Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide

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Construction Program Management
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)
which the project has been previously inspected by FHWA
personnel, the adequacy of the STA’s internal controls, and
the extent of independent inspections and evaluations that
have been provided by the State. The final inspections are
conducted in accordance with the FHWA/STA stewardship
agreement.
A final inspection may be accomplished by any of the
following methods:
▼ An on-site review conducted at or near the completion
of work.
▼ A review of project records that are provided by the
State at the completion of work if prior on-site
inspections have been conducted.
▼ If previous PR/PE or IID reviews of the STA’s internal
control programs for inspection of completed projects
have indicated the STA has satisfactory procedures, the
final inspection may be based on the finding that the
STA is properly exercising its internal controls, and no
additional review will be required.
▼ When similar types of work are included in an areawide
project or projects using the same contractor, an
inspection of a sample of contract work locations may
fulfill the requirement for a final inspection.
Specialty Reviews
Sometimes division offices develop other types of review
activities patterned after the basic inspection types in an
effort to better meet their needs and the management style
of the STA. Special emphasis reviews have been used
successfully to focus attention on high priority/high visibility
topics; as fact-finding tools for preliminary investigations; for
evaluating project staffing levels; for making state-of-the-art
evaluations; for determining the extent of suspected problem
areas; or for concentrated problem solving efforts.
Emphasis area reviews will typically be less detailed than
major phase reviews but will be more detailed than a project
inspection. This type of review envisions that a concentrated
effort will be expended over a number of projects to direct
added emphasis to a particular item or phase for a short
period of time.
Phase reviews will typically target a major phase of work
where all parts, such as paving, will be reviewed. Minor
phases or portions of major phases, such as crushing or plant
operations, may occasionally be reviewed. Reviews will
typically be comprehensive but may be in less detail than an
IID.
Contact reviews are useful for monitoring the status of
changing situations, change orders, and construction
operations. They are also useful in maintaining effective
rapport and working relationships with State counterparts
and local officials, and they can facilitate the scheduling of
more detailed inspections. They typically should not replace
the more indepth reviews. However, they can be effective
when properly controlled. While inspections should be on
site, contacts by telephone or when passing through a project
help to keep FHWA aware of project status and conditions.
Factors to Consider
In planning inspection activities, a number of factors need to
be considered. Of prime importance is the objective of the
inspection. Is it for fact-finding, program emphasis, problem
identification, problem solving, verification, or another
purpose? Identification of the objective may assist in
determining the inspection technique to be used. Sometimes
a broad-based review is desired, and at other times it may be
appropriate to review only selected elements in some depth
on a few typical or individually chosen projects.
Timing of the inspection in relation to construction
activities can dictate or limit the type of inspection to be
made. The time available for the inspection will help to
determine if one of the more intensive types of inspections
can be used. Sometimes it will be necessary to evaluate the
potential benefits of making a greater number versus more
indepth inspections.
Inspection selection decision should be based on
program insight and knowledge of the STA’s staffing and
performance. This is an area of risk management where
feedback from the field engineer is necessary to optimize not
only review efforts but also construction program direction.
It should be recognized that these post-award activities
are a logical progression of pre-award actions (planning,
environment, design, etc.) in which various standards,
commitments, and conditions have been agreed to
for compliance with a variety of Federal/State/Local
requirements.