FTA Report No. 0015 0

Construction Project Management
Handbook
MARCH 2012
FTA Report No. 0015
Federal Transit Administration
PREPARED BY
Kam Shadan, P.E.

Gannett Fleming, Inc.
COVER PHOTO
Edwin Adilson Rodriguez, Federal Transit Administration
DISCLAIMER
This document is intended as a technical assistance product. It is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department
of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or
use thereof. The United States Government does not endorse products of manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers names appear
herein solely because they are considered essential to the objective of this report.
This Handbook is intended to be a general reference document for use by public transportation agencies responsible for the
management of capital projects involving construction of a transit facility or system.
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information
exchange. The United States Government and the Contractor, Gannett Fleming, Inc., assume no liability for the contents or use
thereof.
The United States Government does not endorse manufacturers or products. Trade or manufacturers names appear herein solely
because they are considered essential to the objective of this report.
Construction
Project
Management
Handbook
MARCH 2012
FTA Report No. 0015
PREPARED BY
Kam Shadan, P.E.
591 Redwood Highway
Mill Valley, CA 94941-3064
http://www.gannettfleming.com
SPONSORED BY
Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
AVAIL ABLE ONLINE
http://www.fta.dot.gov/research
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION i

Metric Conversion
Metric Conversion Table
Table
SYMBOL WHEN YOU KNOW MULTIPLY BY

TO FIND
SYMBOL

LENGTH
in inches 25.4 millimeters mm
ft feet 0.305 meters m
yd yards 0.914 meters m
mi miles 1.61 kilometers km
VOLUME
fl oz fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters mL
gal gallons 3.785 liters L
ft3 cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters m3
yd3 cubic yards 0.765 cubic meters m3
NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m3
MASS
oz ounces 28.35 grams g
lb pounds 0.454 kilograms kg
megagrams
T short tons (2000 lb) 0.907 Mg (or "t")
(or "metric ton")
TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)
o 5 (F-32)/9 o
F Fahrenheit Celsius C
or (F-32)/1.8
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION ii

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION ii
REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved
OMB No. 0704-0188
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruc
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Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED
March 2012 September 2008 - March 2012
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS
Construction Project Management Handbook: March 2012 FL-26-7110
6. AUTHOR(S)
Kam Shadan, P.E.
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESSE(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER

591 Redwood Highway FTA Report No. 0015
Mill Valley, CA 94941-3064
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT

U.S. Department of Transportation NUMBER
East Building FTA Report No. 0015
11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
Replaces previous editions dated August 2007, September 2009 and May 2011
12A. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12B. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Available online http://www.fta.dot.gov/research
TRI-20
13. ABSTRACT
The purpose of the FTA Construction Project Management Handbook is to provide guidelines for use by public transit agencies (Agen
cies) undertaking substantial construction projects, either for the first time or with little prior experience with construction project
management. It provides a comprehensive introduction to construction project management, including the applicability of the
principles of project management and of all phases of project developmentfrom project initiation through planning, environmental
clearance, real estate acquisition, design, construction, commissioning, and closeout. This Handbook provides guidance similar to that
in earlier documents but tailored more to agencies that are constructing maintenance and operational facilities, intermodal terminals,
park-and-ride stations, and other similar supporting transit facilities. Throughout the sections, project management concepts are il
lustrated with the use of a hypothetical example, a typical project to plan, design, and build a new bus maintenance facility.
14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES

Construction project management, guidelines, checklists 155
16. PRICE CODE
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT None
Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Section 1: Introduction
1 Purpose of the Handbook
3 What is a Project?
9 Principles of Project Management
11 Section 2: Project Development
11 Purpose of this Section
13 Integrate Agency Goals into Capital Improvement Plan
15 Evaluate and Select Capital Assets for Capital Improvement Plan
16 Fund and Authorize Projects
20 Section 3: Project Initiation
21 Defining the Project
22 Planning the Project
30 Contract Management Planning
32 Section 4: Planning, Environmental Clearance, Real Estate
Acquisition
34 Planning Studies
37 Environmental Compliance
41 Real Estate Acquisition and Relocation
42 Entitlement
44 Section 5: Design
46 Design Phases
50 Design Management
51 Design Reviews
53 Third Party Coordination
54 Value Engineering
56 Peer Reviews
56 Constructability Reviews
57 Risk Assessment
60 Quality Assurance and Quality Control
62 Sustainability (Green Building) Standards and Design
67 LEED Certification
69 Section 6: Construction
71 Construction Management
80 Third Party Coordination
81 Quality Management
83 Safety Management During Construction
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION iv

86 Section 7: Commissioning
89 The Commissioning Plan
91 Owner Furnished Equipment
92 Integrated Testing and Start-up
92 Safety and Security Certification
93 Operational and Maintenance Manuals
94 Training and Transition to Operations
94 As-Built Documentation
95 Warranty Administration
96 Section 8: Project Closeout

96 Contractual Closeout

98 Administrative Closeout

100 Section 9: Project Support
100 Project Control
108 Project Administration
110 Procurement and Contract Administration
116 Project Communications
118 Records Management
120 Acronyms
122 References
130 Index
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION v

LIST OF FIGURES
4 Figure 1-1 A Project without a Project Manager

5 Figure 1-2 A Project with a Project Manager
8 Figure 1-3 Typical Project Life Cycle Traditional Design/Bid/Build
12 Figure 2-1 Project Development and Capital Improvement Plan Process
13 Figure 2-2 Capital Improvement Plan
16 Figure 2-3 Components of a Capital Improvement Plan
17 Figure 2-4 Financial Plan Balance Funding Sources to Capital
Improvement Plan Capital Expenditures
21 Figure 3-1 Project Requirements Definition
23 Figure 3-2 Typical Engineering and Construction Project Resource Needs
25 Figure 3-3 Project Delivery Strategies
26 Figure 3-4 Sharing of Control and Risk Between Owner and Contractor
for Alternative Delivery Strategies
28 Figure 3-5 Project Management Plan Outline
37 Figure 4-1 The NEPA Process Overview
38 Figure 4-2 Information Required for Probable Categorical Exclusion
Projects (23 CFR Section 771.117(d))
39 Figure 4-3 NEPA Environmental Review Process: An Overview
43 Figure 4-4 Acquisition Process
48 Figure 5-1 Design Criteria Document Online
52 Figure 5-2 Design Review Comments Register
55 Figure 5-3 Value Engineering Study Task Flow Diagram
58 Figure 5-4 Example of a Risk Register
64 Figure 5-5 LEED 2009 Project Scorecard New Construction and Major
Renovations
71 Figure 6-1 Project Organization, Assigned Authorities, and Lines of
Communication for Construction
73 Figure 6-2 Agency and Construction Manager Functions During
Construction
77 Figure 6-3 Changes During Construction/Contractor Compensation
79 Figure 6-4 Guidelines for Managing Communications
88 Figure 7-1 Typical Responsibility Matrix for Commissioning Tasks (Design-
Bid-Build Delivery)
89 Figure 7-2 Typical Equipment Commissioning List
93 Figure 7-3 Typical O&M Manual Content
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION vi

100 Figure 9-1 Project Control Triangle
102 Figure 9-2 Work Breakdown Structure, Maintenance Facility Project
105 Figure 9-3 Cost Control Report, Maintenance Facility Project
107 Figure 9-4 Precedence Diagram and Critical Path, Maintenance Facility
Project
118 Figure 9-5 Typical Baseline Documents
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION vii

FOREWORD
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) sponsored and developed the

Construction Project Management Handbook to provide guidelines to public
transit agencies undertaking substantial construction projects either for the first
time or with little experience in construction management. Gannett Fleming,
Inc., a national engineering and construction firm, developed this Handbook
under contract to and with guidance from the FTA Office of Technology. The
project managers consisted of Henry Nejako, FTA Program Management Officer;
and Kam Shadan, P.E., Author, and Project Manager, Gannett Fleming, Inc.
This Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of construction project

management, including the applicability of the principles of project management
and of all phases of project development in sequence and in separate sections
from project initiation through planning, environmental clearance, real estate
acquisition, design, construction, commissioning, and closeout. The Handbook
will be of use to transit agencies and their consultants, the FTA Regional
Offices, and others responsible for the management of capital projects involving
construction of transit facilities or systems. The study is organized to provide
the transit agency and the project manager with a clearer understanding of the
applicability of the structures and principles of construction project management.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The FTA Construction Project Management Handbook was sponsored and

managed by FTAs Office of Technology. Gannett Fleming, Inc., a national
engineering and construction management firm with specialized expertise in
transit project planning, design, and construction, developed and produced
this Handbook. The lead development team consisted of Henry Nejako, FTA
Program Management Officer and Kam Shadan, P.E., Lead Author and Project
Manager, Gannett Fleming, Inc.
Rodney Dawson and Scott Zeevaart were the deputy project managers and
co-authors. Additional specialized input was provided by Michael Lee, William
Plumpton, Charles Norrish, and Mark Hollopeter of Gannett Fleming, and
Candy Spitzer of Spitzer and Associates in the areas of facilities, environmental
compliance, construction, commissioning, and real estate. Gannett Fleming staff
that assisted in editing and document preparation included Kelly Zanzinger, Mary
Kissinger, and Marlin Mann.
An Industry Workgroup was created by FTA to specify the content of the

Handbook and oversee its development, providing overall guidance and
comments on deliverables. Members of the Workgroup included the following:
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION viii

Mary Anderson, Formerly FTA Headquarters, Washington, DC (retired)
Lewis Clopton, Formerly FTA Headquarters, now consulting
Paul Davis, Tri-State Transit Authority, Huntington, WV
William Kalt, FTA Region 7, Kansas City, MO
Matthew Keamy, FTA Region 1, Cambridge, MA
Reinald Ray Ledoux, Brockton Area Transit Authority, Brockton, MA
Michael Radbill, Urban Engineers, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
Devendra Soni, FTA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA
Cheryle Tyson, FTA Region 6, Fort Worth, TX
Dale Wegner, FTA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Michael Williams, FTA Region 10, Seattle, WA
Bobby Kuhn, San Joaquin Regional Transit District
The following transit agencies participated in the survey and/or provided
photographs:
Capital Area Transit, Harrisburg, PA

Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority, Antioch, CA
Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority, Livermore, CA
Piedmont Wagon Transit, Conover, NC
San Joaquin Regional Transit District, Stockton, CA
San Mateo County Transit District, San Carlos, CA
Santa Rosa City Bus, Santa Rosa, CA
SunLine Transit Agency, Thousand Palms, CA
Union/Snyder Transportation Alliance, Lewisburg, PA
Yolo County Transportation District, Woodland, CA
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION ix

Introduction
1
SECTION
Purpose of the Handbook

Introduction
The purpose of this Handbook is to provide guidelines for use by public transit
agencies (Agencies) undertaking substantial construction projects, either
for the first time or with little prior experience with construction project
management. It provides a comprehensive introduction to construction project
management, including the applicability of the principles of project management
and of all phases of project developmentfrom project initiation through
planning, environmental clearance, real estate acquisition, design, construction,
commissioning, and closeout.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) maintains oversight of grant projects

and assigns grant administration and management responsibility to the transit
Agencies, who then are responsible for planning, managing, and implementing
the federally-funded project. Agency project managers need handy tools for
project management to make certain that projects are effectively contracted for,
completed on time and within budget, and comply with all project specifications.
This Handbook is intended to assist the Agencys responsible project manager
or lead person to undertake multi-million-dollar construction projects and
manage the complexities of specifying, acquiring, and managing contracts for such
projects through utilization of in-house and consultant resources.
This Handbook complements the many circulars and publications available on

the FTA Web site and through the National Transit Institute, in particular: FTA
Lessons-Learned documents, Construction Project Management Guidelines,
Best Practices Procurement Manual, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Guidelines, and the Manual for the National Transit Institute course entitled
Management of Transit Construction Projects. This Handbook is intended to
be used as initial general guidance by transit Agencies and the FTA regional offices
who may be contacted for help.
This Handbook provides guidance

similar to that in earlier documents
but tailored more to Agencies that
are constructing maintenance and
operational facilities, intermodal
terminals, park-and-ride stations,
and other similar supporting transit
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 1

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
facilities. Throughout the sections, project management concepts are illustrated

with the use of a hypothetical example, a typical project to plan, design, and build
a new bus maintenance facility.
How to Use the Handbook

This introductory section defines a project and states principles of project
management. Section 2 discusses the project development process to provide
a better understanding of how projects are created. Sections 38 cover the
phases of the project in sequence from project initiation, through planning,
environmental clearance, real estate acquisition, design, construction,
commissioning, and closeout. Section 9 addresses project-wide functions that
take place throughout the project life cycle.
Each section begins by describing the purpose of the section and includes a
checklist of important things to do. The subsections within a section include key
points of important things to know about project management that are discussed
in more detail in the text and supported by pictures, graphics, tables, and charts.
How to Work with the FTA

Generally, the FTA regional office or metropolitan office responsible for
your area will take the lead in providing the necessary guidance. Each FTA
regional office has personnel assigned for support in areas such as grants,
planning, environment, procurement, program management, and legal. The
project manager should establish contact with the FTA office and staff that are
responsible for the Agencys project.
How to Contact the FTA

Important to
Do FTAs regional and metropolitan offices are responsible for the implementation
of grants and the provision of financial assistance to FTA customers, other than
q Establish contact
specific programs that are the responsibility of headquarters. Inquiries should
with the FTA office
and staff involved be directed to either the regional or metropolitan office responsible for the
with your project. geographic area in which the
Agency is located.
q Understand the
project managers To locate the FTA office
role, and what responsible for serving your
makes up a project. region, please see a listing of
q Know your projects FTA offices in the reference
scope, life cycle, and section at the end of this
phases. Handbook or visit the FTA
Homepage: http://www.fta.dot.
gov.


Important to What is a Project?

Know
Definition of a Project
All projects must
have a beginning and A project is made up of a group of interrelated work activities constrained by a
an end. specific scope, budget, and schedule to deliver capital assets needed to achieve
the strategic goals of an Agency. This Handbook is intended for management of
Project managers
capital projects involving construction of facilities or systems. The word project
with prior relevant
is synonymous with the words capital project throughout this Handbook.
experience help
keep projects on
track. Project Managers Role
A projects execution is planned and controlled by the project manager.
Projects are
The project manager is assigned by the Agency, i.e., the Agencys executive
defined by their
management. The project manager must have adequate authority to exercise
scope, budget, and
schedule. the responsibility of forming and managing a team for support of the project.
The project manager must have prior experience managing similar projects in
Project life cycle the past. If an Agency cannot commit such an individual with adequate time
phases for a typical and resources, the Agency is well advised to outsource project management
construction project services for management of the project. The project manager may be tasked
are initiation, with management of multiple projects that may require assignment of additional
planning, design, project managers for support. In such cases the project manager is taking on the
construction,
role of a program manager. Figure 1-1 shows typical project activities without
commissioning, and
a project manager. It shows the multiple interactions an Agency faces without
closeout.
a project manager to manage the work activities involved in delivering a new
The level of project capital asset. Figure 1-2 depicts a typical project organization with a project
management effort manager. It shows how a project management organization is structured with the
depends on project assignment of a project manager to manage project work activities.
size, type, and
phase.

