Page 275 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

DESIGN ERRORS, CONSTRUCTION DEFECTS, AND PROJECT MISCOMMUNICATION 8.15

from which the contractor or construction team will build the structure. However, a critical
step in the construction process in the United States is the generation of shop and erection
drawings by the contractor. The shop drawings are intended to fulfill several key roles.
They reflect the contractor’s:

• Understanding and interpretation of the design and his detailed execution plan
• Detailed fabrication drawings, dimensioned based on actual field conditions (these are
the basis for the contractor’s bill of materials)
• Specific selected means and methods of construction
• Specific selection of materials, in conformance with the construction documents
• Selection or completion or adaptation of connection details

Although the respective responsibilities of each of the parties are well understood in
general, there is a natural tension that arises in this process, one that is sometimes exacer-
bated by differences in expectations by region and by construction type. When done well,
this natural tension should translate into a collaborative system of “checks and balances”
that yields a better project. Unfortunately, when poorly coordinated and executed, this ten-
sion too often turns into recrimination and litigation with accusations of “design errors and
omissions” or “design changes during constructions” from one side and “construction
defects” or “failure to perform” from the other, and sometimes results in failures and out-
right collapses.
Key to reducing the likelihood of a dispute or litigation, and even something as serious
as a collapse, is communication. Sound and clear communication is achieved through clear
contracts between the parties that spell out the responsibilities in detail, especially where
there is a departure from customary expectations and arrangements, and through a formal
system for handling the interactions between the design and construction teams during the
construction process. This formal system of communications should encompass
• Submittals for review
• Contractor’s request for information (RFI)
• Site visits
• Inspection and testing
• Construction bulletins,
• Requests for substitutions
• Change orders
• Project close-out and certifications
It is imperative that these communications be formal, clear, timely, and documented
even if they sometimes seem overly bureaucratic or unnecessary among a friendly collab-
orative team. They are crucial to keeping the various players appropriately informed and to
ensuring that issues get addressed. It is also imperative that each issue be communicated
using the appropriate vehicle without obfuscation.
In the following sections, we review some of the salient issues of the forms of commu-
nications, highlighting where, in our experience, things have gone wrong.

Shop Drawings and Submittals Review
The contractor’s submittal of shop drawings and other documents required by the contract
specifications is often the last opportunity for the design professionals to check and correct
problems arising from a misinterpretation of the contract documents, or from errors and