PURPOSE
This chapter provides a brief overview of the Bureau of Contract Administration’s (BCA) roles and responsibilities for use by the Project Manager (PM) and Construction Manager (CM).
REFERENCES
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RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Manager (PM): The PM is responsible for the project’s budget, schedule, and overall quality. As such, the PM should be aware of the construction status.
Construction Manager (CM): The CM is responsible for management of the construction phase of a project. The CM should be aware of all required inspections throughout the duration of the construction of a project. The CM should be familiar with pre-construction inspections, inspection personnel availability, inspection documentation, shop inspections, inspection by the Department of Building and Safety, materials testing, construction surveying, and jobsite safety.
Bureau of Contract Administration (BCA): BCA is directed by the Inspector of Public Works. The primary function of BCA is to serve as the public witness of work financed by public funds or performed in the public right-of-way.
Division Manager: The Division Manager is a BCA Chief Construction Inspector who manages one of five divisions responsible for inspection and inspection support activities.
Principal Inspector (PI): The PI is the BCA District Supervisor responsible for all construction projects and/or permit inspections within a geographical or jurisdictional area of the city.
Lead Inspector (LI): The LI is the BCA on-site Inspector responsible for quality assurance and safety on the project. The LI may be a Construction Inspector or Senior Construction Inspector as assigned by the PI. The LI is responsible for, but not limited to, the following:
Inspection of construction.
Supervision of inspection personnel assigned to the project.
Acceptance of completed work.
Preparation and approval of payment for acceptably completed work.
Monitoring jobsite safety and ensuring public safety.
Monitoring and approving charges for Time & Materials change orders.
Reviewing construction schedules and monitoring contract time on working day contracts.
Maintenance, review and control of inspection records.
PROCEDURE
BCA is responsible for protecting the City’s interest as an independent quality assurance agency responsible for ensuring that all Public Works projects are constructed and administered in accordance with the plans, specifications, contract provisions, State and Federal Laws, and safety provisions as necessary to achieve the specified quality of construction. Bureau Inspectors are charged with being the “Eyes and ears” of the city, and they are responsible for providing a comprehensive and accurate official, legal record of construction.
“Inspector” is defined as the Inspector of Public Works or an authorized representative designated by BCA such as the Lead Inspector, Principal Construction Inspector or Chief Construction Inspector.
The Inspector is authorized to enforce compliance with the contract documents, to determine the acceptability, quality, and quantity of materials and workmanship, administer requirements with respect to subcontracts, and to prepare and process progress payment estimates. Unless otherwise ordered by the Board, the Inspector’s determination of satisfactory performance is a condition precedent to payment under the Contract. For such matters, the decision of the Inspector is final and binding. In the event of a dispute between the Contractor and the Inspector, the latter is authorized to reject materials or suspend the Work until any questions at issue can be referred to and decided by the Board, or, in engineering matters, by the Engineer.
The Inspector is authorized to sample and test all materials to be incorporated into the Work. The Inspector may delegate this authority to sample materials and perform tests to the Department of General Services, Standards Division, or other approved agencies.
Within BCA there are seven divisions, each headed by a Division Manager, directly involved in the inspection and contract administration of all Public Works projects. Four divisions are directly involved in field inspection of construction projects. Two construction divisions, Metropolitan and Valley/WLA Construction, generally inspect and provide contract administration for projects according to their geographical location (either north or south of Mulholland Drive). However, each of these divisions have city-wide work responsibilities (MTA-Metropolitan, Sidewalk- Valley). The two other construction divisions, Wastewater and Special Projects Division, are geographically city-wide. They inspect and provide contract administration on sewer and wastewater facility projects, and public buildings, respectively.
The General Services Division (GSD) of BCA is responsible for providing specialized inspection support for the four construction divisions. Shop inspection, batch plant inspection, and third-party inspections are coordinated by GSD’s Material Control Section. GSD is also responsible for approval of all subcontractors and subcontractor substitutions, first-time bidder investigations, and maintenance of the Citywide Contractor Responsibility Database.
The Office of Contract Compliance (OCC) is responsible for implementing, monitoring, and enforcing Federal, State and local laws, directives, and policies relating to Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity, Prevailing Wages, and Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.
The Administration Division provides administrative, personnel, financial and clerical support functions.
RELATED PROCEDURES
Procedure 17.6 – Notices of Non-Compliance and Work Stoppage
Procedure 17.11 – Inspection by the Department of Building and Safety
LINKS / ATTACHMENTS
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