Environmental
Permitting Compliance
Utilities
Agencies
ROW
Planner
Specialist
Civil
Architect
Engineer
Landscape
Surveyor
Architect
Agency
Construction Structural
Manager Engineer
Geotechnical
Contractors Engineer
Noise Testing
Engineer Labs
Traffic Environmental
Engineer Community Engineer
Relations
Figure 1-1 A Project without a Project Manager

Note: Depending on the project, there may be a need for a professional not listed in the chart, such as an archeologist, etc.
Figure 1-2 A Project with a Project Manager

Characteristics of Projects
Projects are defined by their scope, budget, and schedule. For example, an
Agency is to undertake a project to design and build a new maintenance facility
for its fleet of buses (scope), at an estimate of $30 million (preliminary budget)
over a three-year period (schedule). The schedule specifies a defined beginning
and end. Projects go through a life cycle of phases between their beginnings
and ends that for construction projects are typically: initiation, planning, design,
construction, commissioning, and closeout.
Scope: Each project is unique and must have a written requirements document
that takes into consideration operational needs, level of service, regulatory
requirements such as Americans with Disabilities Act, and quality of deliverables.
The scope evolves as new information becomes available through the project
life cycle. For example, in the early planning phases of the maintenance facility
project, the scope is to have five service bays. Later, as the design progresses,
the exact location and the type of service in each bay can be determined. Scope
refinement should not be confused with scope creep. Scope creep occurs when
the Agency determines part way through the project that operational projections
now call for six rather than five service bays. Changing to six bays after the
project is underway is a serious change in scope that could impact the budget
(larger facility, more land, redesign) and delay the schedule (replan, redesign,
longer construction). Scope refinement is a necessary process in the project life
cycle while scope creep results from lack of clarity on the Agencys requirements
in the original scope for the needs, level of service, and level of quality for the
deliverables.
Schedule: All projects must have a definite beginning and end. The Agencys
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) usually provides approximate dates for the
beginning of a project and the end date when it is due to go into operation.
Once there is a well-defined scope, the Agency needs to determine the time it
will take to complete the project by developing the project schedule. Developing
the schedule involves breaking down the work into manageable activities needed
to accomplish the scope of each deliverable, estimating the duration of each
activity, and placing them in a logical sequence. Section 9 describes useful
techniques for developing a schedule. The result is a project schedule that tells
you the expected duration of the project and the logical relationships between
the activities, including activities on the critical path, that control the end date.
Budget: All projects are constrained by limited monetary funding resources.

Consequently, every project needs a budget to initially define its funding
requirement. The budget usually provides the preliminary project funding that is
established through a CIP covered in Section 2. The project manager develops
the budget based on the cost estimates at the beginning of each project phase
and refines it once there is better information defining the scope. Refining the

budget occurs through studies and analysis in the design development process
through the preliminary engineering phase. When Agencies try to fix the budget
too early in the project life cycle, they are surprised by the significant increases
in the budget over what was set forth in the CIP. As explained later, the
budget should not be fixed as baseline until after completion of the preliminary
engineering phase. Estimating techniques for the costs of the activities needed to
accomplish the scope of each deliverable are covered in Section 9.
Project Life Cycle

A project is conceived through the organizations strategic planning process and
documented in a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The main reasons projects are
created are to deliver capital assets the Agency needs to:
1. Sustain service or improve quality of service

2. Expand service to meet growing demand
3. Comply with regulatory requirements
A CIP consists of a number of planned projects that when implemented will

provide the Agency with the assets needed to achieve its strategic objectives.
A project begins its life cycle when it is authorized to move from the CIP into
implementation. For an Agency, authorization is often a resolution approved by
the Agencys board to apply for funds or hire consultants to work on the project.
The board resolution is the projects authorization to proceed to the next phase.
In most cases, the Agency will have to come back to the board prior to beginning
the next phase of the project, because the scope and costs will be more defined
through the efforts made in the preceding phases.
In a traditional design/bid/build (D/B/B) project, the project life cycle begins

with the initiation of planning (including environmental and funding), and design
(including conceptual design). These phases overlap to some extent. During
these phases the project evolves through consideration of various alternatives
and the concept for the preferred alternative is formed. The design phase
continues through the preliminary engineering effort to further analyze, validate,
and define the preferred alternative and arrive at the baseline scope, budget, and
schedule. Then the design phase concludes with the final design, which further
details the design features to provide the permitting agencies and the contractor
a set of construction drawings and specifications to permit and build the project.
The construction phase proceeds with the bid and award process. At the end
of the construction phase, the work of the contractor needs to be integrated
with operations and Agency furnished activities, technology, and equipment, and
evaluated for acceptance through the commissioning phase to bring the project
to a successful completion. Figure 1-3 shows a typical project life cycle for
traditional D/B/B delivery.

There are many alternative delivery methods, such as design/build (D/B) and
design/build/operate/maintain (D/B/O/M). These delivery methods assign
multiple phases of work, such as design and construction, to a single contractor.
In the D/B/O/M method the Agency also contracts out the operations and
maintenance of the completed project to the contractor.
Figure 1-3
Typical Project Life
Cycle Traditional
Design/Bid/Build

Important to Principles of Project Management

Know
Project Management Objectives
Successful projects
balance project The objectives of project management are to execute a project so that
scope, cost, and deliverables can meet scope requirements on budget and schedule, and at
schedule with user acceptable risk, quality, safety, and security levels. The example maintenance
needs and project facility project is to deliver a five bay facility that meets pre-determined
constraints. performance specifications within the three year schedule.
Identification of Many times project objectives compete with each other and require skillful
the user needs, balancing throughout the project life cycle by the project manager. For
project constraints,
example, unexpected soil conditions delay the maintenance facility construction
and resource
contractor. The schedule can be made up by paying additional costs for
requirements early
in the project contractor overtime to make up the delay. This is a cost/schedule trade-off.
life cycle help
The greatest threat to project success is scope creep. The addition of a sixth
projects meet their
bay to the maintenance facility we mentioned earlier is a clear example of
objectives.
added scope. Often projects face more subtle scope creep because the project
The greatest risk to manager allows the users to piggy back additional requirements on the project.
project success is For example, it may be that originally in the CIP process the maintenance of
scope creep. non-revenue vehicles was to be done in a different location. During the project
Well-defined life cycle the lease on the non-revenue location was lost and the maintenance
configuration department wants them maintained at a new bay at the new facility. The project
management and manager will need to address such changes through retracing of the CIP process
change procedures and obtaining new project authorization.
are needed to
control scope. In addition to scope, budget, and schedule, it is extremely important that the
project manager facilitates a discussion of the project risk, quality, and safety and
security objectives and incorporates the outcome in the Project Management
Plan (PMP). Projects require well-defined configuration management, change
control systems, and procedures for scope and change control, as described in
Section 9.
Project Management Process

The project management process begins with identification of the user
requirement, project constraints, resource needs, and establishment of realistic
objectives to meet the strategic goals. Many times this will be an iterative
process as new information becomes available through efforts by various
professionals on the project and input from third parties, communities, users,
and agencies having jurisdiction.
The strategic goals that relate to capital projects are summarized in CIPs. Many
times this information is in the Agencys short range and long range transit plans.
The approval of the project by the governing body will establish the project

authorization. The project manager uses the project authorization to develop

project management plans for implementation of the project.
The project manager must have prior experience (or should consult with peers
with prior experience) with the particular project type to balance the above
competing objectives in a timely manner to adequately plan the project. Lack of
prior experience will increase risks of not achieving the project objectives. In
Section 3 Project Initiation, we cover a discussion of project authorization and
the PMP. In addition to scope, budget, and schedule, it is extremely important
that the project manager facilitates a discussion of the project risk, quality, and
safety and security objectives for the project and incorporates the outcome in
the PMP.
Project Management Training

If one is going to be responsible for project management, additional training may
be desired. Courses in Project Management are available from several sources
including the Project Management Institute, college extension courses, and
sometimes the National Transit Institute (NTI).
Where to Find Additional Help and Resources

Additional help and resources can be found in Section 10 of this Handbook.
This section begins with a nationwide listing of the FTA offices, along with
listings, by section, of helpful documents and Web sites that pertain to each
section.

Project Development
2
SECTION
Purpose of this Section

Introduction
It is important to understand how projects are developed. This section discusses
the process for developing a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) including: how a
CIP is prepared, the organization needed to support a CIP, the identification of
capital asset needs, how to prioritize projects within a CIP, financial planning to
balance capital expenditures with other uses of funds and sources of available
funding, and ways in which projects are authorized.
Project Development
During project development, the Agency identifies the need for a project,
assesses the projects ranking in importance relative to other projects, analyzes
its funding requirements, and decides whether to authorize the project for
implementation. Planning how to manage an authorized project is discussed in
Section 3 Project Initiation.
The Agencys mission, vision, and resulting strategic plan govern the development
of the CIP. The strategic plan looks to the Agencys mission that in turn defines
its vision for the future and the strategies it will adopt to achieve the missions
goals and objectives. The Agency can then determine what assets it needs to
accomplish its strategies and identify any gaps between its existing and needed
assets. Simply stated, a capital project is developed as a means of filling the
gap between the needed and the existing assets. The CIP is a prioritized list of
projects to meet the Agencys capital asset needs. Figure 2-1 depicts the project
development and CIP process.
Not all projects in a CIP can be immediately implemented due to funding and
other constraints. The Agency has to rank the relative importance of the
projects and make hard choices to select which projects can be implemented,
and which must be deferred along with the strategic objectives that depend on
them. This part of the project development process requires a careful balancing
of project costs against available financing and is a complex mix of public policy,
public financing, and capital and operational budgeting.

SECTION 2: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Figure 2-1 Evaluate & Select

Capital Assets
Fund &
Authorize
Project Development Integrate Agency Goals into CIP for CIP Projects
and Capital
Improvement Plan Establish Agency Inventory Agency Establish Project Agency
Mission and Current Capital Review & Approval Funding
Process Vision Assets Framework Sources
Develop Agency Identify Gaps Rank & Select
Strategic Plan Current vs Needed Projects Using
Goals & Objectives Capital Assets Framework
Assess Options Add Selected

to Fill Capital Projects to CIP
Assets Gaps Agency CIP
Is
Option to
Approve & Fund
Important to Construct Capital

Project for
Do Asset?
Implementation
Yes
q Assess assets Go
needed to achieve to Project
Add Project
Initiation
agency goals. as Candidate for
Agency CIP
q Identify gaps
between needed
and current assets. Role of Agency and Consultant Staff in Project
Development
q Evaluate alternatives Strategic planning and the CIP process is the responsibility of the Agencys senior
to filling asset gaps. executive supported by its planning and financial staff with information input by
q Adopt a standard operating departments. Due to the long-term nature of Agency strategies and
project review/ capital projects, the FTA Guidance for Transit Financial Plans calls for a 20-year
approval CIP planning horizon. Each year the Agency re-examines the plan particularly for
framework. the near term years and also develops a budget for the upcoming financial year.
q Establish criteria
Depending on the size of the Agency, a number of new capital projects may be
to rank and select
authorized for implementation in the upcoming financial year. The budget to
projects.
complete each newly authorized project is identified and the financing needed
q Maintain a long- over the project life is committed. The budget for the upcoming year includes
term capital funding to cover new and continuing projects. Figure 2-2 shows a typical Capital
improvement plan. Improvement Plan.
q Balance capital
The Agency may choose to retain the services of qualified consultants to assist
needs to funding
sources. in: strategic planning; applying to local, state, and federal levels of government
for funding; securing funding through debt and innovative financing; and preparing
q Authorize projects a CIP. The role of the consultant is to assist the Agency planning, finance, and
in useful segments. operations staff to prepare the CIP by providing specialized expertise and
experience not available within the Agency staff.

