of content and summaries 

3.      Visual aids (20 points)    

•        Clear and easy-to-read slides 

•        Logical organization of slides 

•        Effective colors and theme (Aesthetics)

 

3.5      Group Evaluation Form (Mandatory) – Due April 17, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m.

 

For this term project, each student is required to complete a group evaluation form to assess the performance of their teammates. Members will rate one another based on their percentage of effort and contribution to the project. Submission of this form is mandatory for all group members.

 

4.       SUBMISSION  

4.1       First Meeting (25 points)

Please submit an electronic copy (PDF) of the first student group meeting on Microsoft Word or PDF through the link “Term Project First Meeting” on the Canvas website. Please name the file as: Group Number_Your Name_Term Project Only one team member needs to submit this file.

 

4.2       Preliminary Calculations (25 points)

Please submit an electronic copy (PDF) of the preliminary calculations on Microsoft Word or PDF through the link “Term Project Preliminary Calculations” on the Canvas website. Please name the file as: Group Number_Your Name_Term Project Only one team member needs to submit this file.

 

4.3       Report (100 points)

Please submit an electronic copy (PDF) of the report in Microsoft Word through the link “Term Project” in the Canvas. Please name the file as: Group Number_Your Name_Term Project Only one team member needs to submit this file.

 

4.4       Presentation (50 points) 

Please use FIU Zoom to record your presentations. In your presentation, please make sure you share your screens that show your presentation slides.  Please submit the recorded video in mp4 format through the link “Term Project_Presentation” on Canvas. Please name the file as: Group Number_Your Name_Term Project.mp4 Only one team member needs to submit this file.

 

4.5       Group Evaluation

Please submit and electronic copy (PDF) of the group evaluation form through the link “Term Project_Group Evaluation on Canvas. Please name this file as Group Number_Your Name_Group Evaluation Every team member will need to submit the group evaluation form.

 

  

5.       IMPORTANT NOTE 

In case of any ambiguities or conflicting information in the term paper instructions, the students should seek clarification from the instructor in a timely manner, i.e., contact the instructor about questions/concerns earlier rather than later. Lack of understanding of the requirements of the term project does not entitle students to extra credits or extension of deadlines. Student groups should schedule an appointment to meet with the instructor if any questions may arise.

 

 

6.       DISCLAIMER 

This term project was created to facilitate students’ hands-on experience and practical learning of the course materials. The project description is simplified and should not be used for any purpose other than evaluating the students’ ability to collect and analyze data related to construction sitework activities as well as making sound decisions about selecting appropriate equipment for construction projects.

                

Report Grading Rubric: 

 

Report	Observations	Points Earned
Abstract (5 points)
Introduction (10 points)
Main body (70 points)
Conclusions (10 points)
References (5 points)

 

Presentation Grading Rubric:

 

Presentation	Observations	Points Earned
Delivery (10 points) •   Enthusiasm     •   Adequate pace  •   Tone (can we hear you)  •   Proper voice projection/modulation
Organization and Content (20 points) •     Clear objectives  •     Logical structure  •     Effective use of content and summaries
Visual Aids (20 points) •     Clear and easy-to-read slides  •     Logical organization of slides  •     Effective colors and theme (Aesthetics)