Page 27 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

1.8 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

5. Construction Administration phase (CA): When a contract is signed by the owner, or
agency authorized to act on behalf of the owner, for the construction of the project, the
design document terminology is changed to construction documents or sometimes
called a set of conformed documents.
This distinction is made because the contract for the construction of the project may have
conditions or exceptions to the design documents. A conformed set of design drawings are
issued with the approval of the prime designer (architect or engineer) which reflect the con-
tract “conditions” so that all parties are working from the same set of contract documents.
In the construction administration phase the prime designer reviews the contractor’s
submittal of shop drawings, equipment and material specification submittals; performs
site visitations; attends meetings with contractors; responds to the contractor’s request
for information (RFI); and issues clarification sketches and owner-initiated changes to
the project. (This process is discussed in more detail later in this chapter.)
It is important to note that there are many situations, particularly on government-
generated projects, wherein the project construction administration phase is performed
by another design team or by a government agency, such as the Department of State or
the General Services Administration.

Technical Specifications
Commonly used in the design profession is the Construction Specifications Institute
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format, which is basically in three parts for each trade or product: general, materials, and
execution. The three parts are briefly highlighted here.
Part 1—General
Consists of the general description of the scope of work for the section, or trade, for
which the specifications are written.
Lists applicable codes and standards.
Lists and describes the required submittals, e.g., shop drawings and engineering calcula-
tions for items designed by the contractor; product specifications; guarantees or warrantees.
Defines the contractor’s quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures.
Part 2—Materials
Describes the materials to be used in the construction.
Describes the equipments to be used in the project.
Part 3—Execution
Fabrication requirements and conditions.
Material delivery and protection prior to use.
Installation procedures and tolerances.
Testing requirements during fabrication and installation of specified items.
Specifications are and should be prepared by the project design disciplines specifically
for the particular project and not submitted as an off-the-shelf item. Each project is differ-
ent and has its own unique qualities.

Pertinent Questions
Since the drawings and specifications are an integral part in the investigation of distressed
structures, the Forensic Engineer should ask the client the following minimum questions
regarding the construction documents: