Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide
Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide
Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide
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3–6<br />
<strong>Construction</strong> <strong>Program</strong> <strong>Management</strong><br />
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)<br />
which the project has been previously inspected by FHWA<br />
personnel, the adequacy of the STA’s internal controls, <strong>and</strong><br />
the extent of independent inspections <strong>and</strong> evaluations that<br />
have been provided by the State. The final inspections are<br />
conducted in accordance with the FHWA/STA stewardship<br />
agreement.<br />
A final inspection may be accomplished by any of the<br />
following methods:<br />
▼ An on-site review conducted at or near the completion<br />
of work.<br />
▼ A review of project records that are provided by the<br />
State at the completion of work if prior on-site<br />
inspections have been conducted.<br />
▼ If previous PR/PE or IID reviews of the STA’s internal<br />
control programs for inspection of completed projects<br />
have indicated the STA has satisfactory procedures, the<br />
final inspection may be based on the finding that the<br />
STA is properly exercising its internal controls, <strong>and</strong> no<br />
additional review will be required.<br />
▼ When similar types of work are included in an areawide<br />
project or projects using the same contractor, an<br />
inspection of a sample of contract work locations may<br />
fulfill the requirement for a final inspection.<br />
Specialty Reviews<br />
Sometimes division offices develop other types of review<br />
activities patterned after the basic inspection types in an<br />
effort to better meet their needs <strong>and</strong> the management style<br />
of the STA. Special emphasis reviews have been used<br />
successfully to focus attention on high priority/high visibility<br />
topics; as fact-finding tools for preliminary investigations; for<br />
evaluating project staffing levels; for making state-of-the-art<br />
evaluations; for determining the extent of suspected problem<br />
areas; or for concentrated problem solving efforts.<br />
Emphasis area reviews will typically be less detailed than<br />
major phase reviews but will be more detailed than a project<br />
inspection. This type of review envisions that a concentrated<br />
effort will be expended over a number of projects to direct<br />
added emphasis to a particular item or phase for a short<br />
period of time.<br />
Phase reviews will typically target a major phase of work<br />
where all parts, such as paving, will be reviewed. Minor<br />
phases or portions of major phases, such as crushing or plant<br />
operations, may occasionally be reviewed. Reviews will<br />
typically be comprehensive but may be in less detail than an<br />
IID.<br />
Contact reviews are useful for monitoring the status of<br />
changing situations, change orders, <strong>and</strong> construction<br />
operations. They are also useful in maintaining effective<br />
rapport <strong>and</strong> working relationships with State counterparts<br />
<strong>and</strong> local officials, <strong>and</strong> they can facilitate the scheduling of<br />
more detailed inspections. They typically should not replace<br />
the more indepth reviews. However, they can be effective<br />
when properly controlled. While inspections should be on<br />
site, contacts by telephone or when passing through a project<br />
help to keep FHWA aware of project status <strong>and</strong> conditions.<br />
Factors to Consider<br />
In planning inspection activities, a number of factors need to<br />
be considered. Of prime importance is the objective of the<br />
inspection. Is it for fact-finding, program emphasis, problem<br />
identification, problem solving, verification, or another<br />
purpose? Identification of the objective may assist in<br />
determining the inspection technique to be used. Sometimes<br />
a broad-based review is desired, <strong>and</strong> at other times it may be<br />
appropriate to review only selected elements in some depth<br />
on a few typical or individually chosen projects.<br />
Timing of the inspection in relation to construction<br />
activities can dictate or limit the type of inspection to be<br />
made. The time available for the inspection will help to<br />
determine if one of the more intensive types of inspections<br />
can be used. Sometimes it will be necessary to evaluate the<br />
potential benefits of making a greater number versus more<br />
indepth inspections.<br />
<strong>Inspection</strong> selection decision should be based on<br />
program insight <strong>and</strong> knowledge of the STA’s staffing <strong>and</strong><br />
performance. This is an area of risk management where<br />
feedback from the field engineer is necessary to optimize not<br />
only review efforts but also construction program direction.<br />
It should be recognized that these post-award activities<br />
are a logical progression of pre-award actions (planning,<br />
environment, design, etc.) in which various st<strong>and</strong>ards,<br />
commitments, <strong>and</strong> conditions have been agreed to<br />
for compliance with a variety of Federal/State/Local<br />
requirements.