Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide

General
By inference from 23 USC 114, FHWA has oversight
responsibility for Federal-aid construction work: “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.” The purpose of
FHWA’s construction monitoring program is to facilitate the
division administrator’s evaluation of the State’s use of
Federal-aid funds and to provide support for the
disbursement of Federal funds based on State policies,
practices, and staffing. For the purpose of construction
program management, the term construction pertains
primarily to all post-award activities. However, knowledge of
pre-award activities such as plans, specifications, and
estimates (PS&E) development, mitigation measures, and
the project award process is necessary. (Refer to 23 USC 101
(a)(3) for a definition of “Construction.”)
Considerations
In evaluating the division’s construction management
program, consideration should be given to current agency
emphasis areas and the findings of past years’ programs. This
evaluation should be incorporated in the division’s risk
assessment procedures. As appropriate, the risk assessment
should provide for evaluating various phases of the STA
program on a cyclic basis. For more information, see the
“Risk Assessment Guide” on the FHWA Intranet:
http://intra.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/risktoc.htm.
Program areas where no major problems exist may not
require detailed review. As a part of the division’s risk
assessment, the basis for not making reviews should be
documented in the division office files. Program areas having
major problems and those where insufficient information is
available for drawing conclusions are candidates to be
included in the review cycle.
A fundamental component of construction program
management is an understanding of contract administration
and construction quality. Contract administration is broadly
defined as taking a PS&E and producing a desired end
product. Construction quality management involves
traditional quality assurance measures employed to control
and verify construction, material, and product quality. It also
encompasses broader topics of continuous quality
improvement such as optimization of decision-making
Construction Program Management
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)
3. Construction Program Management
processes, innovative contracting practices for enhancing
quality, performance feedback mechanisms, and specification
improvements and design refinements.
Quality construction is critical to a successful STA
construction program. Completed construction projects
represent tangible products by which the public measures the
success of the STA in delivering its program objectives. The
public ultimately defines the success of construction projects
based on the level of delivered quality, which may include a
variety of issues such as safety characteristics, operational
efficiency during and after construction, materials quality
and long-term durability, and financial value. The proper use
and knowledge of effective construction quality management
applications, at the program and the project level, can
provide FHWA with confidence that completed, federally
funded construction work meets the above objectives for
success.
Most STAs are now using some form of statistical quality
assurance specifications for their highway construction work.
Statistically based specifications are an effective means of
ensuring a quality product, and they are a fundamental
component of construction quality management. Many
STAs are also using other quality improvement methods,
such as obtaining and using highway user feedback,
developing performance measures and goals, and using
various processes during construction to ensure quality
workmanship. All of these quality improvement techniques
fall within the broader context of construction quality
management.
Quality assurance (QA) is the systematic processes
necessary to ensure sure the quality of a product is what it
should be. Quality assurance is an all-encompassing term
that includes quality control, acceptance, independent
assurance, dispute resolution, and the use of qualified
laboratories and qualified personnel.
All STAs are required by the Code of Federal
Regulations (23 CFR 637) to have a quality assurance
program for Federal-aid highway construction projects on
the National Highway System. Each division’s construction
program management activities should include elements for
encouraging and assisting the STA in implementing or
refining their QA program, and for assessing project level
implementation of the program requirements. See Appendix
B, Quality Assurance Resources, for additional guidance
on quality assurance program elements.
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