Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and
Quality Assurance During Construction
Prepared by the
Construction Practices Subcommittee
Of
APWA’s UPROW Committee
Introduction
The UPROW Committee requested that the Construction Practices Subcommittee research and evaluate the
existing available documents related to Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) during
construction. The request initiated from the report Recommendations to Establish a New Professional /
Educational / Technical Committee for Utility and Public Right-of-Way Issues, prepared by the Utility and
Right-of-Way Task Force, and dated April 13, 1998.
The following report documents the process that the subcommittee followed in gathering, assessing,
evaluating and reporting the data and the results.
Data Collection
The Subcommittee chair requested that each member search for examples of specifications, guidelines,
manuals, programs or other written information, which outlined methods or requirements of QA/QC during
construction. The members of the subcommittee were located in various regions across the entire country,
from governmental (local, state and federal), industrial, commercial and private consulting backgrounds.
A total of nine documents were received and reviewed. While the number of documents was not
expansive, it was the opinion of the subcommittee that the sources of these documents have extensive
background in construction quality control and therefore these documents cover the topic adequately. It is
likely that other agencies have very good examples of standards but the subcommittee was unable to obtain
other documents in their search.
Prior to review the documents, members of the subcommittee developed a list of criteria to allow a
subjective evaluation of the sample documents. These criteria included the following factors:
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• Installation and Testing program
Items considered:
Level of detail and items included in the testing procedures
Level of detail and items included in the Installation procedures
Evaluation Matrix
The members of the subcommittee analyzed the data and scored each of the criteria on a scale of 0 to 5. 5
being the “best” and 1 being “poor”, and 0 for being “not at all”.
Documentation
Requirements
Specifications
Organization
Specification
Certification
Installation/
Technician
(Forms)
Reference
Technical
Length of
Program
Material
Document Comments
(Rules)
Testing
Testing
Number(s)
Q.C.
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Results
Of the nine submittals, four were from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and were evaluated as one
document. As shown above, each example had specific strengths in the area of Quality Assurance and
Quality Control during construction. The documents submitted and evaluated are listed below.
List of Submittals
1. Construction Quality Management, (Regulation No. 1180-1-6), by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
dated September 1995. 12 pages. This publication provides the general policy and general guidelines for
establishing the Quality Management procedures in the execution of construction contracts. It is intended
primarily for Corps of Engineers’ projects.
2. Contactor Quality Control – Section 01451, A Guide Specification for Construction by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, dated Aril, 1997. 14 pages. This publication is a guide specification for the contractor
to provide a construction Quality Control. This specification requires that the contractor provide a Quality
Control Plan and a Quality Control Manager.
3. Excavation, Trenching and Backfilling for Utilities Systems, A Guide Specification for Construction by
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dated November 1997. 15 pages. This specification provides the
requirements for trench backfill material and compaction techniques.
4. Quality Assurance Representative’s Guide- General Information and Sitework, by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. Volume 1 dated January 1992. 54 pages. This publication gives both general and specific
guidelines for a Quality Control Manager to follow during the construction of a project. It is a long
guideline and likewise very complete.
5. Quality Assurance Program, by the Oregon Department of Transportation, dated October 2000. 48
pages. This publication focuses mainly on the certification procedures and requirements of the laboratory
and technicians that will be overseeing the construction. Because this publication is provided by a state
highway department, it is primarily geared toward the quality assurance and quality control of the
materials and placement of road related construction.
6. Quality Control Program Manual for Contractor, Source, and Production Organizations, by the Clark
County Department of Public Works- Construction Management Division- Quality Assurance Section &
Materials Testing Laboratory, Clark County, Nevada, Version 1.02. 49 pages. This publication outlines
the requirements for acceptance of materials for public works projects. It provides the specific procedures
for their staff to follow in order to provide the required Quality Assurance/Quality Control of the public
works projects.
8. Public Works Inspectors’ Manual, by Silas B. Birch, Jr. 5th Edition dated 1996, 711 pages. The Public
Works Inspectors’ Manual (Blue Book) functions as a resource for the seasoned inspector and a training
guide for the new inspector. Information within this publication is presented in both reference and text
book format. The Blue Book is divided into three sections, General Information, Construction Materials
and Materials Control Procedures, and Inspection Procedures. The following is a summary of each section
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Highlights of the Construction Materials and Materials Control Procedures Section
• Describes what needs to be sampled, when it needs to be sampled, and who needs to sample it.
• Contains an extensive section on concrete and hot mix asphalt, including a definition of terms.
• Briefly alludes to engineered fabrics and rehabilitation methods.
The Public Works Inspectors’ Manual is an excellent general reference manual for public works
construction projects. It serves as a reference manual for the more experienced inspector and a training
guide for the new inspector. However, in many instances, it is too general in nature for complicated
projects.
The publication is available for purchase on the APWA web site. To order a copy, visit the following web
site: http://www.apwa.net/shop/asp/product.asp?product=199. Member price: $50.00 (US) Non Member
price: $50.00 (US)
This manual discusses the following key responsibilities of the construction inspector. The instruction
modules include the following areas:
• Inspector responsibilities, duties, qualifications, limitations
• Pre-project preparation
• Communication and documentation
• Risk Management and legal issues
• Project close-out procedures
• Regulatory overview
• Earthwork inspection
• Excavation and confined space safety
• Underground pipeline construction
• General concrete construction
• Street and surface improvements
• Street lighting and traffic signal inspection
• General structural steel inspection
• Landscape and irrigation construction
Each module is assembled to provide information directed to individuals just starting out in construction
inspection. The material is a good review for individuals with inspection experience and could be used as a
refresher course to improve performance. The manual was assembled by a large group of professionals
from across the USA. It follows good teaching techniques. Each module can stand on it’s own and be
presented as independent instruction sessions for use in short training periods or combined into a multiple
day instruction class. This is good general syllabus on construction inspection. It is not intended to be an
advanced instruction manual and will not include discussion material on specific special provisions that
may arise in complicated public works projects.
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2001 Construction Practices Sub-Committee
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