Assuring that materials provided for construction projects meet all applicable specifications should be common practice for all MITA members, however providing a documented Quality Control plan may not. With the rollout of the 2012 MDOT Standard Specifications for Construction, there are a few changes/clarifications to the roles and responsibilities of who is responsible for providing Quality Control and Quality Assurance testing, and how they will be paid.
To make sure we are on the same page…Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) are sometimes terms that get intermixed and incorrectly used.
QC is defined as all activities administered by the Contractor to monitor, assess, and adjust production and placement processes to ensure the final product will meet the specified levels of quality, including, but not limited to, training, materials sampling, testing, project oversight and documentation.
QA is defined as activities administered by the Department dealing with acceptance of the product, including, but not limited to, materials sampling, testing, construction inspection, and review of Contractor QC documentation.
In the past, since the contractor was responsible for QC, as well as the field sampling and testing for QA, it was common to employ the services of a single testing firm to perform both activities. Although MDOT designated the QA pay item to compensate the contractor’s for QA activities only, the pay item may have been used as an avenue to pay for both QC and QA testing services. This has changed and is no longer an option.
Note for consultants… There is the potential for a testing consultant to be faced with potential conflict of interest if they perform QC for the contractor and want to also consult with MDOT for QA testing services. If they are currently performing QC for a contractor and MDOT has the need for QA services on a separate project involving the same contractor they may be barred from submitting a proposal to MDOT.
The 2012 Standard Specifications for Construction require that the contactor provide the personnel and testing equipment necessary to perform the required tests for quality control and that the engineer will sample and test for quality assurance (acceptance).
Part of the 2012 Standard Spec rollout is a new MDOT Special Provision for Quality Control and Acceptance of Portland Cement Concrete. Highlights of this special provisions relating to QC/QA are listed below. To view the complete special provision click here.
- The Contractor must administer quality control (QC) and the Department will administer quality assurance (QA) procedures that will be used for the acceptance of and payment for all Portland cement concrete (PCC) for the project.
- The Contractor is required to prepare, implement, and maintain a QC plan specific to the project for concrete that will provide quality oversight for production, testing, and control of construction processes. The QC plan must identify all procedures used to control production and placement including when to initiate corrective action necessary to maintain the quality and uniformity of the work.
- The QC plan, must be submitted to the Engineer for review a minimum of 10 working days before the start of related work.
- The Contractor must maintain complete records of all QC tests and inspections and document what action was taken to correct deficiencies. A copy of all QC records and tests reports must be furnished to the Engineer within 24 hours after the date covered in the record or the contractor will forfeit eligibly for dispute resolution.
- The Contractor shall conduct startup sampling and testing for temperature, slump, density (unit weight), and air content on the first load. Concrete cannot be placed until testing verifies that the fresh concrete properties have not exceeded the QC action and suspension limit thresholds specified in the special provision.
- MDOT has recognized that not all concrete placement activities warrant a full QC plan and has allowed for a reduced level of on-site QC testing for concrete that may be considered for small incidental quantities (as defined in the special provisions as: A single day’s placement of less than 20 cubic yards of concrete used for non-structural or non-pavement related applications, including, but not limited to: curb and gutter, sidewalks and sidewalk ramps (excluding driveways and driveway ramps), installing sign or fence posts, guard rail or cable rail foundations (excluding end anchorage foundations), or other contract items where the small quantity of concrete is not paid for separately). A reduced QC testing and oversight will be authorized provided it is identified in the QC plan and certain criteria detailed in the Special Provision are satisfied.
- The Engineer will be responsible for administering the quality-based acceptance and will institute any actions necessary toward its successful implementation. The Engineer will develop and follow a QA plan. The Engineer will provide the QA plan to the QC Plan Administrator a minimum of 7 calendar days prior to the pre-production meeting.
- The Engineer will conduct QA sampling and testing, monitor the Contractor’s adherence to the QC plan, and inspect field placed materials. Initial approval is required prior to concrete placement for, temperature, slump, air content and aggregate gradation (if utilizing an optimized aggregate gradation), and is based on the Engineer’s observance of QC startup sampling and testing. MDOT has stressed that QA sampling and testing will not take place at the plant. Rather, it will be performed at the jobsite and the concrete will be sampled as close to the final site of placement (ex. not at the pump hopper, but at the end of the pump).
- The Contractor will be responsible for providing curing facilities equipped to ensure the proper environment for the Departments QA concrete strength test specimens during initial cure.
Finally and most important….
- Separate payment will not be made for providing, implementing, and maintaining an effective QC program. All costs associated with this work will be included in the applicable unit prices for the concrete items.
The information provided in this bulletin may not be new for those that have worked on projects funded with ARRA funds but as a refresher and to inform those that may not have had an opportunity to experience these new requirements, MITA wants to make sure that all members are aware of this part of the 2012 Standard Specifications prior to its rollout beginning with the October 7, 2011 letting.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Glenn Bukoski or Doug Needham at the MITA office at 517-347-8336 or by email at glennbukoski@mi-ita.com or douglasneedham@mi-ita.com.
