Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide

1. Introduction
The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) field
responsibilities and extent of involvement in project details
have changed considerably over the years. Construction
inspection procedures and techniques have undergone a
number of changes to keep pace with changing times. Recent
efforts to maintain a competent level of engineering
awareness within the agency have prompted another change
in direction. The wide variety of programs and reductions in
staffing without a commensurate reduction in FHWA
responsibility have further served to complicate the issue.
The role of FHWA field staff as stewards of federal
requirements is to ensure compliance by supporting
continuous quality improvement, promoting innovation and
new technology, and providing value-added technical
support. These responsibilities are best accomplished by
developing professional relationships with our State
counterparts in State transportation agency (STA)
headquarters and in the field. The FHWA engineer should
strive to be a value-added element in the administration of
the Federal-aid program.
Traditionally the front-line FHWA engineer was known
as the “area engineer.” With reorganization, construction
oversight responsibility is now carried out by field staff with
a variety of titles, including “transportation engineer,” “field
engineer,” “construction engineer,” and similar designations.
For the purposes of this Guide, these terms are used
interchangeably.
FHWA’s ultimate responsibility for stewardship and
oversight of the Federal-aid highway program is affirmed in
several sections of the United States Code. 23 USC 114
states: “The construction of any highways or portions of
highways located on the Federal-aid system shall be
undertaken by the respective State transportation
departments or under their direct supervision.…such
construction shall be subject to the inspection and approval
of the Secretary.” Subsection (c) of 23 USC 106, Project
Approval and Oversight, provides for the States to assume
some responsibilities of the Secretary for certain projects.
However, subsection (d), Responsibilities of the Secretary,
further states that “…nothing in this section, section 133
[Surface Transportation Program], or section 149
[Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement
Program] shall affect or discharge any responsibilities or
obligations of the Secretary under (1) section 113 [Prevailing
rate of wage] or 114 [Construction], or (2) any Federal
law….”
This Guide highlights FHWA roles and resources to
assist the State in delivering a quality construction program.
The Guide is intended to complement experience gained on
actual construction sites. States have established processes
and procedures to administer contracts and monitor
successful program delivery. These procedures include
monthly contract status reports, material testing, change
order and claim evaluations, and other contract
administration reporting that provides program-level
information on contract delivery. These project
documentation and source records should be readily
available at the project site on all Federal-aid projects.
FHWA engineers should make full use of all documentation
to monitor the program and identify the potential areas of
risk.
This Guide has been developed to assist FHWA field
engineers in maintaining and improving technical
competence and in selecting a balanced program of
construction management techniques. The intent is to carry
out this program using an appropriate level of risk
management. It is FHWA’s responsibility to ensure that the
public is getting the best value for its expenditure of public
resources in all of its programs.
The Guide serves to highlight technical features and
techniques for making construction inspections that have
proven to be effective. The Guide has several purposes:
▼ Providing familiarization for newer employees
▼ Serving as a refresher for veteran employees
Introduction
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)
▼ Assisting field offices in developing a balanced
construction program by considering the relative merits
of using a variety of construction program management
and inspection techniques
▼ Highlighting technical elements to be integrated in
construction inspections to provide a reasonable level of
quality assurance in the construction program area
The following section provides a brief review of the history
of the FHWA’s project construction inspection practices and
the current management of FHWA’s construction
monitoring program. This review serves as a background for
discussing the construction program management and
inspection responsibilities of FHWA field engineers.
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