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    Strengths & Weaknesses: Construction Plan Quality

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    Leilani Johnson
    The document discusses strengths and weaknesses of construction plans from a contractor's perspective. It notes issues with design, letting, and constructability readiness. Specifically, it outlines problems with ongoing utility conflicts in designs, lack of clarity in quantities and schedules, inconsistencies between plans and specifications, and utilities changing plans after bidding. The document stresses that providing more detailed information to contractors leads to more competitive pricing and fewer change orders for owners.

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    Strengths & Weaknesses: Construction Plan Quality

    Uploaded by

    Leilani Johnson
    23 views18 pages
    The document discusses strengths and weaknesses of construction plans from a contractor's perspective. It notes issues with design, letting, and constructability readiness. Specifically, it outlines problems with ongoing utility conflicts in designs, lack of clarity in quantities and schedules, inconsistencies between plans and specifications, and utilities changing plans after bidding. The document stresses that providing more detailed information to contractors leads to more competitive pricing and fewer change orders for owners.

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    Construction Plan Quality

    Original Title

    Gacke

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    The document discusses strengths and weaknesses of construction plans from a contractor's perspective. It notes issues with design, letting, and constructability readiness. Specifically, it outlines problems with ongoing utility conflicts in designs, lack of clarity in quantities and schedules, inconsistencies between plans and specifications, and utilities changing plans after bidding. The document stresses that providing more detailed information to contractors leads to more competitive pricing and fewer change orders for owners.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    23 views18 pages

    Strengths & Weaknesses: Construction Plan Quality

    Uploaded by

    Leilani Johnson
    The document discusses strengths and weaknesses of construction plans from a contractor's perspective. It notes issues with design, letting, and constructability readiness. Specifically, it outlines problems with ongoing utility conflicts in designs, lack of clarity in quantities and schedules, inconsistencies between plans and specifications, and utilities changing plans after bidding. The document stresses that providing more detailed information to contractors leads to more competitive pricing and fewer change orders for owners.

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    You are on page 1of 18

    Construction Plan Quality

    Strengths & Weaknesses


    Contractors Perspective

    Topics of Discussion
    Design Readiness
    Letting Readiness
    Constructability Readiness
    Desi gn Readi ness
    Are Schematics Completed Yes
    The design intent is met:
    Traffic Volumes
    Drainage issues
    Traffic Control
    Are roadways within ROW - Yes, once acquired
    ROW acquisition is now apart of construction
    Contractor can only bid the dates shown in the plans
    Very seldom are these dates being met

    Desi gn Readi ness
    Is there Ongoing Utility Conflicts Yes
    Underground
    Structural Footing
    Structural Wall Backfill Requirements

    Utility Relocations are one of the main
    Stumbling Blocks for timely construction


    Desi gn Readi ness
    Is the Turnover from Consultant to TXDOT
    smooth No

    TXDOT acts as a Go Between to get
    answers to questions.

    Valuable time is wasted getting answers
    before and after bidding process
    Let t i ng Readi ness
    Is there adequate time for contractors to review and
    provide a responsive bid? Yes & No
    Current policy is to release final plans 1 month prior to letting
    date.
    For contracts with less than 100 bid items Yes
    For contracts with 400 to 500 items or more No
    Complicated designs are complicated to price
    Too much time is spent between the 3 parties trying to get
    questions answered.
    Let t i ng Readi ness
    For Large Excavation/Embankment Projects, the items should be
    shown by the Phase with Station Quantities.


    Example:
    Roadway Excavation - 1,651,249 CY
    Embankment - 814,446 CY
    The project has 5 Phases.
    Within the phases, do you have a borrow situation?
    Within the phases, do you have a stockpile and reload situation?
    J ust looking at the above quantities it appears this is a waste job.

    Let t i ng Readi ness
    A Mass Haul Diagram is the only method a
    contractor has to determine the cost.

    THERE IS NO STATEWIDE AVERAGE PRICING
    FOR EXCAVATION & EMBANKMENT.



    Let t i ng Readi ness



    COULD YOU PRICE THIS?????????????





    The only way to estimate this project is by
    having these quantities by phase by station.

    Let t i ng Readi ness

    Does TXDOT require the design team to do
    a better job of balancing Excav/Emb?

    If a waste job, why is the material discarded instead of
    moved to a future project and stockpiled?

    Im showing my age but this used to be the way it was done.
    Excavated material has a value just as RAP, salvaged flex
    base, or old concrete.


    Let t i ng Readi ness

    Summary Sheets should equal Bid Item Amounts. When they
    dont, which item is correct? This is Basic Math

    Many conflicting general notes and specifications, especially
    when more than one engineering firm, is involved in the plan
    drawing and specification development stage.

    Let t i ng Readi ness
    Schedules used to determine project durations,
    need to be reviewed by a competent scheduler.

    14 months of time removed from a project 1 day prior to letting.
    Schedules must be reviewed by whoever is making these changes
    sooner than one day before the letting.

    Schedules show a 1 day activity when in fact the item is a 200 day
    activity.
    Example:
    A center line Traffic Barrier/with spread footing, varying height
    from 5 Ft to 12 Ft and a length of 5000 LF. All hand pour.

    One Day Activity ? I Dont Think So.



    Let t i ng Readi ness
    Is there a reason to make any item of work
    incidental No


    Electrical conduits in bridge structures

    Remove old Pipe & Boxes

    Remove C&G
    (Incidental to Prep ROW) 71,190 LF
    (Bid Item) 22 LF

    Remove Conc. Riprap
    (Incidental to Prep ROW) 16,971 SY
    (Bid Item) 1102 SY

    Usually there is a summary sheet in the plans quantifying this work. If this
    much effort is put into these items, the only thing left to do is create a bid item.


    Let t i ng Readi ness
    Bottom Line- The more information the contractors have, the
    more competitive pricing the owner will receive.

    Past history should show In-House plans have fewer Change Orders than
    Consultant Plans.

    This may be true because of the oversight and direct involvement by
    TXDOT at the Area Office level.

    This may be true because In-House plans are not always your High
    Profile Projects, meaning more time available to complete plans & review.

    Fewer Change Orders gives the client a truer final cost for the project.

    Const r uc t abi l i t y Readi ness


    With relocating existing utilities becoming a part of the
    contractors responsibility to perform, some utility companies
    use the bid plans as only a guide line. They will then redraw
    the required improvements on their plan sheets for purposes of
    ordering materials and required installation.

    AT&T plans are the most changed.

    RTIs, hand holes, looped cable for splicing, are just some of
    the items not shown on the bid plans but are required before
    any material can be ordered or installation can begin.

    Const r uc t abi l i t y Readi ness


    Consistency in Structure Ascetics:
    Forms and forming details are a tremendous cost in todays
    construction.
    Apparently Round is Passe.
    Themes for a corridor can be a huge savings to TXDOT.
    When Form Companys can expense special forms over more
    than one job, forming costs go down.
    Rent vs. Sell
    Cheaper to the Client


    Const r uc t abi l i t y Readi ness


    There has been a token attempt to have contractors review
    plans during the bidding process.

    Contractors can not look at a set of plans and determine if they
    are correct.

    They can offer alternatives to specialty items if any exist.

    What Happened to Value Engineering.











    ENGINEERS DESIGN, CONTRACTORS BUILD
    THANK YOU


    Mark Gacke
    J ames Construction Group, LLC

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