Total Current
Prior Fiscal Future Fiscal Years Project
Yrs Yr FY1 FY2 FY3 FY4 FY5 Total
Current Projects
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx xx
Total xx xx xx xx xx xx
Proposed Projects
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx xx xx
Maintenance Facility xx xx xx xx
~~~~~~~~~~ xx xx xx
Total xx xx xx xx xx xx
Total CIP Projects xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
Figure 2-2 Capital Improvement Plan
Integrate Agency Goals into
Capital Improvement Plan
If you are charged with managing the Agencys project development process, it is
important that you ensure that the resulting CIP is consistent with the Agencys
goals. Steps you should take to integrate the Agency goals into the CIP include:
Assessing the capital resources needed to achieve the Agencys goals

Identifying gaps between current and needed capital resources
Evaluating alternative approaches to filling the gaps.
Success in assessing capital resource needs requires you to first confirm that the
Agencys goals and objectives align with the Agencys mission. To do this you
will need to put in place a strategic planning process where the Agencys policy
setting executive can re-examine the Agencys mission in response to changing
needs in community requirements, government mandates, board priorities,
operations, and organizational strengths and weaknesses; and set policy goals and
objectives consistent with the mission. With the goals and objectives in place,
you can then assess what capital resources the Agency will need to accomplish
each goal and objective.

To identify any gaps between current and needed resources you will need an
inventory of current capital assets.
Soliciting the opinions of operations, maintenance, and engineering personnel

who work directly with a current asset will provide you with a good source of
information on the use and performance of an asset usually defined in terms of:
Asset type, location, and status

Physical condition and maintenance needs
Use and level of performance
Ownership of the asset when the service is contracted out.
Comparing resources available with resources needed will enable you to identify
any gaps and begin planning to fill them.
As part of the project development process it is prudent to consider a range

of alternatives for filling identified asset gaps. Not all strategic needs have to
be filled with assets that are owned and operated by the Agency. In many
cases it may be beneficial to outsource work or lease facilities. In our example
maintenance facility project, it may be more beneficial to outsource heavy body
work and painting to a local paint facility and avoid building a paint and body
shop that does not get much use. Alternatively, adjacent Agencies may want to
Important to pool resources for certain functions and perform the work in shared facilities.
Know Alternatives that you should consider to fill asset gaps include:
Agencys strategic
Construct the capital asset
plan is helpful for
aligning the Capital Purchase the asset
Improvement Plan Modify and/or renovate an existing asset(s)
to Agency goals. Contract out the activity the asset would support
Operating, Lease the asset
maintenance, Share the asset with adjacent agencies
and engineering
Privatize the activity the asset would support.
personnel are a
good source of When the first of these options, constructing the capital asset, is selected, then
information on the the project is added to the list of candidate projects for the Agencys CIP.
status of current
assets and new Returning to our example maintenance facility scenario, the project had been
assets needed. put forward for development to support the Agencys mission to provide quality
There are transit service to the community. The Agencys service area was experiencing
alternatives to filling rapid growth due to a population expansion that is predicted to continue in the
strategic needs with immediate future. To adequately serve the community, the size of the bus fleet is
Agency owned and predicted to double. The existing maintenance facility is too small to effectively
operated assets. handle the predicted fleet size, and its antiquated facilities and equipment

would also need updating to support maintenance of a modern fleet. As

alternatives to constructing a new facility, the Agency also examined the option
of expanding and renovating the existing facility and the option of contracting
out the maintenance operations. Cost-benefit analysis over the life cycle of the
maintenance facility demonstrated that constructing a new facility was the best
option because the higher operating costs of a renovated facility outweighed the
lower capital costs of renovation, and the absence of competition of experienced
service providers if the maintenance were contracted out resulted in a high risk
of unreliable contracted-out service and high service prices.
Evaluate and Select Capital Assets

for Capital Improvement Plan
Managing the selection of which capital assets to develop and, correspondingly,
which projects to implement requires the Agency to:
Adopt a standard review and approval framework

Use established criteria to rank and select projects
Maintain a long-term CIP.
You can create a standard review and approval framework for your Agency by
Important to establishing some form of standard Project Request Package for review by the
Know
Agencys management responsible for its CIP. The topics to be addressed in a
Projects need to be Project Request Package include:
ranked and selected
because Agencies Project overview
face funding and Benefits discussed in terms of support of Agency goals and objectives
other constraints. (addressing asset gap)

Established criteria Economic assessment (net present value, full life cycle cost, and funding
are necessary for requirement)

ranking projects. Financing (grant, debt, and/or innovative financing)
A project priority Project budget estimate
is established based Major milestones and deliverables
on a complex mix
Risk assessment.
of community
requirements, With the above standard review and approval framework in place, criteria can be
government established with which to rank the projects. Ranking is necessary because public
mandates,
Agencies rarely, if ever, have sufficient funds to undertake all proposed projects.
board priorities,
The highest ranked projects for which proposed funds are available can then be
operations, and
inserted into the Agencys CIP as proposed projects to join ongoing authorized
organizational
strengths and capital projects. Figure 2-3 shows the relationships among the components of a
weaknesses. CIP as presented in the FTA Guidance for Transit Financial Plans.

Figure 2-3
Components of
Capital Improvement
Plan
The Agency-wide CIP allows the Agency to manage its resources and debt so as
to maintain focus on the Agencys goals and objectives to accomplish its mission.
The management of the CIP will determine the timing of when a project is to be
authorized for implementation as discussed next.
Fund and Authorize Projects

Financial Planning
Limited available funding requires the Agencys CIP to carefully balance the full
costs of the projects within the CIP against the available funds both over the
long-term and on a year-by-year basis.
It is important that the CIP includes the full costs and funding requirement for
projects when making decisions on which projects to select for authorization
based on their ranking. Knowledge of a projects full costs and funding
requirement is necessary to assess the financial impact in future years of
implementing the project, and the Agency can verify that it has the financial
resources to complete all authorized projects. It also allows the Agencys
decision makers to compare the long-term costs and funding requirements
of alternative projects of similar ranking to better understand the financial
consequences of the CIP decisions.
The financial planning that balances the CIPs sources and uses of funds also
needs to take into account uses of funds for debt service and the balance of
funds from operations. Figure 2-4 shows a typical CIP financial plan incorporating
debt service and balance from operations.

Figure 2-4
Financial Plan - Balance Funding Sources to Capital Improvement Plan Capital Expenditures
Staged Authorization
It is frequently beneficial to manage the authorization of projects in stages.
Staged authorization is when project funding and implementation are authorized
to take the project to a certain stage of completion. On reaching this stage, the
project is re-reviewed within the context of the CIP and a further decision is
made as to whether or not to authorize the next stage of a project. Stages are
selected based on completing a useful segment of the project that either:
Provides better information on the costs, risks, and benefits of the project
before committing the Agency to the full costs and funding of the project; or
Delivers a component of the total project that itself is a useful asset that fills
an identified asset gap where the resulting benefits exceed the staged project
costs.
In our example maintenance facility project, two authorization stages were

planned. The first stage was to authorize the project to the completion of
preliminary engineering. At that point, the Agency would gain better information
on the projects cost, the Agencys ability to fund the project, and the Agencys
plan and ability to manage the project through design and construction (as
discussed in Section 3). With this information in hand, the Agency will re-review
the project and determine whether to commit its resources to design and
construction. The second stage was to complete the design and construction of

the example maintenance facility but defer installation of the paint booth until
additional funding became available in future years. The Agency determined that
completion of the components of the maintenance facility excluding the paint
booth resulted in operational benefits that exceeded the project costs.
FTA Funding Requirements

Important to
Know The funding plan for our example maintenance facility project included the
receipt of FTA grant funds to share a portion of the project costs. Receipt of
Knowledge of a
FTA funds for a project places certain requirements and conditions on the
projects full cost
and funding is Agency as summarized below:
necessary to assess
Legal filing with the FTA of documents describing the Agencys statutory
its financial impact.

authority, authorized powers, and eligibility to receive federal funds.

Financial planning Assurance of compliance with Civil Rights Title VI nondiscrimination.
for capital
Civil Rights Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Plan and Annual Goal.
expenditures also
needs to consider Civil Rights Equal Employment Opportunity Plan.
debt service and FTA Annual Certifications and Assurances.
the balance of funds Use of FTA Transportation Electronic Award Management (TEAM)
from operations. computer system to apply for grants and submit required quarterly financial
Use of federal funds and narrative reports.
on a project places Use of FTA Electronic Clearing House Operation (ECHO) computer system
certain obligations to draw down grant funds for reimbursement of project expenses.
and conditions on Grant application containing the following project information
the Agency.
- Description of project
- Planning of project in Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP)
- Environmental impact analysis under National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), as discussed further in Section 4
- Description of transit system in the Agencys service area.
Project Authorization Documentation
The final step in managing the project development process is to formally
document the authorization of the project using a project authorization
document. Concurrent with preparing the project authorization, it is good
practice to assign the project manager to the project so that, with the project
authorization in hand, the project manager can begin planning the management of
the projects implementation, as discussed in Section 3.
The project authorization documents the information generated during the

project development process together with the Agencys decision to implement
the project including:

The topics addressed in the Project Request Package that resulted in
the project being selected, incorporated into the CIP, and authorized for
implementation.
Attachment or reference to Agency decision to implement the project (such
as Board action item).
Description of project.
Summary budget and funding.
Summary milestone schedule.
Assigned project manager.
Authority delegated to project manager.
Where to Find Additional Help

and Resources
Additional help and resources can be found in Section 10 of this Handbook. This
section begins with a nationwide listing of the FTA offices, along with listings, by
section, of helpful documents and Web sites that pertain to each section.

Project Initiation
3
SECTION

Introduction
In this section we turn our attention on how to plan an authorized project.
Important to
We will discuss two important project planning documents: (i) the Project
Do
Requirements Definition (PRD) that documents what the project will deliver
q Receive Project
(alternatively referred to in the literature as the Statement of Work); and (ii)
Authorization.
the Project Management Plan (PMP) that documents how the project is to
q Write Project be delivered. We will also look at the use of supporting planning documents,
Requirements including the quality management, risk management, and contract plans.
Document.
q Assess Agency Project Initiation Phase
Capability and During project initiation, the Agency plans how the authorized project is to be
Capacity. implemented. Planning begins by fleshing out what the project is to deliver and
q Select Delivery
documenting the result in the PRD. The Agency then considers what approach
Strategy. to take to manage and carry out the work to implement the project, selects the
project delivery method, assesses the type and size of resources needed for the
q Establish Project project, and documents these in the PMP. Planning concludes with establishing
Organization the selected project management organization through the assignment of
Structure. Agency staff to the project and retaining of a Program Management Consultant
q Write Project (PMC) for the project management work where the Agency does not have staff
Management Plan. resources with the necessary skill and experience.
q Write Supporting
Role of the Agency in Project Initiation
Plans:
Planning the project in the initiation phase is usually the Agencys sole
- Quality
responsibility carried out by the Agencys project manager. However, if the
Management
project is of such a size and complexity that the Agency is unsure how to plan its
- Risk Management implementation, the Agency can retain a PMC during the initiation phase.
- Contract
Management. Role of the Program Management Consultant
Where an Agency lacks the necessary project management expertise and
resources, the Agency retains a PMC to:
Advise on project planning and delivery together with the production of the
PRD and PMP documents.
Provide project management services during the subsequent project
implementation phases.

SECTION 3: PROJECT INITIATION
Important to Defining the Project

Know
Project Requirements Definition
A Project
Requirements The Agency assigns a project manager to lead an authorized project. The
Definition defines project authorization is the project managers corporate authority to implement
what the project the project and gives the project manager a broad narrative description of the
will accomplish. projects goals and objectives. (Section 2 discusses project authorization and
project manager assignment.) The project managers task now is to prepare the
The Project
PRD.
Requirements
Definition is the In the PRD the project manager refines and details the project authorization
authoritative
and details what the project is required to accomplish in terms of the products/
reference document
services the project will deliver and the scope of work that needs to be
of what the project
is all about. done. Figure 3-1 describes these and other topics a PRD should address.
This necessitates addressing the interface of the project requirements with
Acceptance relevant agency plans including its systemwide infrastructure management
of the Project plan. Through a well-written PRD, the project manager provides project
Requirements team members, corporate sponsors, and other stakeholders with a common
Definition by understanding of what the project is all about, and is the authoritative reference
Agency executives document that defines the project. Review and acceptance of the PRD by
confirms a common
the Agencys executive responsible for the projects authorization helps make
understanding of
certain that the executive, the project manager, and the project team have a
the project between
the executives common understanding of the projects objectives. Whether by formal sign-
and the project off or less formal email, it is important that the project manager receives a
manager. record of the acceptance of the PRD by the Agencys executive so there is no
misunderstanding at the outset of what the project is intended to accomplish.
Topic Description
Authorization Reference to project authorization that selected and authorized the project
Stakeholders Corporate sponsors, customers, third parties impacted, project team
Deliverables Products/services the project will deliver
Scope of Work Work to be done to deliver the products/services (high-level summary)
Cost Estimate Initial order of magnitude estimate of the project budget
Schedule Milestones Initial project schedule in terms of key project milestones
Finance Project financial requirements and sources of funding
Risks Threats to the project (e.g., adverse environmental factors)
Resources Resources needed to accomplish the project
Constraints Constraints such as limited resources/funding, sites available, etc.
Acceptance Criteria What determines acceptable products/services and their approval
Figure 3-1 Project Requirements Definition

The project manager for our example bus maintenance facility project scenario
approached the PRD as follows:
Incorporated references to the project authorizations: Capital

Improvement Program recommending example project, Agency Board
Authorization
action approving the project, and FTA agreement for funding a share of
the project.
Identified parties with an interest in or impacted by the project,
including: Agency Board, FTA, Agency operations, elected officials in
Stakeholders
whose area the project is located, and the community and businesses
adjacent to project.
Prepared a high-level description of the example project: facilities,
Deliverables
equipment, and systems.
Developed a high-level work breakdown structure (WBS) of the project
work phases: acquire land for garage facility, obtain environmental
Scope of Work
clearance, design facility and equipment, construct facility and supply/
install equipment, test and start-up, and accept completed facility.
Cost Estimate Allocated the $30 million budget across the high-level WBS.
Estimated the initial project schedule milestones for accomplishing the
Schedule Milestones
high-level WBS phases.
Costed out project requirements for funds from Agency, state and FTA
Finance
grant sources, and debt financing.
Identified potential threats to project success, such as unknown ground
Risks
conditions at the proposed facility site.
Listed the types of staff and other resources needed for the project,
Resources e.g., environmental specialists, architects and engineers, construction
contractors, and equipment suppliers.
Identified project constraints: limited cash flow from debt financing,
Constraints
shortage of experienced contractors.
Specified requirements to take occupancy of the building and approve
Acceptance Criteria
the performance of the equipment.
Planning the Project

Capability and Capacity Assessment
The project manager assesses the levels of resource capabilities and capacities
needed to accomplish the project defined by the PRD. Capability is a measure of
a resources skill levels, experience, and ability to perform. Capacity is a measure
of the quantity of the resources. The project manager may need to consult
with peers or consultants who have prior experience with similar projects to
accurately determine the necessary resources. Figure 3-2 shows the typical
resource capabilities needed for an engineering and construction project such as
the example bus maintenance facility project.

Figure 3-2 Capability Resource Function

Typical Engineering Management Project Management Manage the overall project and its phases
and Construction and Control initiation, planning, design, construction, and
Project Resource closeout
Needs Project Management Oversee project performance by a party
Oversight independent of the project team and report to
project sponsor(s)
Configuration Control changes to project deliverables/scope of
Management work
Important to Cost Control Control project costs within budget
Know Schedule Control Control project progress within schedule
The project delivery Accounting Record project expenditures, issue payments, and
strategy should manage project funding
fit the Agencys Records Management Capture, store, control, and retrieve project
records/documents
capability and
Procurement/ Procure and administer project contracts
capacity to deliver
Administration
the project taking
Planning, Architectural Develop architectural and design concepts
into consideration Engineering, Engineering Prepare detailed engineering and final design
the strategys and Technical documents
associated risks.
Environmental Undertake environmental planning and clearance
Project capability Real Estate Acquire real estate and perform relocation
is a measure of the functions
experience and skill Communications Communicate with the community/media/
levels of project government
team resources. Construction Construction Construct facilities
and Supply Contractor
Project capacity is Third Party Agency Relocate or gain access to public and private
a measure of the utilities
quantity of project Equipment Supplier Supply/install equipment
team resources.
A Project Project Delivery Strategy
Management Plan For Agencies that infrequently undertake capital projects, the project manager
defines how the will almost certainly find that the required levels of capability and capacity are
project is to be not available within the Agencys own forces. The project manager has to look
managed. outside the organization and plan a project delivery strategy that contracts out
Scope, schedule, the work that the Agency lacks the capability and capacity to undertake.
and cost baselines
are the yardsticks A project delivery strategy determines the:
against which
Work done by the Agency and the work that is contracted out to consultant
project scope,
and/or construction contractors.
schedule, and cost
performance can Degree of control the Agency maintains over how the work is done and the
be measured and control transferred to contractors through contracting out.
controlled. Assignment of risks associated with the project work undertaken by the
Agency and contractors.

What alternative delivery strategies are available to a project manager? A

