Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to provide a guideline for construction reviews. Construction reviews are typically conducted at 50% and 90% design and may be performed concurrently with the 50% and 90% design reviews. However, the construction review is conducted by a different group of people with a different focus. There are significant benefits to be gained by reviewing contract documents from a construction perspective, in addition to performing the normal design reviews. Construction reviews also provide a means of promoting early involvement by the Construction Management Team in developing the final contract packages.
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Responsibilities
Project Manager (PM):The PM is responsible for determining which projects are to be reviewed for biddability and constructability and at what stages of design development the reviews are to be performed. It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to establish the milestone dates for the construction review.
Project Engineer (PE): The PE is accountable for the quality of the plans and specifications and is therefore responsible for initiating the Construction Review process. It is the PE’s responsibility to schedule and coordinate construction review activities with the other quality reviews and to monitor the review process. The PE is responsible for reviewing the Construction Review Team comments and ensuring that all review comments are appropriately responded to by the in-house design group and/or design Consultant and that the agreed-upon comments are incorporated into the design documents. The PE is also responsible to assure that all comments and responses are documented. A follow up of the Construction Review Teams comments and the action taken by the PE will be documented and provided to the parties involved.
Construction Manager (CM):The CM is responsible to assume the role of Review Team Leader or to delegate this responsibility.
Review Team Leader: The Review Team Leader functions as the liaison between the Construction Review Team and the Project Engineer and design group. It is the Review Team Leader’s responsibility to coordinate and oversee all construction review activities, including compiling the Construction Review Log, reviewing the Construction Review Team’s comments, forwarding the Log to the Project Engineer, reviewing the design group’s responses, and participating in any required follow-up action.
Construction Reviewer/Review Team: The Construction Reviewer or Review Team must follow the instructions of the Review Team Leader. It is the Review Team’s responsibility to thoroughly review the plans, specifications and any supporting documentation for constructability and biddability, to mark these documents and list all comments on the Construction Review Log sheets and submit the completed Log sheets and marked documents to the Review Team Leader at the time requested. The Review Team is also responsible to review the Designer’s responses and meet with the Designer, when requested.
Procedure
The Construction Review Team
Construction reviews should be performed by the Bureau’s experienced construction management staff. Reviewers can come from within the Program, from the Bureau’s Construction Management Division, or from experienced outside consultants. Staff from the Bureau of Contract Administration may be invited to participate on the 90% review. When the design office is also tasked with the construction management of a project, review assistance can be solicited either from another office that provides construction management or from a group identified by the Program Manager. Preferably, the Construction Manager assumes the role of the Review Team Leader, who coordinates all Construction Review Team activities. The Construction Manager, in some instances, may elect to delegate this responsibility. In either case, the assignment of the Review Team Leader should be made sufficiently early to provide the opportunity to become intimately familiar with all aspects of the project prior to review by the Construction Review Team.
If the Construction Review Team requires assistance or special expertise for review of a particular design package (e.g., a project that requires hazardous waste removal) such assistance or expertise can be solicited from other sources, as necessary. The Project/Program Manager should arrange for these resources with outside parties, such as known experts in other City offices or, if available, pre-qualified personal services consultants from the current rotating list, or other sources.
Whenever possible, the construction review should include personnel who will be assigned to the project’s Construction Management Team or at the very least, are knowledgeable in the construction field. In some cases, the Bureau has used outside firms to conduct the construction review. This provides a third-party review and can conserve staff resources that may be needed elsewhere. The objective should be to make appropriate, project-specific decisions regarding the makeup of the Construction Review Team.
Constructability and Biddability
There are two aspects to a construction review: constructability and biddability. These are distinguished as follows.
Constructability: Constructability review (sometimes called buildability review) is performed to ensure that the contract package is buildable, clear in its intent, complete in all its features, and does not contain ambiguities or contradictions that could result in additional costs. This review process also ensures that the Construction Management Team is provided the documentation needed to administer the contract in an effective and professional manner.
Biddability: The biddability review focuses on whether the contract package is sufficiently clear that a contractor can bid a firm, fixed price with reasonable certainty in the pricing. If a contractor has to include “allowances” to cover work that is not clearly scoped, then the contract package is less biddable. Items in the package that are not biddable with firm pricing often led to subsequent disputes during the construction phase.
In order to eliminate such disputes, monetary allowances may be included to cover the cost of items that cannot be defined and, therefore, cannot be lump sum priced by the Contractor. Allowances may be used for the following items:
Permits
Community Mitigation
Recommended Spare Parts
Start-Up Assistance
Travel for City Inspection
Surveying Services (if they cannot be provided by the city)
Differing Site Conditions and Unforeseen Circumstances
Office Supplies for a Construction Management field office (if they cannot be supplied by normal City procedures)
Partnering Allowance
Operations and Maintenance Training
Additional Potholing (beyond that required by the specifications)
It is unlikely that all of the above items would be used on any one project. Rather, allowances should be considered on a project-specific basis and used only for items where the scope cannot be clearly defined to allow the Contractor to make a firm bid price.
Review Process
The typical process for conducting a construction review in which both constructability and biddability are considered, is as follows:
Upon determination of the project scope (see Procedure 3.4 - Defining Scope) and during development of the Base Project Schedule, the PE will consult with the Construction Management Team to solicit its requirements, including stages of review, duration, timing and frequency. The construction reviews are typically performed at 90% design, however, constructability review of the 50% design may be performed, if it is determined to be beneficial to the design of the project and are shown on the detailed Design Schedule and described as appropriate in the UPRS (see Procedure 5.1 - Uniform Project Reporting System).
