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Glossary · Both modules · 5 min read
Plain definitions of the terms used across Construction Management, from chainage and BOQ to pier caps and S-curves. Engineers will know most of them. Everyone else can start here.
By the LivSYT team · 2 Oct 2026
Abutment
The support at each end of a bridge. It carries the end of the deck and holds back the ground behind it.
Alignment
The route of a road or railway. The horizontal alignment is the route on plan, and the vertical alignment, or profile, is how its level rises and falls.
Bearing
A part between a pier cap and a girder. It carries the girder's load into the pier and lets the girder move a little as the temperature changes.
BOQ (bill of quantities)
The list of every item of work in a contract, with its quantity, unit and rate. Each item is a BOQ line, such as "04.21 Rebar, piers". Progress and value are often reported by BOQ line.
Chainage
The distance along the centre line of a road or railway from a fixed start point. CH 12+400 means 12.4 km from the start. Works on a road are located by chainage.
Change order
A recorded change to the work in a contract, with its effect on quantity or value.
Cut and fill
Earthworks for a road. Ground is cut away where it is higher than the design level and filled where it is lower. A good design balances the two along the route, so less material is brought in or taken away.
Daily progress report
The record of the work done on site in a day, usually with quantities, labour, equipment and issues. It is often shortened to DPR.
Detailed Project Report
The report that sets out a project's design, cost and plan, prepared for approval before construction. It is also shortened to DPR, so check which one a document means.
General arrangement (GA)
The drawing that shows a structure's overall layout and main dimensions. Detailed drawings and sections follow from it.
Girder
A large beam that spans between two piers and carries the deck.
Load combination
A set of loads applied together to check a structure, such as dead load, live load, wind, seismic and temperature. The design standard sets which combinations to check and the factor for each load.
MEP
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing: the building services, such as cooling, power and water.
N+1
A level of redundancy with one more unit of equipment than the load needs, so one unit can fail or be serviced without loss of capacity.
OHE (overhead equipment)
The wires and masts above a railway that supply power to electric trains.
Pier
A column that supports a bridge or viaduct deck between its ends. A metro viaduct has a pier at every span.
Pier cap
The top of a pier. It spreads the load from the bearings into the pier. It is also called a headstock.
Pile and pile cap
A pile is a long column driven or bored into the ground to carry load down to firmer soil or rock. A pile cap is the thick concrete block that joins the tops of a group of piles and carries the pier.
Progress statement
A report of the work done in a period, line by line against the BOQ.
RFI (request for information)
A formal question from the site to the designer or consultant, such as which of two conflicting dimensions to use. The answer is recorded with the question.
S-curve
A chart of cumulative progress over time. The planned line is usually S-shaped: slow at the start, fast in the middle and slow at the end. The actual line is drawn against it.
Span
The distance between two supports, or the part of the deck between them. Span P1–P2 is the deck between piers P1 and P2.
Transmittal
A record that documents were sent, with what was sent, to whom and when.
Viaduct
A long bridge made of many spans on piers, such as an elevated metro line.
XER
The file format Primavera P6 uses to export a schedule.
Zone
A named part of a site used to locate work, such as Pier P3, Span P1–P2 or Level 4 west. In Construction Management, zones carry the names the planner already uses.
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