project manager may contract out any one or all of the project management,
design, and construction functions to acquire the capability and capacity needed
for the project. Contracting out a function also results in transferring, from
the Agency to the contractor, responsibility for and control of the means and
methods of how the work is executed, as well as the risks associated with the
performance of the work. Figure 3-3 describes alternative project delivery
strategies along with the corresponding transfers of control and risk from the
owner organization to the contractor. Figure 3-4 illustrates the sharing of
control and risk between the Agency and the contractor for different delivery
strategies.
For the example bus maintenance facility project, the project manager plans a
design/bid/build (D/B/B) delivery strategy where: the project manager and other
Agency staff will manage the project; design and design management will be
contracted out to a General Engineering Consultant (GEC); and a Construction
Manager (CM) will be retained to manage construction carried out by various
construction contractors and suppliers.
For smaller Agencies it is often expedient for the project manager to choose
delivery strategies similar to the example above, that contract out the project
work rather than hire an entire project staff. It is difficult to recruit qualified
project staff for a single project. Using contracted services allows the project
manager to better match resources to project needs. A contractor can be
retained when the need arises and the project manager can immediately
terminate their involvement and expense when the project need is over.
Whatever delivery strategy the project manager selects, it is important that
the Agency, through the project manager, retains the ultimate authority and
accountability for the effective management of the project. This is the case even
where the Agencys project manager chooses to retain a Program Management
Consultant (PMC) to manage the project on behalf of the Agency.

Strategy Sub - Strategy Description Owner Control/Risk

Own Forces Total Project Owner manages, designs, and Owner has total control and accepts
constructs project with own forces all risks
Construction Owner manages and constructs
project with own forces, and retains
design
consultant for Owner has total
design work control and accepts all
risks except for design
errors or omissions
D/B/B
Design/Bid/Build Owner Managed Owner manages project, contracts Maintains overall project control
D/B/B out design to engineering consultants and transfers detailed engineering
and construction to contractors design/construction tasks and risks to
contractors
GEC Owner retains a GEC to manage the Owner transfers control of design and
design and design consultants design management tasks and risks to
GEC
CM Owner retains CM to manage Owner transfers control of
construction contractors construction and construction
management tasks and risks to CM
PMC Owner retains a PMC to manage Owner maintains control of
the project including consultants and project scope and transfers project
contractors management tasks and risks to PMC
CMAR
Construction Owner may also retain Owner retains a CMAR contractor Owner transfers a share of control of
Manager at Risk a GEC and PMC in final design, who participates in scope through design to the CMAR
design review, estimating, and value contractor and all of the control and
engineering and at some agreed point risk of the management and execution
guarantees a fee to manage and carry of construction
out construction
D/B
Design/Build Owner may also retain GEC completes design through Owner maintains control of scope
a GEC and PMC preliminary engineering through concept design (30 percent)
(approximately 30 percent). Owner after which control and risk of design
retains a D/B contractor to complete and construction is transferred to D/B
design and construct the project contractor
D/B/O/M
Design/Build/
Operate/ Design/Build/Operate As for D/B plus contractor is Owner transfers control and risk of
Maintain or Design/Build/ responsible for the operations and operations and maintenance to the
Operate & Maintain maintenance of the facility for a contractor
specified period
Turnkey Could be used for D/B Owner prepares a performance Owner controls scope of performance
or D/B/O/M specification that is bid on by turnkey specification after which control and
contractor, who may also participate risk of conceptual/detail design and
in financing the project construction transfers to turnkey
contractor, including operations and
maintenance if D/B/O/M
Figure 3-3 Project Delivery Strategies

Project Organization and Management Structure

With the delivery strategy selected, the project managers attention turns to
establishing the project organization structure needed to manage the project
and carry out the project work done by the Agencys own forces. Only the
largest projects justify the assignment of full-time project staff in every function.
Small to mid-size projects call for some form of matrix organization. In a matrix
organization, staff reports to the project manager through the project chain
of command to receive direction on project work assignments (what work has
to be done) and to their functional supervisor for direction on their technical
performance (how the work is done).
The project manager for the example bus maintenance facility project requires
Agency procurement staff to acquire GEC and CM consultants and construction
contractors. The level of procurement effort to do this for the project is
not full-time and the staff is assigned part-time to the project on a matrix-
organization basis. The procurement staff takes project direction from the
project manager on what procurements are needed and when, while the staff
receives functional direction on how to undertake the procurements from
the functional manager of the Agencys procurement department. When not
assigned to the example project, the staff undertakes procurement activities for
operations and/or other Agency projects.
Experience has shown that a project team works better within an integrated
project office concept. This means that irrespective of the project staffs
parent organization, the Agencys organization or those of the GEC and CM
organizations, the staffs project reporting relationship with respect to project
work assignments follows the project organization chain of command reporting
to the project manager. When possible and in cases where staff is highly utilized,
co-location of project staff within a single project office facility helps foster the
integrated project office concept. Functional supervision remains the individuals
usual functional supervisor within their parent organization.
Figure 3-4
Sharing of Control and
Risk Between Owner
and Contractor for
Alternative Delivery
Strategies

Project Management Plan

The project manager has to provide the project team with a road map on how
to get the project done. The PMP sets out how the project is to be managed,
executed, monitored, controlled, and closed through the phases of its life cycle.
Figure 3-5 sets out a typical PMP outline that would apply to a construction
project such as the example bus maintenance facility project.
In the PMP, the project manager sets out the management approach for the
project based on the decisions made with respect to the project delivery
strategy, organization and management structure, assignment of responsibilities
between the Agency and contractors, and delegation of management and
financial authority through the project team.
The projects scope, budget, and schedule are refined to establish baselines
for the projects scope of work, costs, and schedule that are documented in
the PMP (see Section 9 to learn about project control techniques used for
establishing baselines). Scope, budget, and schedule baselines are yardsticks
against which future project performance can be measured and assessed, and
changes controlled. Depending on the project phase baselines are established
for a project phase or the entire project baseline is established after completion
of preliminary engineering. A baseline remains unchanged through the project or
project phase unless a revision to the projects goals and objectives is authorized
by the Agencys executive management responsible for the project authorization.
The PMP is a living document and is updated as the project progresses, usually
as the project enters a new phase, such as moving from design into construction.
Updating and revising the PMP requires the project manager to: add management
detail on how a new phase is to be managed, note any changes to the
project scope, and forecast project costs and schedule against the baselines.
Traditionally the project is managed by personnel in the planning organization
through completion of the environmental phase. As the project moves into the
design and construction phase where engineering and construction management
skills are required, it is critical that the top management recognize and plan
for the changes in project
management leadership
necessary to successfully
make the transition from the
planning/environmental phase
to the design and construction
phase. In Section 9 we
explain some useful tools and
techniques that support the
project manager in the control
of scope, cost, and schedule.

Figure 3-5 1. Project Overview 6. Construction Phase Management

Project Management - Background (Authorization/PRD) - Construction Management
Plan Outline - Stakeholders
- Field Inspection
- Scope/Budget/Schedule
- Third Party Construction
- Delivery Strategy - Change Management
- Construction Safety
2. Organization and Staffing - Design Support
- Position within Owner Organization
- Project Organization 7. Closeout Phase Management
- Key Personnel Job Functions - Test and Start-up
- Operator Training
3. Project Management and Controls - Contract Closeout
- Scope Control and Configuration - Administrative Closeout
Management
- Budget and Cost Control 8. Quality Management
- Schedule Control - Design QA/QC
- Project Accounting - Construction QA/QC
- Project Reporting - Final Acceptance and Approval
- Records Management
9. Risk Management
4. Planning / Conceptual Design Phase - Risk Identification and Analysis
Management - Risk Monitoring and Response
- Sustainability Goals
- Planning Studies 10. Procurement and Contract
- Site Investigations Administration
- Permitting - Procurement Plan
- Environmental Clearance - Contract Administration
- Real Property Acquisition > Professional Services
> Construction
5. Final Design Phase Management > Equipment Supply/Install
- Design Management - Third Party Agreements
- Design Standards
- Design Reviews 11. Communications
- Value Engineering - Project Team
- Constructability Reviews - Community
- Media
- Government
A projects authorization may be limited to proceeding up to a certain milestone

at which certain criteria must be met for the project to receive further
authorization to continue. This staged authorization is known as staged-gate
decision-making. In our example project scenario the agreement with the FTA
authorized funding up to the conclusion of preliminary engineering. At this point,
continued FTA funding was conditional on the Agency preparing an acceptable
PMP, demonstrating the capability and capacity to put in place the resources to
manage and undertake design and construction, and securing financing for the
Agencys share of the project costs.

Supporting Management Plans

Supporting management plans are added to a project as appropriate depending
on the projects size and complexity. Larger and more complex projects may
require adding one or more of the following supporting plans to the PMP at
project initiation:
Quality management plan

Risk management plan
Contract management plan.
The quality management plan describes how the project will comply with
the Agencys quality policy in terms of the project procedures for quality
assurance (QA), quality control (QC), and continuous process improvement.
QA is the planned processes the project will follow to make certain that the
quality policy is met through: QA audits to examine whether project activities
are in compliance with project procedures, and process analysis to examine
the effectiveness of project activities, learn from experience and problems
encountered and thereby improve the process. QC is the monitoring of specific
project results to determine whether they meet with predetermined quality
standards and metrics. Continuous process improvement is the iterative
application of process analysis over the length of the project and from project to
project. Each consultant and construction contractor performing work on the
project must have a QA plan that is acceptable to the Agency, so that the Agency
can assess that the contractors quality standards meet the Agencys quality
management plan.
The risk management plan describes how the project is organized and the
procedures used to manage the project risks, addressing in the plan:
Roles and responsibilities of project staff in risk management.

Identification of project risks.
Categorization of risks in terms of probability of occurrence and impact on
project cost, schedule, scope, and/or quality.
Risk handling should the risk event occur, through either
- Assumption Accepting the consequences of the risk.
- Avoidance Changing the project deliverable design or work methods that
lead to the risk.
- Control Developing measures to reduce the risks probability of
occurrence, continually re-evaluating the risk, and having in place
contingency plans to adopt that mitigate the impacts of the risk.
- Transfer Sharing or transferring the consequences of the risk with
others, for example, through insurance or warranty provisions.

The contract management plan is discussed under Contract Management

Planning in the section that follows.
Important to Contract Management Planning

Know The project managers choice of project delivery strategy determines what
A contract products/services are to be delivered by the project team and those that will be
management plan contracted out. We now turn our attention to developing the projects contract
defines: management plan for the contracted out work. Depending on the size of the
project, the contract management plan may be a section within the PMP or for
- What goods and
larger projects a supporting planning document referenced in the PMP.
services are to
be acquired for
the project and Contract Procurement Planning
how they will Procurements for most projects are undertaken by the Agencys procurement
be purchased or department that has in place associated procurement procedures. The project
contracted. managers role is to make certain that the departments procurement activities
- How project on behalf of the project fit in with the project plan. The contract management
purchase orders plan sets out how this is to be achieved, by addressing:
and contracts will
be administered. Types of contracts to be used. Choice of contract type depends on the
nature of service/product purchased and choices on the division of risk
between the owner and contractor; see Section 9.

Who estimates the expected contract price.
Who develops the scope of work statement for the contract.
Use of standardized procurement documents and any special documents
needed.
Integration of procurement lead times into the project schedule.
Incorporating contractual delivery dates into contracts that coordinate with
the project schedule.
Use of performance bonds and/or insurance contracts to meet the projects
risk management objectives, including liability and insurance conditions and
minimum limits to be met by the contractor.
Establishing evaluation criteria to assess the selection of contractors; see
Section 9.
Definition of the procurement procedures for: preparation of procurement
documents, advertising, bidder conferences, any bidder pre-qualification,
receipt of proposals/bids, bidder interviews, selection, contract price
negotiation, contract award and handling of protests. (In many instances, the
procedures used for project procurements will be those the Agency already
has in place.)
Based on the delivery strategy the project manager selected for the example bus
maintenance facility project, the contract management plan needs to include two
professional service contracts, one for the GEC and one for CM, and various

construction contractor and equipment supplier contracts. Identification of the

number of construction and supplier contracts may not be possible until later
in the design process, so as with the PMP, the contract management plan will
require updating as the project progresses.
Contract Administration Planning

The contract management plan also addresses how awarded project contracts
are to be administered. Due to a contracts legal nature it is important that
the project team understands the legal implications of their actions relative to
project contracts. The role of the contract administrator is to make certain
the contractor meets its contractual obligations, the Agency adheres to its
contractual obligations, and the Agencys legal rights are protected.
It is important that the PMP and the contract management plan clearly identify
the roles and procedures to be followed by the project staff responsible for
managing the project (delivering the project scope on time and within budget)
versus the project staff responsible for administering project contracts (making
certain contract parties meet their contractual obligations and protecting the
organizations legal rights). The contract management plan sets out how this is
to be achieved, addressing:
Who has the authority to direct and approve the contractor to perform
work

How the contractors work is monitored and performance reported
Process by which changes to the contractors work are requested, approved,
and the contract modified
What inspections and audits are to be conducted of the contractors work
How the contractor requests payment and payment requests are reviewed
and approved
What financial audits are to be conducted on contractor payments
How contract documents, correspondence, and other records are managed.
(Section 9 provides additional information of what constitutes good project
documentation for handling important contract administration activities such
as contract changes and request for payment.)

and Resources
listings, by section, of helpful documents and web sites that pertain to each
section.

Planning, Environmental
4
SECTION
Clearance, Real Estate

Acquisition
Important to Do Purpose of this Section

q Assign one lead with expertise in grants Introduction
and planning and available time to work In this section we show the project manager how to take
with the funding agencies. the project through planning and environmental clearance
q Assure involvement of all stakeholders activities. We address the steps that are necessary to
such as the users, planning and grant, purchase real estate for federally funded projects. This is
operations, maintenance, engineering, and a critical phase of the project; if it is not performed well
procurement staff. it can result in major cost and schedule impacts later in
q Define agency and consultant roles and
design, construction, or operations. We review the project
hire the necessary consultant expertise organization for the planning phase, the planning studies,
early in the process. site selection, and real estate acquisition. Next, we cover
the importance of site investigation and environmental
q Perform planning studies to better define compliance before purchase of the property and the
and refine project requirements. entitlement processes after acquisition.
q Locate acceptable site(s) in coordination
with operations, planning, and engineering. Planning Phase
q Get right of entry to access the site(s) to The project development process begins with the
investigate. identification of transportation needs. Federally
funded projects must be in the Metropolitan Planning
q Conduct geotechnical and environmental
Organizations (MPO) lists and the State Transportation
investigations.
Improvement Program (STIP).
q Conduct studies to evaluate potential
environmental impacts and meet state The project level planning process begins after project
requirements. initiation and continues through alternative analysis and
should be significantly completed by the end of preliminary
q If FTA funding is contemplated, obtain
engineering. The major activities in the planning phase,
National Environmental Policy Act
which require early consideration and substantive
environmental compliance and permits.
completion, are functional analysis, alternative studies,
q Purchase real estate after FTA site selection, hazardous material and geotechnical
determination of environmental studies, utility and third party coordination, environmental
compliance. compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
q Provide relocation assistance if site is 1969 (NEPA) and state agency if applicable, and compliance
occupied. with Uniform Act of 1970 for real estate acquisitions. The

SECTION 4: PLANNING, ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE, REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION
planning phase activities can continue through final design and construction
Important to for assuring compliance with mitigation measures stated in the environmental
Know
compliance document and acquisition, relocation, and management of real estate.
Early role definition
for project Role of the Agency
team members
is necessary The Agencys main role is to assure that the assigned project lead person for the
to balance the planning phase has the right qualifications, responsibility, authority, and available
authority and time to steward this phase. This project lead may or may not be the assigned
responsibility. project manager and could be a consultant. Managers with current operational
or planning assignments are often tasked with the work of planning a large
Consultants who
capital project while managing many other issues. This may result in reactive
take on the planning
project management rather than proactive project management since the lack
phase and take the
project through of adequate time will result in problems getting ahead of management decisions
environmental and driving the project, rather than the Agency proactively circumventing and
compliance are solving them. This lead person will have to work closely with other functions
conflicted out of in the organization such as service planning, operations, maintenance, and
performing the final procurement. The Agency must set priorities such that adequate support is
design. provided to the lead person. For the example bus maintenance facility project,
the Agency will need to assign a qualified manager with prior maintenance facility
The Project
project management experience dedicated to thinking through the project
Management Plan
needs. This manager anticipates issues and develops plans, collaborates with
revision in this
phase will highlight all stakeholders, and brings on the necessary resources to carry the project
unique features forward to meet the budget, schedule, quality and safety requirements. If such
related to the a resource is not available or does not have the time necessary, the lead person