The Review Team Leader should be assigned in sufficient time to allow for assembling the Construction Review Team and completing the required coordination. If necessary, additional resources or specific expertise should be solicited from other sources. The individuals assigned to the Construction Review Team should be experienced in the construction practices for the type of work being reviewed. Construction Review Team members should be free of other assignments during the review periods to the extent possible.
The Review Team Leader and the Project Engineer coordinate the construction reviews and ensure that each review coincides with the established schedule. They determine the number of sets of plans, specifications, design memoranda, and other documents needed and ensure timely receipt of construction review packages. In addition, they monitor progress and address any issues that require clarification. A visit to the project site may be beneficial to the review.
Construction Review Checklist
The Construction Review Team may use a Construction Review Checklist to help ensure uniformity of comments and completeness of the review. Attachment 9.2-1 is a general List of QA/QC Checklists Forms that includes a section on Constructability Review. In addition, the following includes items that should be checked during the Construction Review:
All equipment and materials that are shown on the drawings are clearly and adequately identified on the drawings and described in the specifications.
All specified equipment locations are clearly shown in the drawing set.
The drawings lead the reader from a general area to a precise location in a logical manner.
Adequate details are provided so that the project can be constructed as shown on the drawings.
Limits of the contract, interfaces with existing facilities and other contracts, and the work of each discipline contractor and subcontractor are clearly identified.
The plans and specifications clearly address the requirements for the physical connection to interface with existing facilities.
Adequate details and requirements are shown and specified for interface with major equipment.
The installation of an interface with all City-furnished equipment and all related responsibilities are adequately described.
Where the construction sites of several contractors overlap, the documents adequately describe the situation and require the Contractor to cooperate and coordinate with other contractors in an effort to avoid on-site disputes.
The plans and specifications clearly provide for the allocation of adequate space for the Contractor’s operations, lay-down, and storage or places responsibility for such provision on the Contractor.
Existing site conditions are adequately described, and the plans of existing utilities are provided in the drawing set.
There are no conflicts between items of the work that might prevent installation of the work.
Procedures for abatement of all known or suspected environmental contamination, notification, and risk mitigation of all contamination discovered during construction are appropriately specified and adequately detailed.
The survey data shown is clear, consistent and adequate.
There is uniformity, continuity and a coordinated relationship between the plans and specifications. There are no conflicts between or among the documents.
The portions of existing structures, utilities, pavement and other facilities, and all shrubs and trees that are to remain or to be removed by the Contractor are clearly identified. Protection of facilities that are to remain and all removals are properly specified to be done in accordance with applicable laws, ordinances, codes and Board of Public Works requirements.
Applicable constraints or special requirements regarding demolition, phasing and sequencing of the work are complete, logical and clearly identified.
The documents are adequate in dealing with all temporary construction facilities and utilities and all the special limitations and restrictions imposed by the site location or conditions.
Schedule constraints, such as delivery of City-furnished materials, facility operations requirements, and interfaces with other contracts are properly specified.
The allowable construction timeframe and work-shift interface, coordinated with existing plant operations, are properly specified.
The specified construction duration appears reasonable, and appropriate milestones are established to control contract activities.
The plans and specifications appropriately provide for the use of local materials and construction customs.
If the work is NOT in the contract, state so by calling out, Not in Contract (NIC).
The specifications clearly define the criteria for acceptance or rejection of materials and equipment.
There are no provisions in the plans or specifications (including the General Conditions, General Requirements and Technical Specifications) that the Contractor could exploit for unilateral benefit.
All work to be designed by the Contractor as part of a performance specification is properly specified, giving the minimum requirements for such properties as type, weight, size, thickness, materials of construction, strength, configuration, color, texture, life expectancy, rating, classification, gas tightness, and other physical features and quantities.
Inspection requirements for testing, work done in phases, and partial acceptance of the work and their effects on the starting of the warranty period, are properly specified.
All permit responsibilities and the procedures for partial completion and project closeout are clearly specified.
The Geotechnical Data and Baseline Reports, Hydrology Reports and any other pertinent reports shall be provided as part of the Constructability Review.
A Construction Review Log (including comments and responses) should be used by the review team to document each review comment. Comments entered on the Log should provide detailed and clear information to identify the applicable part of the design package and the specific nature of the problem being identified.
The Review Team Leader consolidates all comments at the end of the review period, arranges them in logical order, and ensures that no unresolved questions remain. A summary memorandum should accompany the Construction Review Log and provide the contract name and number, names of the reviewers, and any other summary information. The Review Team Leader then forwards the review package, consisting of the summary memorandum, review sets of documents, and the Construction Review Log, to the Project Engineer for further processing.
The Project Engineer must respond to each comment on the Construction Review Log. It is important to document whether a comment or suggestion is accepted and incorporated, accepted and incorporated with changes, or rejected. The PE should review his/her proposed responses with the full/senior engineer over the design group. This review is considered important to ensure that comments are taken seriously and fully considered before a response is finalized. The Designers then incorporate the accepted comments into the project documents. The Project Engineer prepares the final response to each comment and transmits the Log to the Review Team Leader and the project file.
Related Procedures
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