Construction Program Management and Inspection Guide

The inspection and review process involves several steps:
advance preparation, data gathering, conducting the physical
review itself, evaluating and communicating the findings,
writing and presenting the report, and distributing and
archiving the report and related documentation.
Preparation
The work required in preparing for a review will depend on
the type of review that is to be performed. However, the
inspecting engineer should have a review objective and a
review plan for every inspection.
Review Objective
The first step in making any review should be to determine
what is to be accomplished and why. Initially this will help to
determine the type of review to be made. The review
objective should be continually checked during the planning
and guideline preparation phase, during the review, and prior
to concluding it, to assure that the reviewer is still on track
and that the objective is being accomplished. Articulating
and checking the objective may be as simple as the inspecting
engineer asking the questions, “What do I intend to
accomplish by being here?” and “Am I accomplishing this in
an effective and efficient manner?” A more complex review
may require a more formal approach.
Review Plan and Guidelines
In addition to a defined objective, a review plan and review
guidelines should be prepared. In the case of an IID or
PR/PE, the plan and guidelines should be in written form
and may be in some detail. The plan may vary from a very
detailed one all the way to a simple mental image in the case
of some routine project inspections. For routine project
inspections, it is important for the reviewer to know ahead of
time the activities underway on the project. This information
will help the FHWA engineer prepare for the review.
The plan must be flexible to accommodate unanticipated
conditions that are frequently encountered in the field, but
the reviewer needs a starting point and direction, some
checkpoints along the way, and some basis for making an
ongoing evaluation to determine where adjustments should
be made.
Construction Program Management
CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION GUIDE (5/01/04)
4. Inspection and Review Activities
An FHWA short course on process reviews is available to
provide further guidance as well as generic samples of
reviews undertaken in various states. Refer to the material
contained in the short course and other references on the
FHWA Construction Management Web page (Appendix E,
Technical References and Resources).
Preliminary Data Gathering
Prior to an on-site review, the inspecting engineer should
contact the project engineer and get acquainted with
activities underway and major issues on the project. To
improve efficiency and effectiveness, reviewers may prepare
themselves by reviewing the following items:
▼ Correspondence, change orders, and material testing
quality levels
▼ Previous reviews and progress reports
▼ Pre-award issues
▼ Plans and specifications, with emphasis on activities
underway
▼ Bid tabulations
▼ Construction inspection program and emphasis areas
▼ State policy and procedures manuals
▼ Organization, staffing, and authority
▼ Applicable Federal and State regulations
Prior to undertaking an IID or PR/PE on a particular
construction phase or process, it is recommended that
appropriate National Highway Institute (NHI) or industry
training materials be reviewed as a technical reference. If
possible, a refresher course should be considered.
Conducting the Review
Many items can be reviewed during a construction
inspection, and the list of possible concerns about each item
reviewed is also extensive. The amount of detail to be
covered depends on the scope of the inspection and the time
available. All data gathering and analysis should relate to the
objectives of the inspection. The list in the sidebar, page 4–2,
shows some of the main items to be considered in conducting
the reviews (refer also to Appendix C and Appendix D).
4–1