planning phase. will have to work with procurement to bring in consultants for this phase.
Role of Consultants/Contractors
Whether the planning phase leadership is through use of an in-house project
manager or through project management provided by a consulting firm, the
planning studies will have to be done by outside consultants for most major
projects. This is the case especially when taken on by an Agency that does not
have a large, on-going capital planning function with specialists in community
planning, NEPA, and real estate acquisitions. Real estate consultants must have
experience and a track record with the Uniform Act. The consultant team
should have expertise in environmental compliance and NEPA, transportation
planning, engineering, architecture, and community outreach. The planning
consultant team will have design experts that will take the projects through
completion of the preliminary engineering phase. There must be some
separation between the engineering team in charge of analyzing impacts and
providing mitigations, and the environmental team in charge of identifying
impacts to assure no conflict of interest exists. It is recommended that the
environmental team be a separate company from the engineering team. In any
case, the planning team will take the project through planning, environmental

compliance, and preliminary engineering. Since the team is involved in scoping

of the final design phase, it is conflicted out of continuing to provide final design
services for the same project unless it participates in a new competitive selection
process. Once the team is selected, the project manager must complete
updating of the Project Management Plan (PMP) with input from the team.
Important to Planning Studies

Know Functional Studies
Functional studies
Functional studies are not site-specific. They are intended to define the
are prepared
needs of the users based on strategic goals regardless of site limitations or
to define and
opportunities. In the case of a maintenance facility, the project manager will
document the users
requirements. need to consider maintenance and operational needs including the size of
fleet, number of shifts, outsourced functions, and labor mix to determine the
Alternative studies space and equipment requirements. In the case of a bus stop, the functional
evaluate feasibility study considerations could be limited to the loading capacity, type of shelter,
of potential shelter features, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, lighting,
solutions to meet advertising, and signage. Sustainability design features (desired or required by
users needs. local building codes) should also be considered in defining user needs as they
Site selection can impact space requirements, operating costs, and overall impact of the
requires thorough facility on the environment. In any case, the project manager must assign this
consideration of work to a professional with extensive and prior experience with similar studies.
transportation The project manager must facilitate communication with internal and external
needs and impacts stakeholders. Full coordination with the Agencys fleet management plans and
of operations on short- and long-term transit plans is necessary. Once the users needs have been
the environment. identified, the project manager takes the report through the stakeholders for
Technical sign off.
investigations
and studies are
undertaken to
prove technical
merits and flaws of
the recommended
alternatives and
selected sites.
Design Charrettes
are used to
set project
goals, including
environmental goals.

Site Selection
To select a suitable site, the project manager will lead the team to determine
a general area where the facilities may be constructed. The team considers a
number of alternate sites within the general area. The project manager will lead
the team to consider site features. Once all site constraints and opportunities
have been identified, the team will undertake a more detailed study of the
preferred site with respect to fit and function for the required functions. The
team will develop a shortlist of selected sites to be studied further. The key
elements of the study are the number of people and businesses that will be
displaced, the estimated cost/time to acquire the real property for the project,
the site geotechnical characteristics and environmental impact costs, the
operational impact costs, and the estimated costs to relocate those eligible
and/or to move personal property from the property. Once these factors are
evaluated the sites will be ranked and listed in the environmental documents and
an acquisition and relocation plan is developed.
Technical Studies
The project manager must have qualified technical professionals on the team
to study the site and facilitate the technical evaluations early on and prior to
completion of site selection and acquisition. Technical evaluation of the site
includes geotechnical investigations, soil and water testing for contaminated
material, traffic studies, zoning studies, and other technical assessment that
may be applicable to the specific site. For example, the presence of hazardous
material, waste, or other contaminants on the site, and potential of undesirable
soil and geotechnical conditions can have severe cost and schedule implications
and must be studied prior to completion of site selection and acquisition.

Utilities and Third Party Coordination

The project manager, with technical support as necessary, will play a significant
role in communication and negotiation with utilities and impacted third
parties. Utility relocation and third party coordination are critical parts of the
construction of a project. Early and continuing coordination with the affected
utilities and third parties is critical to keeping your project on schedule and
budget. Utilities and third parties often need extensive lead time to reasonably
schedule their work and obtain materials necessary for relocation of their
facilities. The project manager should notify the affected utility company or
third party as soon as a project is identified that may require utility relocation or
third party cooperation. Once the parties are made aware (or notified) of the
future need, the utility company will be able to provide information concerning
the location of existing utilities and any proposed new utilities for a project site.
Third party agreements are executed following letters of intent signed between
the Agency and impacted third parties.
Environmental Studies
These studies may be necessary even if the project is categorically exempt from
formal environmental review required by the federal or state governments.
These studies could include traffic and noise studies to evaluate the impact on
the neighboring homes and businesses. Federal law requires environmental
compliance, in accordance with NEPA, prior to land acquisition. The project
manager will depend heavily on the professional team with relevant experience
for this work.

Important to Environmental Compliance

Know
Federal Process
The National
Environmental During the planning phase, when an Agency has programmed federal funds,
Policy Act the project manager must assure that the project clears the environmental
establishes an impacts of the project, with acceptable mitigation measures, in accordance
umbrella process with the NEPA and receive clearance through an FTA action. NEPA provides
for coordinating an umbrella and How to guidelines for addressing many other federal and
compliance with state requirements and laws governing environmental protection such as the
many laws. Threatened Species Act (Section 7) regulated by the United States Fish and
The National Wildlife Service. The regulations are described in detail in 23 CFR-Chapter
Environmental 771. The FTA regional office can provide a checklist that will help evaluate the
Policy Act process significance of potential impacts to determine if the project is exempt from
requires the Agency further review or must perform more detailed environmental studies. Figure 4-1
to disclose, avoid, shows an overview of the NEPA process.
and minimize
impacts to the The project manager in consultation with the FTA and with help from
extent possible an experienced staff or consultant will fill out the checklist and oversee
during project performance of the necessary studies to address potential impacts such
development. as traffic, noise, air quality, and biological resources. Once the checklist is
submitted to the FTA, the FTA will review it and the supporting studies and
FTA determines
make a determination. If it is determined that the proposed project would not
one of the following
actions: Categorical result in significant adverse impacts, a Categorical Exclusion (CE) is prepared,
Exclusion, and no further action, other than permitting, is necessary. A determination
Environmental that a project is categorically excluded is based on past experience with similar
Assessment, or projects that do not result in significant environmental impacts. It includes
Environmental actions which do not induce significant impacts to planned growth or land use
Impact Statement. for the area; do not require the relocation of significant numbers of people; do
not have a significant impact on any natural, social, cultural, recreational, historic
The Agency must
comply with
federal and state
environmental
requirements
before proceeding
to final design
and real estate
acquisition.
Figure 4-1
The NEPA Process
Overview

or other resource; do not involve significant air, noise, or water quality impacts;
do not have significant impacts on travel patterns; or do not otherwise, either
individually or cumulatively, have any significant environmental impacts. If it is
determined that the action is categorically excluded and would not result in
significant impacts, the CE may still require supporting documentation such as
additional studies to address and clarify relatively minor impacts. Construction
of new bus storage and maintenance facilities in areas used predominantly for
industrial or transportation purposes, where such construction is consistent with
existing zoning and located on or near a street with adequate capacity to handle
anticipated bus and support vehicle traffic, is an example of an action that may
be categorically excluded from further review. A typical abbreviated checklist is
shown in Figure 4-2.
In cases where the impacts or actions are not known, a more formal study
called Environmental Assessment (EA) is performed. The purpose of an EA is
to determine if certain aspects of the proposed project have the potential for
significant adverse social, economic, or environmental impact and if present,
create the foundation for preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS). The significance of impacts is judged on a case-by-case basis and measured
in terms of their context and intensity. The EA process may also facilitate
identification of alternatives and measures which might mitigate adverse
environmental impacts. At the conclusion of the EA study, the Agency may
receive a Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI). It is possible that before an
EA is completed, the Agency may be asked to expand the study to a full EIS.
Figure 4-2
Detailed Project Description
Information Required Location (Including Address)
for Probable Metropolitan Planning and Air Quality Conformity
Categorical Exclusion Zoning
Projects (23 CFR Traffic Impacts
Section 771.117(d)) Carbon Dioxide (CO) Hot Spots
Historic Resources
Noise
Vibration
Acquisitions & Relocations Required
Hazardous Materials
Community Disruption and Environmental Justice
Use of Public Parkland and Recreation Areas
Impacts on Wetlands
Floodplain Impacts
Impacts on Water Quality, Navigable Waterways, & Coastal Zones
Impacts on Ecologically-Sensitive Areas and Endangered Species
Impacts on Safety and Security
Impacts Caused by Construction
If the impacts are significant, an EIS must be prepared. The EA and EIS include
detailed environmental studies, related engineering studies, Agency coordination,
and public involvement. However, final design activities, property acquisition,

purchase of construction materials or rolling stock, or project construction,

cannot proceed until FTA approval is received. There are a few exceptions
for property acquisitions such as hardship and protective buying. Following
the circulation and approval of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the FTA may issue a Record
of Decision (ROD) documenting the work performed, decisions made, and
mitigation commitments to be honored during the final design and construction.
If new information is found or conditions change, a reevaluation may be required.
In some cases if the conditions change the project significantly, a supplemental
EIS will be required. The flow chart in Figure 4-3 shows the project
environmental compliance process.
Figure 4-3 Proposed Agency

NEPA Environmental Action
Review Process:
An Overview CE or Other
Exemption
Exclusion No
Applies
Exclusion
EA
No EIS
EIS Required
Notice of Intent
Scoping Process
DEIS
Agency/Public
Review & Comment
FEIS
FONSI
ROD
Agency Action Agency Action Agency Action

State Process
The environmental compliance process for states varies significantly from one
state to another; several states have state-specific processes similar to the
NEPA. Normally the lead Agency will process the planning applications for
approval of land use, project design, and permitting. This process is very similar,
and in some cases less stringent than the federal process. It is recommended
that the Agency contact the State Department of Transportation (DOT) in the
project state for details.
Permitting
Depending on the nature of the project, there are many permits that the project
manager will have to be concerned with and acquire prior to construction. In
this section, we cover the most commonly seen federal permits, which are
required for waterway encroachments and obstructions in conjunction with the
environmental review process. The applicable regulation is outlined in Section 404
of the Clean Water Act which requires a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers for the discharge of dredged or fill materials into Waters of the United
States (Waters of the United States include wetlands). The Section 404 (b)(1)
Guidelines provide guidance to the Corps of Engineers and applicants for issuance
of permits. Impacts to Waters of the United States need to be avoided and
minimized to the extent practicable. Compliance with the Guidelines is required
for the issuance of a permit. The Guidelines require the selection of the Least
Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA). Some states have
similar legislation and permitting requirements for waters and wetlands.
Typically the NEPA process is completed for a project prior to applying for a
permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The goal under NEPA is to
identify and implement the environmentally preferable alternative that considers
and balances impacts on natural, cultural, economic, and social resources. An
EIS fully discloses all reasonable alternatives and their associated impacts as the
basis for selecting an alternative; however, NEPA does not contain regulatory
requirements that compel Agencies to select the LEDPA as required by the
Clean Water Act. The project manager must be careful not to be misled by
thinking that compliance with NEPA early in the transit project development
process automatically translates to compliance with the section of the Clean
Water Act. To avoid potential need for reevaluation of alternatives, the project
manager must assure that the Corps of Engineers public interest review is
integrated in the NEPA compliance process through early consultation with
the Corps. Merging NEPA and Section 404 eliminates the potential conflicts
with sequential NEPA and Section 404 processes. The Corps of Engineers
encourages applicants to request pre-application conferences when projects are
being planned that may require the discharge of dredged or fill materials into
Waters of the United States.

Important to Real Estate Acquisition and

Know
Comply with
Relocation
Uniform Relocation Real Estate Acquisition
and Acquisition Act Acquisition of real estate for projects with federal funding must be carried out in
for federally funded
accordance with provisions of federal law (Uniform Act, found at 42 U.S.C. 4601)
projects.
and regulations (49 CFR Part 24 and FTA Circular 5010.1D).
Conduct
comprehensive due The transportation planning process in functional studies and due diligence,
diligence before you including environmental and geotechnical studies, were covered earlier. The
buy or lease. following checklist provides for an itemization of the necessary steps to be taken
before purchasing a property with federal funding:
Examine the
requirements of Procure a real estate specialist with Uniform Act knowledge and
various funding demonstrated experience.

agencies.
Research tax and plat records to identify possible owner of property.
Select title company to work with and order title commitments to verify
legal ownership of property and describe any title curative issues.

Contact property owner and obtain a right of entry to get permission from
property owner to enter property to perform due diligence.
Have the property required for the project surveyed.
Begin environmental site analysis.
Send property owner general information letter explaining project and
possible need of property.
In addition, the completion of the environmental process, receipt of a
determination by the FTA, and development of the right-of-way (ROW)
plans, are required before the project is ready to enter the acquisition phase.
The appraisal of real property needed for the project is the next step in the
acquisition process. The appraisal report must be reviewed, corrected (or
revised) if necessary, and ultimately approved by the Agency review appraiser.
The approved appraisal then
becomes the basis of the Agency's
offer of just compensation to the
property owner. The offer may
not be less than the fair market
value established by the approved
appraisal.
The next step in the acquisition

process is presenting the written
offer to the property owner. The
acquiring Agency presents a written

offer of just compensation to the property owner. The Agency, acting principally
through an acquisition agent or negotiator, should make every reasonable effort
to reach an agreement expeditiously with the property owner once it has been
approved by an Agency official. If an agreement is not reached, the Agency can
initiate condemnation proceedings as prescribed by law using legal counsel. If
there are occupants (including the property owner) or personal property on
the parcel, relocation assistance will be required. In that situation the project
manager must follow the relocation procedures associated with the Uniform Act
and its implementing regulations.
Important to Entitlement
Know Many cities and counties will enforce state laws and regulate land development
Determine and through zoning restrictions. The project manager will take the lead in
reach agreement on communicating with the cities and counties having jurisdiction to ascertain
the specific agency what steps are needed to entitle the parcel for their intended use. There are
that has jurisdiction numerous types of actions and varying procedures depending on the projects
on the project. and the jurisdictions. In the case of the example maintenance facility project,
Agency with
the project manager must assure compatible zoning and file a design review
jurisdiction over application for the intended use. In most circumstances, the project will
the project can be a go through design review before the conceptual engineering is done. Many
good resource. jurisdictions will not allow a final design review until after the project has gone
through the environmental compliance process. If the zoning is not compatible
Approval of the with the intended use, a general plan amendment or a use permit may be
project for intended
necessary.
use is provided

by agency with
jurisdiction.
Agency with and Resources
jurisdiction will Additional help and resources can be found in Section 10 of this Handbook.
review and approve This section begins with a nationwide listing of the FTA offices, along with
conceptual design
and construction
section.
drawings.

ACQUISITION PROCESS

NEPA PROCESS
Environmental Clearance (Record of Decision, Letter of

No Prejudice or Categorical Exclusion)
Decision of what to buy
Obtain Title Commitment
Send Intent Letter (NOI) to record owner(s): introduce appraisers(s); introduce

environmental consultant, if ESA is needed; introduce relocation/ acquisition
consultants; if not previously completed, give 2 week notice of intent to survey
(or obtain right of entry); extend offer for owner to meet w/ consultants
Survey (If not previously completed)
Donation? No
Yes Expected Value over Yes

$2500
Owner No
signs
waiver of Appraise In-house? No
right to
appraisal Yes
&
appraised Determine In-house
value Appraised Value
Appraisal Process Further Environmental research, if needed
Appraisal Review/Reconciliation of FMV
Internal Approval(s) of Appraised Value

Obtain FTA
FMV over FTA Threshold? Yes Concurrence
No
Make offer (according to guidelines) Via Offer Letter (recommend including

totally completed contract for signature if owner accepts) and include copy of
appraisal; verify receipt by owner; must state offer amount as just
compensation based upon FMV; must clearly describe property to be
purchased (field notes, survey, and/or legal description) & must identify
improvements to be purchased; may list personal property that may be retained
& amount offer to be reduced if they do so; recommend copy lienholders
Owner given reasonable amount of time to review,

express concerns, counter-offer
Accepts Owner accepts, counters, rejects Rejects/doesn't

(or doesn't respond) respond
Counters
Receipt of Counter-offer
Accepts Internal
Rejects
Approvals
Final Offer Letter and notice that

sending to legal for
condemnation
Send to legal to initiate

Contract signed condemnation proceedings
Clear Title Condemnation Process
Closing Post Award/Possession
Condemnation Appeals Process

(if any)
Figure 4-4 Acquisition Process

Design
5
SECTION

Introduction
This section will provide you with key concepts regarding the management of
the design phase. During the design phase, you will oversee the translation of
the project requirements into detail drawings and specifications that will be used
for the construction contract documents. As part of this section, the key points
regarding the oversight of preliminary engineering and final design, managing the
project schedule and performing constructability reviews, value engineering (VE),
and peer reviews throughout development will be provided. Quality control
(QC) and quality assurance (QA) for the design phase will also be discussed.
Design Phase
The design phase takes the project requirements through design criteria and
conceptual design to the final design and construction documents for a contractor
to bid on. As was discussed in Section 4 regarding the environmental clearance
process the design sub-phases, alternatives analysis, conceptual design, and
preliminary engineering are all interrelated with the environmental clearance
and process. The design phase will involve interaction with the real property
acquisition and third party coordination processes that were discussed in Section 4.
Role of the Agency in Design

Experience has shown that for the design phase to be a success, you as the
project manager must be able to commit the time necessary, as well as, have an
appropriate understanding of the project's scope. As part of this effort, you will
need to manage the design consultants scope of work and associated progress.
This effort will include monitoring their cost and schedule performance
against the agreed upon scope of work. This may require managing changes
in the design contract as changes in design assumptions are identified. To aid
in minimizing impacts to the design consultant's efforts, timely reviews and
approvals should be given so as to not delay the project development process.
In addition, as construction capital cost estimates are developed during design,

you will need to review the estimates, including the constraints of inflation and
price uncertainties and balance the cost estimates within the budget. For larger
projects, you may depend on a design manager. The design manager may come
from either in-house staff or from a Program Management Consultant (PMC)
contract, and would assist you in the timely review of key components delivered
by the design consultant.

SECTION 5: EXISTING WAYFINDING TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
In general terms, your role as a project manager is to:

Important to Do
q Organize Design Team (in-house Review and approve design concepts, preliminary engineering,
or design consultant). and final engineering
Provide and coordinate design review comments
q Establish Quality Management
System. Participate in VE and risk assessment sessions
Manage the design consultants efforts
q Lead Design Management.
Monitor design costs and schedule
q Establish Design Criteria,
Oversee QA
Including Evaluation of
Sustainability Design Concepts. Approve baseline capital cost and schedule
Approve the construction bid package.
q Assess and address Project
Risks.
Role of Design Consultants
q Perform conceptual design. The design consultants role is to develop the design based on the
q Prepare Shop Equipment Manual. approved project in the environment document, as was discussed
in Section 4, and prepare the construction bid package. Their
q Perform Preliminary Engineering.
efforts will be identified in the scope of work for conceptual design,
q Organize and participate in Value preliminary engineering, and final design. The scope of work must
Engineering. be consistent with the Project Management Plan (PMP), which
should be updated prior to commencement of the design phase.
q Perform Final Design.
In the PMP deliverables are defined and the roles for the project
q Obtain Appropriate Permits. manager, the Agency, and the design staff and consultants are
q Assure Third Party identified.
Coordination.
Typically, the design consultants role for the design phase is to:
q Conduct Design Reviews.
Establish design criteria and assess and address project risks.
q Organize and participate in Peer
Perform conceptual design and preliminary engineering in
Reviews.
support of the environmental clearance documents.

q Perform Quality Control. Perform technical studies, develop engineering criteria, and
q Perform Quality Assurance. conduct VE and risk assessment.
Estimate capital cost and construction schedule throughout the

q Perform Constructability
design process.
Reviews.
Prepare final design drawings and specifications and coordinate
q Complete Construction bid design submissions and reviews.
Documents.
Develop and apply internal QA/QC criteria for the review of
q Support construction and deliverables.
commissioning activities. Update capital cost estimates and construction schedule
q Support bid and award with

throughout the design process.

preparation of addendums. Produce final design drawings and specifications for the
construction bid package.


Important to Design Phases

Know
Project Scoping
Alternative analysis
is used to identify The various design phases are intended to help develop and refine the project
potential concepts requirements. At the end of each phase, estimating and containing project costs
for preliminary is a key project management responsibility that begins at project scoping and
engineering analysis. continues throughout project development. One of the primary functions of
project scoping is to develop an accurate preliminary cost estimate of project
Preliminary
costs and compare it to the programmed cost. An effective way of containing
engineering is the
project costs is to control the project scope during the initial scoping and then
development of
throughout project development at design reviews discussed in this section. It is
enough design
to support the important that the scope of work developed during project scoping is achievable
approval of the within the approved budget. The following costs should be considered and
environmental refined throughout the project development process:
document.
Agency Project Administration
Final engineering Surveys Topographical and Boundary
develops
Real Property and ROW Acquisition
preliminary
engineering into the Geotechnical Investigation
construction bid Engineering for Design and Construction
package containing Support
the final drawings Cost Estimation
and specifications.
VE
Peer Reviews
Utility Services to Site
Construction
Construction Inspection/Management
Owner Furnished Equipment.
Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering

At the beginning of the design process, using the maintenance facility example,
the project manager has to understand that the most important factor is the
analysis of the existing bus fleet size and the potential for an expanded fleet size.
Included in this thought process is the consideration of what future fleet mix may
be, including articulated buses, alternatively fueled buses, and paratransit vehicles.
This thought process and analysis establishes the basis for the design.
Basic elements for the example maintenance facility project to be included during
the conceptual design process include assessing the spatial area requirements
for general bus maintenance, fare removal, fueling, exterior washing, interior
cleaning, and bus storage. Additional space will be required for administrative

and operating staff offices, training rooms, lunch rooms, locker rooms, and
associated toilet facilities. Space will also be needed for parts storage, body and
paint shops, tire shops, and heavy repair areas.
On-site parking will be required for vehicles for employees and vendors who
will park on the site. Accommodations should be provided for such items as
landscaping, site security, stormwater management facilities, and potentially,
water treatment facilities.
Upon completion of site selection and acquisition, the overall site layout
considerations for daily operations at the bus maintenance facility in our example
project need to include queuing space for buses during the mid-day and evening
pull-in, bus circulation and storage space prior to maintenance and servicing, and
circulation area for buses to move to and from storage on the site. Entrance and
exit locations to and from the site to adjacent streets are also very important in
the consideration of the overall site layout.
Important to During the preliminary engineering sub-phase, the design team will finalize the
Know concept for the facility and any associated equipment, and finalize the design
Design Criteria criteria, and requirements for property/ROW and third party coordination work
that will be used for the final design sub-phase. The preliminary engineering
Codes
design should be developed to a point where the baseline capital cost and
Design Standards construction schedule can be developed.
Document Design Criteria The design team will develop the design criteria for
Standards the project based on the scope of work provided. Engineering analysis will
Drawings, establish a range of acceptable criteria or standards for the project. An
Specifications, example of an outline for the design criteria document that may be used for a
Estimate, Schedule,
project is provided in Figure 5-1. The project manager will review the service
and Calculations
characteristics and site constraints provided by the design team to make sure
Project that they satisfy the needs of the Project Requirements Definition (PRD). The
Requirements project manager will need to seek input from all stakeholders and based on their
Definition comments approve the design criteria in a timely manner. Once determined
Design Schedule the design criteria must not change unless otherwise approved by both the
project manager and the design team. A change of design criteria during either
Project Budget preliminary or final design may have significant implications on the design budget
and schedule, as well as the construction budget and schedule.

Figure 5-1 Design Criteria Document Outline

Figure 5-1
Design Criteria
Document Outline
Important to
Know
Conceptual Design
Code Analysis
Zoning Analysis
Topographical
Survey
Boundary Survey
Existing Utility
Survey
Geotechnical Survey
Environmental Alternative Analysis The design team will develop different concepts for
Survey the project within the identified design criteria. The design team will develop
attributes regarding each alternative that will allow the Agency to perform the
Space Programming analysis and prioritization of the options. This identification of the preferred
Alternative Layouts alternative will be moved forward into conceptual design by the design team.
Alternative Cost Conceptual Design The design consultant will develop graphic plans based
Analyses on functional requirements and safety as identified for the preferred alternative.
Community In addition, they will analyze the project site(s) to determine the initial "look
Outreach and feel" of the project once completed. The result of the conceptual design
is a set of architectural plans, elevations, landscaping plan, site boundary, and
Traffic Impacts
topographic surveys. Depending on the site complexity, the design may include
Noise Abatement other drawings such as grading, utility, and drainage plans.

Preliminary Engineering As part of this portion

Important to Know of the project, the design team will take the project
Preliminary Engineering from the conceptual design to a level of design that
Layout Refinement defines all significant elements that will enable a
more accurate estimate of the construction project
Available Utility Service Analysis
costs and impacts. The developed technical and cost
Architectural and Engineering Systems Definition information will serve as the basis for subsequent
Preliminary Plans, Elevations, Sections, Schedules funding and implementation decisions. A major
Discipline Coordination objective of preliminary engineering is for the project
manager to oversee that the design team investigates
Outline Technical Specifications
the merits of all sound configurations and designs.
Preliminary Analyses and Calculations These investigations require in-depth analysis of all
Preliminary Construction Schedule components, their interrelationships, and their costs.
In addition, environmental review requirements are
Preliminary Staging Plans
completed. Once the design team completes the
Preliminary Cost Estimate preliminary engineering portion of the total design
Completion of Site Surveys and Right-of-Way effort, the project can move through final design
Certificates with a minimum of design changes, disruptions,
or delays. In addition, any environmental-related
Finalize Geotechnical Investigations
permits not yet obtained should be pursued shortly
Finalize Environmental Investigations after this phase and by the end of final design.
Final Design
Federal law requires that final design cannot begin
Important to Know prior to NEPA completion as denoted by an FTA
Final Design Record of Decision (ROD), Finding of No Significant
Final Plans, Elevations, Sections, Schedules Impact (FONSI), or a Categorical Exclusion (CE)
determination. The final design team will develop
Detail Development
the construction bid package that contains the final
Final Technical Specifications drawings and specifications for the project required
Discipline Coordination to solicit and obtain construction contract bids.
The final drawings and specifications will also detail
Summary of Work Preparation
the property or ROW needed to accommodate
Temporary Facilities and Controls Defined the project, include the appropriate permits and
Federal, State, and Local Legal Requirements associated conditions from other agencies, and any
Bid Forms, Bonds, Prevailing Wages, Etc. coordination of work with or by third parties (e.g.,
utility companies) that was discussed in Section 4.
Final Design Calculations
The project manager will oversee the final design
Final Construction Schedule efforts of the design team through reviews of design
Final Construction Staging Plans drawings and specification submissions at the 60
Construction Cost Estimate Update
percent, 90 percent, and 100 percent complete
stages of design. In addition, value engineering (VE)
Environmental Permits will either be performed at the end of preliminary
engineering or early in final design. Using the various

reviews as checkpoints, you will be able to maintain an accurate assessment of

the final capital cost and construction schedule for the construction phase. In
addition, the design team must develop clear statements of testing requirements,
operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals, and acceptance criteria for the
safety and functionality of all subsystems, the implementation of which we discuss
in Section 7. The completed construction bid package will be used by the Agency
to procure a contractor, and monitor the construction efforts of the contractor,
as we will describe in Section 6.
Important to Design Management

Know As the Agency's project manager, you are responsible for overseeing the entire
Design management design development process as defined by both the PRD and associated PMP, as
is the oversight of were discussed in Section 3. As part of your initial assessment of the Agency's
the design efforts current capacity and capabilities and the scope of the project, the determination
phase activities. will need to be made as to whether the design management will be performed
by either you, an independent in-house individual, or by a program management
consultant (PMC) that is procured for the task of design management. You will
need to oversee the efforts of the PMC. The designer of record can take on
project management of the design phase on less complex projects. However, the
Important to
Agencys project manager will still be very involved and will most likely have to
Know
take the lead role of interfacing the third parties who may be reluctant to deal
Construction Drawings, with a design consultant without authority to commit the Agency.
Specifications and Legal
Requirements Regardless of who performs the design management, it is a key role in guiding
the project to a successful conclusion. Typical duties and responsibilities of the
Final Document
design phase project manager are to:
Checking and
Coordination Finalize project scope of work and budget.
Summary of Work Make certain that the design team is performing the work and services
Finalization required by the scope.

Signing and Sealing Provide assistance and guidance to the design consultant.
of Construction Prepare and monitor the project schedule.
Documents Monitor project cost including cost of design, ROW acquisition, utility
Finalize Legal relocations, construction, etc., to keep costs within budget.

Requirements Review and coordinate reviews of all design submissions, preliminary and
Bid Forms, Bonds, final real property and ROW plans, design drawings, special provisions,
Prevailing Wages specifications, and estimates.
Plan Checks and Accept and evaluate the quality of deliverable. Verify adherence of the
Building Permits design consultant to the QA/QC plan.
Coordinate and oversee design review meetings, constructability reviews,
Final Cost Estimate

and plan checks.
Preparation

Coordinate between the Agency and involved third parties (e.g.,
environmental agencies, municipal officials, municipal authorities, utility
companies).
Important to Design Reviews

Know For a design/bid/build project, the project manager coordinates and oversees
Design reviews reviews at the design criteria, conceptual, preliminary engineering, 30 percent,
involve a formalized, 60 percent, 90 percent, 100 percent, and bid documents stages. The percent
structured refers to the approximate ratio of design budget spent over total design
approach to assure budget. Reviews at these points in design are key control points to the design
interdisciplinary management process. A design review is a detailed, analytical, and unbiased
coordination and approach used to verify that the appropriate deliverables (e.g., studies, final
compliance with drawings, technical specifications, and construction bid documents) are being
design criteria and prepared and that the design consultant is maintaining pace with the budget and
environmental, site, project schedule. In addition, during each review, a current construction cost
and operational
estimate should be reviewed and compared against the anticipated cost.
constraints.
Design reviews are For each design review, you make certain that the design manager will ensure the
conducted to assure following key objectives are accomplished, as applicable to the particular review:
quality of products
in development. Adherence to design criteria, environmental documents
Quality of the design
Design reviews
generally occur Identification of errors and omissions
at the following Building codes compliance
points in the design Operational and functional objectives are met
process: design
Coordination between engineering disciplines
criteria, conceptual,
preliminary Adherence of cost estimates to the budget
engineering, or 30 Designers feedback before progressing further
percent, 60 percent, Design is biddable, constructible, and cost-effective
90 percent, 100
Interface compatibility: adjacent project elements and the existing transit
percent, and bid
system
documents.
Final construction contract documents comply with the design criteria,
environmental document, codes, and regulations.

To help with the reviews, Figure 5-2 shows a typical Review Comment Register
that the project manager and the other reviewers can use to facilitate the review
during the various design reviews.

Figure 5-2 GANNETT FLEMING, INC.
REVIEW COMMENT REGISTER

Design Review PROJECT: DATE:
Comments Register REVIEWER: DISCIPLINE:
DOCUMENT: DWGS. SPEC. ESTIMATE OTHER
REVIEW: PRELIM. INTER. PREFINAL FINAL OTHER
PURPOSE: GENERAL TECHNICAL
COORDINATION QUALITY ASSURANCE OTHER

ITEM DWG/SECT/ ACTION
NUMBER PAGE NO. COMMENT BY RESPONSE
The following two submittals/reviews should be accomplished during the

preliminary engineering sub-phase of the project:
In-Progress Preliminary Submittal - This preliminary submittal is
intended to facilitate the review of the recommended approach, including
evaluation of the rejected alternatives with the design team. As such, the
recommendation approach must be addressed in the plans and/or design
report. It is recommended that VE be conducted at this point.

Preliminary Engineering Submittal (30-Percent Review) - This
submittal marks the division between preliminary and final design and is the
project managers and/or design manager's last review in the preliminary
engineering phase. The review is meant to demonstrate that the selected
approach to all major design concepts and VE recommendations and other
design features have been resolved and that final design can proceed without
delay. Therefore, the review should:
- Define the impact of construction on all affected parties including utilities,
railroads, governmental agencies, commercial properties, and residential
areas.
- Define the scope of work for detailed design of the project.
- Provide a satisfactory basis for a realistic estimate of the cost of construction,
which will serve as a budget.
- Establish the project scope, or limits, with respect to real property and
ROW.
- It is recommended that a risk assessment study be done prior to completion
of preliminary engineering phase.
Three major reviews occur during the final design phase. These reviews are
typically referred to as 60-percent review, 90-percent review, and 100-percent
review, although the exact percent complete could vary depending on the nature
of the project. The construction bid document verification and delivery review
follows the 90-percent review. The scope of these reviews is:
60-Percent Review The project manager and/or design manager will

make certain that all major features of design are progressing in accordance

with prior direction, major engineering and VE decisions; and most

drawings, specifications, and other documents are well advanced. Usually a
constructability review is conducted at this point or at the latest before the
90 percent submittal.
90-Percent Review The drawings and specifications provided by the
design team are to be nearly completed and checked. Therefore, the
project manager and the design manager will need to perform an extensive
review since at this point in the design development cycle, this will be the
last major design review. In addition, you and the design manager will verify
that comments from the 60-percent review have been addressed. When
applicable these drawings should be sent to the permitting agency for a plan
check. The construction cost estimate should also be verified against the
budget established for the project.
100-Percent Review The drawings and specifications are to be finished
by the design team and checked. In addition, the project manager and/or
design manager will verify that comments from the 90-percent review have
been addressed. Only incorporation of comments arising from this review,
plus sign-off and approval should be required to complete the construction
bid documents.
Bid Document Verification After delivery of all completed, signed,
and sealed original drawings by the design consultant, you and the design
manager are to verify that comments from the 100-percent review have
been satisfactorily resolved, construction cost estimates are in line with
budgets, and appropriate Agency or individual approvals can be given.
Further comments that do not pertain to the 100-percent review should not
be considered unless the design is in error because of an unsafe condition,
non-constructability of work as shown, or new work that was not previously
Important to shown. At this point the Agency procurement staff will add the necessary
Know contractual provisions to the packages.
Third party
agreements should
be in place as
Third Party Coordination
early as possible As indicated in Section 4, third party coordination as early as possible during the
but no later project development cycle is imperative. During the design phase, the design
than completion consultant may find it necessary to relocate or rearrange existing facilities prior
of preliminary to or during the construction phase. Third party work involves the relocation or
engineering, which rearrangement of existing facilities that impact project construction, including:
will help to make
certain that the Operational interference
project will not Utilities (electric power, gas, telephone, cable etc.)
encounter any Public infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges, streets, drainage, sewer,
delays or cost water, etc.)

growth during
the design or Railroads
construction phases. Easements and ROW acquisitions.

The timing and duration of third party work requires careful planning,
Important to negotiation, and execution. This is due to the fact that third parties typically
Know need significant lead time to perform the necessary design and perform
Value Engineering is the relocation, or determine the interfaces of the third party that can be
a systematic, multi- incorporated into the contract provisions. Due to the limited influence
disciplined approach that an Agency has with respect to controlling the work of a third party,
designed to optimize the chance for a schedule impact on the project is likely. These risks will
the value of each
be identified as part of the risk assessment described later. Therefore,
dollar spent. To
the earlier that a third party agreement can be negotiated, the better
accomplish this goal,
understanding the project manager and the design consultant will have
an independent team
of architects/engineers of the overall schedule impact. A discussion on developing third party
identifies, analyzes, and agreements is provided in Section 9.
establishes a value for a
function of an item or Value Engineering
system.
Agencies are encouraged to apply VE techniques to all projects including bus
Value Engineering maintenance and storage facilities whose construction costs are estimated
is to satisfy the to exceed $2 million. The objective of VE is to satisfy the required
required function at functions of the project at the lowest initial total cost and cost over the life
the lowest total cost of the project. Figure 5-3 provides an overview of the VE process.
(capital, operating, and
maintenance) over When to Perform Value Engineering
the life of a project
consistent with the VE for a project should be performed early in the design process before
requirements of major decisions have been completely incorporated into the design,
performance, reliability, including civil, systems, and architectural areas. Ideally, the project manager
maintainability, safety, or the design manager will see that the VE is accomplished at or prior to the
and esthetics. end of preliminary design or before 30 percent of design.
Value Engineering on
How to Perform Value Engineering
a project should be
performed early in As the Agency's project manager, you will coordinate the VE session that
the design process will consist of a multi-disciplined team of professionals, who preferably
before major decisions are not part of the design team. VE personnel can include electrical,
have been completely mechanical, civil/structural, and construction engineers, as well as specialists
incorporated into the in architecture, cost estimation, construction management, and transit
design, at or near the O&M. The designer of record will provide support to the VE team. The
end of preliminary VE team leader could be a certified value specialist (CVS). For additional
design, or at 30 percent information on this certification visit the Society of American Value
of design. Engineers (SAVE) at www.value-eng.org.
Value Engineering
review could add
function and cost that
have not been thought
through previously.

Figure 5-3 Value Engineering Study Task Flow Diagram

Implementation of Value Engineering Recommendations

Upon the project managers review of the VE recommendations, the design team
will determine whether to adopt and/or reject the various proposals and then
finalize the VE response report. The final report shall include a summary of
accepted VE proposals with revised capital and implementation costs, as well as a
list of rejected proposals and the reasons for their rejection.
Based on the VE proposals that will be adopted, you should consider providing
Important to
the design team with additional funds that are needed to implement the design
Know
enhancements that were identified as part of the VE.
Peer review can
Peer Reviews
be applied to any
problem or situation
where a second Peer review should be an early step in the design process that can add an
opinion can be external perspective to enhance the functionality of design, construction, and
useful. operation. Used in addition to a VE study, that is usually later in the design
Peer reviews are process, peer review is based on the question "can we do this better?" and can
intended to take be used to provide an independent critique of the design phase.
advantage of the
lessons learned Whether you or the team does or does not have previous experience with
by other agencies the overall design process, the team is encouraged to contact other transit
having done similar operations and maintenance experts, or PMCs in order to bring in and benefit
work in the past. from their experience with similar design efforts.
Although Agencies are encouraged to conduct a peer review for all capital
projects, FTA requires the peer review process for projects funded under the
Section 5309 discretionary program. These reviews are to make certain that bus
facilities are effectively designed to enhance bus operations. A review of plans
at the completion of preliminary design will be conducted using the expertise of
Important to transit operator peers who provide service under similar circumstances. The
Know FTA requires that peer reviews be coordinated with the FTAs regional engineer.
Constructability
reviews are
necessary prior
Constructability Reviews
to completion of Later in the design process, the design team will need to perform constructability
final design and reviews as part of the design process. Participants for constructability reviews
preferred at 60 can come from within your Agency, the design team, or assistance can be
percent design to obtained from other transit agencies, code officials, independent consultants, or
make certain what is contractors. The constructability reviews should be prior to completion of 90
depicted on the final percent and preferably shortly after 60 percent of the design. The purpose of
drawings, technical constructability review is to:
specifications, and
construction bid Eliminate construction requirements that are impossible or impractical to
documents can be build.
built.

Maximize constructability, recognizing the availability and suitability of

Important to materials, the capability of labor resources, and the standards of practice
Know of the construction resources.
Project risk is an Verify accurate depictions of site conditions with regard to access,
unexpected event or utilities, and general configuration.
circumstance that has

a chance of occurring Make sure of the adaptation of designed structures and features to the
and that may prevent a project site conditions and constraints.
project from meeting Determine adequacy of work and storage space including contractor
its schedule and cost access to the site.
estimate/budget. Determine appropriate construction durations and milestones.
Project risks can be Verify requirements for QA/QC during construction.
divided into two main Clearly define procedures for scheduling outages and the feasibility of
categories: design/ utility interruptions.
construction risks and

Determine requirements for Agency-provided materials, equipment,
financial risks.
services, and utility connections.
- Design/construction Make certain that designs can be constructed using methods, materials,
risks include and equipment common to the construction industry.
weather conditions,
Pay attention to the requirements of the public including adjacent land
contractors' inability
use functions, existing transit patrons, and persons with disabilities.
to carry out the
project, unforeseen Make sure coordination is included with all operating elements of the
site conditions, existing transit system.
permitting delays, and Make certain adequate provisions are provided for access, staging, and
so forth. storage of waste and supplies; parking for worker and construction
- Financial risks include vehicles; and mitigation of environmental impacts during construction.
revenue shortfalls,
changes in the project Risk Assessment
cash demands, and During the design phase and preferably prior to completion of preliminary
changes in interest engineering, the project manager must facilitate performance of a risk
rates, among other
assessment to determine whether there are events or circumstances that
things.
can occur that will have a direct impact on the project's schedule and
Risk is defined in terms associated cost. As the design of the project gets more refined and nears
of an event (what may completion of the drawings and specifications, the more costly the impact of
occur to the detriment an unexpected event will have in terms of money and schedule. Therefore,
of the project), its teams risk assessment should be updated periodically through the design
probability (how likely
phase of the project, with the final update occurring prior to construction.
it is to occur), and
This risk assessment will be completed through the use of a risk register
the amount involved
process. An example of a risk register is provided in Figure 5-4.
(dollars of maximum
possible loss or number
of losses that could
occur).

Figure 5-4 Example of a Risk Register
A risk register will help the project team capture the risks associated with the
project and quantify the potential impacts to the project. To develop the risk
register, you should coordinate with the other key stakeholders via a meeting or
workshop to identify:
Each project risk

Description of the risk
Impacted project activities
Probability of occurrence
Potential cost impact
Potential schedule impact.
The following are a few examples of risks that may impact the development of a
project:
Budget Risks - Risk that budget elements will deviate from the estimate (e.g.,
deviations in unit prices, deviations in quantities).
Event Risks - Risk of internal or external events that force the project team
to work beyond the estimate just to meet the project scope and scope of
work (SOW) (e.g., extreme weather, contractor non-performance).
Scope Risks - Risk of significant changes to project scope due to external
pressures (e.g., community pressures for changes in bus shelter location or
increase in maintenance facility size).
Examples of risks that the Agency project manager and the design consultant
should consider for the project include:
Real Estate
- Property Acquisition
- Relocation
- Condemn
- Eminent Domain
Public Utilities
- Analysis and Coordination
- Agreements
- Relocation
Financial
Politics
- Internal/External

Environmental
- Environmental Impact Studies


Historical Significance
- Protected Lands
- Archaeological
- Structures
Contract phasing and packaging
- Scope of Work

- Bid Process/Labor

- Integrating Construction Packages

Community impacts and public perception
Public hearing
- Marketing/Communication

- Safety and Security

Material, Equipment and Construction Techniques
Once the risks for the project have been identified, they should be ranked
according to the probability of their occurring and an associated cost implication.
Then the project manager can prepare the risk management plan that will
establish and prioritize mitigation measures, allocate the risks to the appropriate
party (i.e., Agency, design consultant, contractor, third parties), and assign
mitigation and management responsibilities.
During the design phase, the project's risks can be monitored through peer
reviews, VE studies, and constructability reviews in an effort to design the
project within budget and schedule given the inevitability of unknowns.
Quality Assurance and Quality

Control
Agency Oversight
As the project manager, you are responsible to assure that FTA capital funds are
spent wisely. As part of the PMP discussed in Section 3, the quality requirements
for the project must be addressed in the Quality Management Plan portion. The
difficulty is that not every Agency will be able to justify a special QA/QC staff for
a one-time project or even justify having a QA/QC staff for smaller projects such
as the development of bus storage and maintenance facilities. In such cases use
of consultants is appropriate.
Once the PMP is accepted, the QA/QC plan is set in place for the design portion
of the project. The plan should answer the questions of who is responsible and
when in time actions should occur. More important, the quality plan needs to
be maintained throughout the design phase so that as a new phase is initiated, it

will reflect the appropriate quality requirements. Since the primary product
Important to of the design phase is construction contract documents for construction
Know
contractors, decisions about quality requirements for construction and
Quality Control manufacturing need to be planned and included in the contract documents.
the act of taking Therefore, during the design phase of the project, you follow the design
measurements, testing, control portion of the quality management system that was put in place as
and inspecting a process
part of the PMP for the entire project.
or product to make
sure that it meets
specification. It also Quality Control in Design
includes actions by those QC during the design phase of projects is a very important part of a project-
performing the work related quality program. The design team is responsible for their own
to control the quality QC. The design team shall provide a quality management plan prior to
of the work. Products initiating design activities that identifies how they will achieve QC for the
may be design drawings project. The quality management plan describes the procedures that are
or specifications, to be followed for design changes, including sign-off and documentation. In
manufactured addition, any contract quality requirements for design reviews and sign-
equipment, or off from other departments within the Agency, such as construction and
constructed items.
operations, and other relevant Agencies must be stated. A procedure for
Quality Control also
the control of project documents should also be specified.
refers to the process of
witnessing or attesting Calculations, drawings, and specifications are checked by qualified
to, and documenting personnel not normally associated with their preparation.
such actions.
Verify the design against the scope.
Quality Assurance Constructability reviews make sure that the project includes the
making certain the application of sound construction principles consistent with operating
project requirements and maintenance requirements and accepted engineering practices for
are developed to meet safe, efficient, and economic construction.
the needs of all relevant
internal and external VE design reviews assure cost effectiveness.
agencies, planning the Design validations make certain that the project conforms to the
processes needed to requirements of its intended use.

assure quality of the
project, making sure Quality Assurance in Design
that equipment and The design manager is responsible for overseeing the design QA system.
staffing is capable The design team can accomplish this by setting up an in-house QA
of performing tasks system for the project and having the design manager perform the QA by
related to project overseeing the design consultant's QC efforts. As the project manager you
quality, making sure
will need to maintain an oversight role to acquire confidence that the quality
that contractors are
management system for design is achieving the project quality objectives.
capable of meeting and
do carry out quality
requirements, and
documenting the quality
efforts.

Important to Sustainability (Green Building)

Know
Benefits of Green
Standards and Design
Building FTA and Sustainability
- Environmental: The FTA actively promotes environmental sustainability as part of the
management of $10 billion annually in federal funds. These funds support
Enhance and
protect ecosystems locally planned, constructed, and operated public transportation systems,
and biodiversity which can have multiple environmental benefits to the communities
they serve and the nation as a whole. In addition to supporting public
Improve air and
transportation as a whole, FTA grant, research, and technical assistance
water quality
programs assist state and local governments in providing environmentally
Reduce solid waste sustainable transportation solutions. When planning a new or rehabilitation
Conserve natural project, a review of the current FTA sustainability initiatives should be
resources reviewed to see if your project might qualify for sustainability grants.
- Economic:
For more information, visit the FTA web site www.fta.dot.gov and click on
Reduce operating Planning & Environment link, followed by the Transit and Environmental
costs Sustainability link.
Enhance asset value
and profits What is Green Building Design?
Improve employee
Green building design can be thought of as the intelligent integration of
productivity and
technology with nature. The primary objectives are:
satisfaction
Optimize life- Energy: Reduce energy consumption and operational costs.
cycle economic Materials: Maximize the use of sustainable materials.
performance
Air Quality: Minimize negative impacts on interior air quality.
- Health and
Productivity: Improve the health, motivation and productivity of human
Community:
occupants.
Improve air,
thermal, Sustainability design features can range from simple conservation features,
and acoustic such as the incorporation of low-flow water fixtures and occupancy sensing
environments light switches; to more high-end systems like geothermal heat pumps, solar
Enhance occupant electric panels, wind turbines, and vegetated roofs.
comfort and health
Why Should We Consider Green Building Design?
Minimize strain on
local infrastructure The built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment,
economy, health, and productivity. In the United States alone, buildings
Contribute to
overall quality of account for:
life
72% of electricity consumption
39% of energy use
38% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

40% of raw materials use

30% of waste output (136 million tons annually)
14% of potable water consumption.
(Data Source: USGBC Web Site)
How Does One Select and Evaluate Sustainability

Options?
The most prevalent tool for green design evaluation is the LEED program. LEED
stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a tool created
by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide third party
validation of green building design. It is an internationally recognized certification
system that measures how well a building performs across a series of metrics:
energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor
environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their
impacts.
The LEED 2009 (V3) rating system has four levels of certification, which are
achieved by collecting design points. Certification levels and the associated point
ranges are:
Certified (40 to 49 points)

Silver (50 to 59 points)
Gold (60 to 79 points)
Platinum (80 + points)
Rating system points are assigned to a design in seven different categories:
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy & Atmosphere
Material & Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation & Design Process
Regional Priority
Figure 5-5 is a copy of the LEED 2009 Project Scorecard for New Construction
and Major Renovations, showing the point distribution in each category, along
with identification of prerequisites required to be achieved to receive LEED
certification. The Scorecard is a checklist that can be used during initial design
activities to help establish the possible level of LEED certification for the building
project; or it can be just a guide to evaluate the types of sustainability features
that could be incorporated into the design of a new or renovated facility.

Figure 5-5
LEED 2009 Project Scorecard New Construction and Major Renovations (Pg 1 of 3)

Figure 5-5

Figure 5-5
Important to LEED Certification

Know Going with LEED Certification does add supplementary costs to the design and
LEED Certification construction budget in the form of:
There are both
Design Costs
environmental and
financial benefits Commissioning
to earning LEED Energy Modeling
certification, including: LEED Certification Documentation
Lowering operating
Design costs attributed to LEED relate to additional architectural and
costs and increasing
engineering work required to assess the design features and how they relate
asset value.
to the LEED design credit system. This additional effort can include a design
Reducing waste sent charrette with the building owner to determine design features and establish the
to landfills. level of certification desired, based on what credits are available for the project
Conserving energy scope. It also includes additional time and effort in the design and specification
and water. of systems for the project.
Healthier and Commissioning is the Compliance Check that the design and building process
safer buildings for meets the LEED guidelines selected for the project. This is typically handled by
occupants. an outside party, independent of the design and construction teams.
Reducing harmful
Energy modeling is the comparison between the energy requirements for a
greenhouse gas
emissions. baseline version of the building in accordance to ASHRAE 90.1-2004 minimum
energy standards, and the performance of the building as designed with high
Qualifying for tax efficiency components.
rebates, zoning
allowances, and LEED certification documentation is the process of documenting compliance
other incentives in with the various LEED checklist criteria for submittal to the USGBC for review
hundreds of cities. and decision on certification. The commissioning process is executed by a
Demonstrating Commissioning Agent, who is responsible for making sure that the proper
an owner's sustainable guidelines and LEED documentation and certification requirements
commitment to are incorporated into the Contract Documents. During the value engineering
environmental studies, a Commissioning Agent makes sure that the systems are looked at as
stewardship and whole and not just pieces. When incorporating sustainable design, each system
social responsibility. affects each other and the removal of one system during value engineering can
affect other systems and actually make them cost more if you do not evaluate the
systems together. During the value engineering studies a Commissioning Agent
works with the Construction Manager to evaluate sustainable materials and their
cost impacts on the project. The sustainable design role that a Commissioning
Agent fills during the construction phase is to make sure that the contractors
understand what information they need to submit for the LEED documentation
in order for the project to receive the final LEED certification.

There is some uncertainty about how many of these costs are truly incremental
to the LEED process. Even though all the costs can be attributable to LEED;
some of these costs may also be reflected in standard construction practices
in certain regions, or in compliance with local codes and standards. Thus, they
are not necessarily an additional cost to the project due to the decision to seek
LEED certification.
Sustainability Design Concepts

Whether going for a LEED certification or not, the design process should utilize
the LEED check lists to help with the evaluation of the design and expected
performance of the building. The design process should include:
Design Charrettes: used to set project goals including environmental goals.

Site selection and how to use the site sustainably.
Evaluation of existing building reuse.
Energy Modeling: used to provide the most energy efficient building that
meets the projects budget.
Day Lighting Analysis

Energy Efficiency Analysis to evaluate:

- Building Envelope

- HVAC Systems
- Lighting Systems
Sustainable Material Selection

- Recycled Content
- Recyclability
- Local Materials
- Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Commissioning of all systems, to ensure proper installation and operation of
the building systems.

and Resources
section.

Construction
6
SECTION

Introduction
This section discusses how to manage project construction by contractors,
third parties, and the Agencys own forces. Emphasis is placed on schedule,
cost, and change controls; configuration management and document control;
and partnering and value engineering (VE) incentives. Other important topics
covered are construction Quality Assurance (QA) and Safety Management. The
section discusses construction using design/bid/build (D/B/B) which is the most
frequently selected project delivery method.
Construction Phase
In the construction phase contractors, procured by the Agency, combined
with the Agencys own forces, construct the projects facilities, and fabricate
and install equipment. The work is done in accordance with the plans and
specifications developed during the design phase. Following construction the
facilities and equipment are integrated and tested in the commissioning phase.
The projects highest levels of activity, in terms of numbers of personnel and

costs incurred per day, occur during construction. The construction phase also
has the most opportunities for cost overruns due to changes and delays, disputes
with contractors, and the resulting contract changes and claims.
Role of the Agency in Construction

The best way for you, the Agencys project manager, to assure good performance
during construction is to make timely and decisive decisions. Your project
organization and management approach, defined by the project management
plan (PMP), should have clear lines of communication and delegated authority.
In addition the Agency should free you, and other Agency staff assigned to the
project, of operational responsibilities that could detract from your project
duties.
In our example maintenance facility project, a delay during design due

to the Agency not finalizing scope in a timely manner, such as deciding the
number of service bays has a relatively moderate cost impact. The design
consultants work is put on hold and there may be additional costs for redesign.
Agency indecision during construction is significantly more costly. Delaying
a contractor can result in substantial claims for compensation for extended
overhead. Changes in scope can result in expensive re-work such as tearing

SECTION 6: CONSTRUCTION
out and replacing construction. Delaying one contractor may delay other
Important to contractors resulting in further claims.
Know
q Make timely and decisive Role of the Consultant Construction Manager
decisions.
For all but the simplest project, you will need project staff with expertise and
q Acquire project experience in construction management beyond the capability and capacity
staff with expertise/ of the Agencys regular employees, for which the Agency will need to retain
experience in a construction manager (CM) consultant. The CM acts as the Agencys
construction representative with the contractors, oversees what work the contractors
management. perform pursuant to the contract drawings and specifications, inspects the
q Retain a Construction work as acceptable, and recommends payment of contractor invoices. The
Manager consultant if key CM staff is the resident engineer (RE) who is principal point of contact
Agency does not have with the contractor and is stationed at the site for larger projects and for
qualified staff. smaller projects visits the construction site one or more days a week.
q Delegate levels of
authority through the Role of the Design Consultant(s) in Construction
project team to handle Design consultant(s) who produced the contract drawings and specifications
construction issues such and sealed them with their professional engineering seal, are referred to as
as contractor change the designer(s) of record; and will continue to provide the following design
requests. services during construction:
q Continue the services of
Receive and respond to construction contractor Requests for
the designer of record to
Information (RFI), communicated from the contractor to the designer
respond to contractor
through the CM. An RFI is a request by the contractor for clarification
requests for information
of the design intent of the drawings and specifications.
and review change
requests that impact Review and recommend acceptance of contractor submittals called
design. for in the drawings and specifications with respect to the construction
deliverables.
q Complete third party
Review change requests and estimate costs for change orders.
work early in the project
so as to avoid delaying Make periodic visits to the site to assure design compliance and provide
follow on contractors. certification efforts as required by the permitting agency.
q Focus quality Role of the Contractor in Construction

management on Quality The role of the construction contractor is to:
Assurance and audit
contractor Quality Perform construction work defined by the contract drawings and
Assurance/Quality specifications using means and methods that are the contractors
Control compliance. responsibility.

q Focus safety Obtain the permits related to the work for which the contractor is
management on safety responsible.

assurance and audit Develop and implement a quality control (QC) plan for inspection and
contractor safety testing of the work.
enforcement, education, Develop and implement a safety plan to ensure a safe work site.
and incentive actions.

Deliver submittals defined by the contract drawings and specifications, such as

Important to
Know - Shop drawings, manufacturers drawings, calculations and data, and
product information.
Partnering builds
positive working - Contract schedule updated monthly noting progress and looking ahead to
relationships with upcoming work.
contractors and - Requests for payment supported by reports as called for in the contract.
helps avoid disputes. - Record drawings of the as-built work.
Opportunities - O&M manuals and training of Agency staff called for in the contract
still exist in specifications.
construction for Submit RFIs to the CM to obtain clarification of the design intent.
contractors to raise
Submit Requests for Change (RFC).
Value Engineering
Construction Management
proposals.
Construction
schedule control Project Organization for Construction
should focus on Figure 6-1 illustrates a project organization structure for construction for a
the high-level project with three construction contracts (yellow boxes), where the Agency
management of (blue boxes) has retained the services of a CM and a general engineering
interfaces between consultant (GEC) who is the designer of record (tan boxes). Delegation of
contractors, third
authority for RFCs is illustrated by the red arrows and lines of communication
parties, and other
for RFIs by green arrows.
construction
activities.
PROJECT ORGANIZATION, ASSIGNED AUTHORITIES
Construction cost AND LINES OF COMMUNICATION FOR CONSTRUCTION
control should focus

on the management
of contractor Agency Board
changes. Board: Resolves changes above

GM's delegated authority
Configuration Agency General Manager

Personnel (GM)
management and GM: Resolves changes within
document control GM's delegated authority
are needed to Project
support change Manager Project Manager: Resolves changes within
project manager's delegated authority
management.
CM: Coordinates review of
RFIs and submittals by
GEC; and resolves changes
Consultant within CM's delegated
GEC CM
Services authority
Figure 6-1 GEC: Responds to RFIs
and reviews submittals
Project Organization,
RFIs & RFCs
Assigned Authorities, Submittals
and Lines of Construction Contractor Contractor Contractor
Communication for Contractors 1 2 3
Contractors: Submit RFIs,
Construction submittals, and RFC to CM

Division of Management Responsibilities between the

Agency and Construction Manager
As project manager, you are the Agencys senior decision maker on the project
and should be delegated that commensurate decision making authority. Where
the Agencys governance policy requires actions to be approved by the Agencys
board, the PMP and Agency administrative procedures should not unduly delay
the construction schedule.
Similarly, your project procedures should delegate authority to the CM staff

for activities contracted out to the CM. You should base the division of duties
between the Agency and CM on who is best suited to the function. Typically the
Agency deals with projects stakeholders and the CM with the technical matters
concerning contractor work. Figure 6-2 identifies generally accepted divisions of
functions between the Agency, CM, and GEC during construction.

Figure 6-2 Function Performed by

Pre-contract award reviews
Agency and
General provisions Agency
Construction Manager
Special conditions Agency and CM
Functions During Contract milestones fit project master schedule Agency and CM
Construction Special construction conditions and staging CM
Constructability CM
Contractor Integration and Coordination CM
Designer Interface CM
QA Agency and CM
Construction Safety Agency and CM
Project Schedule and Cost Control CM
Design Services (GEC Designer of Record)
Respond to contractor RFIs GEC
Review contractor submittals GEC
Resident Engineer
Construction supervision and inspection CM
Acceptance of work and direction of re-work
Receipt of:
Submittals CM
RFIs CM
Field memos CM
Change order requests CM
Contract compliance with:
Drawings and specifications CM
Construction warranties Agency and CM
Contract documentation and as-built records CM
Utilities interface CM
Review of contractor pay requests for work performed Agency and CM
Contract Administrator
Administration of contractual and commercial terms Agency
Coordination with Existing Agency Operations Agency
Community Relations Agency and CM
Public Information Agency
Media Relations Agency
Governmental Liaison Agency
Third Party and Agency Agreements Agency
Property Acquisition and Right-of-Way Agency
Assessment of Environmental Impacts Agency
Payment of Contractor Invoices Agency
Contract Closeout (See Section 8) Agency and CM

Contract Management and Administration

The RE, who is typically a member of the CM staff, oversees the contractor with
respect to what work is to be done pursuant to the contract specifications. The
RE is the Agencys primary field representative and the contractors single point
of contact. The RE receives/processes contractor RFIs and submittals, has the
authority to accept or reject contractor work based on compliance with the
contract specifications, receives/processes RFCs, and resolves those changes
within the REs delegated authority. All changes that affect the design must be
approved by the designer of record.
Working in partnership with the RE is a contract administrator (CA), who is

typically a member of the Agencys staff. The CA ensures that the contractor
is fulfilling their contractual obligations and protects the Agencys rights,
expectations, and obligations with respect to managing the contractor. This role
is particularly critical when the contractor has submitted RFCs and/or when
disputes arise for which the contractor may submit a claim. The CA supports the
CM in the prevailing wages, labor, and civil rights provisions of the contract.
The RE and CA meet with the contractor on a regular basis to assess the
contractors progress. At these meetings the contractor reports on progress,
issues that arise in the field are addressed, and any disputes resolved. If disputes
cannot be resolved between the RE and contractor they are passed up the
project management chain of command as delineated in the PMP.
Partnering
As project manager you can use partnering to demonstrate leadership, build
positive working relationships between project parties, and help avoid and
resolve disputes.
Partnering is incorporated into the contract provisions and begins with a half-
day to two-day workshop held at the start of the contract facilitated by an
independent partnering consultant. Workshop participants are the contract
stakeholders including representatives from the Agency, CM, contractor, sub
contractors, suppliers, government agencies and third parties, design consultants,
special interest groups such as community and local business leaders, and local
fire/life safety officers. The workshop sets contract goals, identifies stakeholder
expectations, establishes lines of communication, and anticipates potential issues
and the means for their resolution.
Partnering provides an informal disputes resolution process, up through

the Agency/CM and contractor chains of command, to address potentially
contentious issues that ultimately can use mediation or arbitration as alternatives
to expensive and time-consuming litigation.

Permitting
While the Agency is responsible for obtaining project clearances, environmental
permits, and plan checks by the construction permitting agencies (see sections
4 and 5), the contractor is responsible for obtaining permits related to the
contractors work. The cost and time involved are the contractors responsibility
and should be included in the contract price and schedule.
Value Engineering Changes

The project managers responsibility to find VE opportunities to deliver a
better and/or lower cost project without compromising quality does not
end with design. Even though VEs main use is in the design phase, the project
manager can organize a design scrub workshop with the designer and
contractor before the start of construction, where the contractor can bring
questions, comments, and ideas. At a minimum this meeting will save time during
construction in processing RFIs and at best result in VE ideas to save time and/or
money.
As part of partnering, the project manager should encourage contractors to

raise VE ideas and the Agency to include incentives in construction contracts for
contractors to propose VE changes to the work called for in the drawings and
specifications. If the proposed changes are acceptable to the Agency the cost
savings could be shared between the Agency and the contractor.
Schedule Control
Construction contractors control their contracts detailed schedule progress. As
project manager your focus is the big picture, the master schedule, to manage
interfaces between contractor, third party, and Agency construction activities.
Your approach to master schedule control depends on the projects size and
complexity:
For larger and more complex projects you will require the CM to provide
a scheduler to monitor construction progress using scheduling software to
maintain a master schedule of construction activities.
For smaller projects the use of hand drawn bar charts worked out directly
with the RE(s) should be adequate to serve as a master schedule for you to
oversee construction progress.
Large or small, to control the project schedule as project manager you should:
Create a high-level master schedule and limit detail to what is necessary to

control interfaces.
Focus management on the critical path activities that determine the overall
schedule duration.

Require each contractor, through the contract terms and conditions, to

submit:
- A baseline contract schedule following award, for your review and approval
- Monthly updates of progress against the approved baseline schedule
- A revised baseline schedule for Agency approved contract changes.
Use contractor submissions to update the master schedule and focus
management effort on:
- Changes to the critical path through construction
- Contractor activities forecast to be late that impact the critical path
- Interface activities forecast to be late that impact a contractors progress
- Validation of progress on activities that control contract milestone
payments.
Incorporate into contract conditions schedule milestones for work critical
to project completion and/or interfaces with other contractors, including
liquidated damages for late performance.

Cost and Change Control

Cost controls objective in construction is to complete the contracts within
budget. Most construction contracts awarded for projects like the example
maintenance facility are a lump sum fixed price. After award the contractor is
responsible for completing the work at the fixed price bid, unless a change to the
contract is agreed that alters the contract price. Consequently once the fixed
price construction contracts are awarded, cost control comes down to managing
changes to the contracts so that the original award amounts plus agreed changes
are within the construction budget.
The most effective approach to controlling the cost of changes is a management

culture that resolves contractor RFCs in a timely, decisive, and equitable
manner. Experience shows that it is costly for project managers to allow a
backlog of unresolved changes to grow. A backlog creates contention and
diverts management attention to the backlog and away from productive project
activities.
Figure 6-3 below describes the types of changes that occur during construction
and indicates whether the contractor is entitled to receive additional
compensation for the change.

Figure 6-3 Type of Contractor

Description
Changes During Change Compensation
Construction/ Agency - Changing the plans and specifications Contractor is
Contractor Action - Altering the time to complete the work compensated. If another
Compensation - Changing the contractors means and methods contractors non-
- Regulatory changes performance causes
- Third party delays where the Agency is the change, the other
responsible for coordinating the third party work contractor should be
backcharged.
Differing Site - Subsurface conditions differ from those Contractor is
Conditions represented by the Agency compensated.
- Unusual conditions occur that could not
reasonably be anticipated
Errors or - Errors or omissions in the design plans and Contractor is

Omissions specifications compensated. The
designer should be
backcharged.
VE - Contractor proposes a change that will reduce Agency and contractor
the project costs share the cost savings.
Contractor - Contractor changes means and methods and/or Contractor is not
Action delays project due to their own non-performance compensated but may be
- Third party delays where the contractor is given additional time for
responsible for coordinating the third party work third party delays.
Management techniques to help you make timely, decisive, and equitable

decisions on RFCs include:
Delegate through the project chain of command responsibility and financial

authority to make decisions on contract changes, as illustrated by the red
arrows in Figure 6-1.
Use a change control board made up of senior project staff to make
decisions on large, complex, and/or contentious contract changes.

Include within the construction budget a reserve to cover construction risks
assumed by the Agency that could result in contract changes.
Establish up-front through the partnering process an understanding with the
contractor of the process for resolving RFCs, including a disputes resolution
process.
Support change control with configuration management procedures as
discussed below.

Configuration Management
The project manager should put in place procedures to provide for the
configuration management of (i) Contractor RFCs, red arrows in Figure 6-1, to:
Document the different types of change that occur during construction,
describe the changes nature and justification, and indicate whether the

contractor merits additional compensation. Documentation includes the

RFC, change notice, change orders, supporting correspondence, cost/
schedule/scope impacts, meeting minutes, and negotiation records.
Track and expedite the change resolution process beginning with raising the
RFC forms and tracking the RFCs progress through the review/approval
process. Configuration management tracks the party responsible for the
next action in the resolution process, such as who is responsible when
additional information needs to be prepared and/or analyzed.
Update project documents to reflect a contract change, including
amendments to contracts, drawings and specifications, schedules and
budgets, and design documents.

The project manager should put in place procedures to provide for the
configuration management of Contractor RFIs and submittals, green arrows in
Figure 6-1, to:
Document the CMs receipt of RFIs from the contractor, track and expedite
the CMs response, and coordinate information from the designer of record
where design issues are involved.
Document the timely receipt of contractor submittals called for in the
contract specifications and track their review/acceptance. Submittals include:
contractors schedule, safety plan, quality plan, shop drawings, progress
reports, invoices, record drawings and documents, and operations and
maintenance manuals.
Document Control
Document control is the management of records generated during construction.
In addition to the records associated with changes, RFIs, and submittals discussed
above, document control procedures are needed to handle reporting of
construction progress including:
Site records that include a daily log of site activities, occurrences, weather,
equipment, personnel, and communications.
Inspection Report of contractors work and practices observed by the CMs
construction inspectors covering construction work performed, instructions
given or received, unsatisfactory conditions, delays encountered, manpower
and equipment, or other problems.
REs weekly Construction Report of all items of importance, conferences
with the contractor or other parties, agreements made, special notes
regarding equipment or organization, labor conditions, weather or other
causes of possible delays, and other matters that have a bearing on the
history of the job.
Safety management and accident reports.
QA/QC reports.

Progress Payments
Management of progress payments begins with the contract specifications clearly
stating how the contractors work progress is to be measured, how payments are
determined based on the measured progress, and what documents and reports
are required to be submitted by the contractor to justify the payment request.
The project manager should authorize payment only when the contractors
progress payment request is in full compliance with the contract requirements
and the progress claimed has been independently verified by the CM.
Force Account Management

Force account management is the management of construction carried out by
the Agencys own labor forces or the contractor for out of scope work executed
on a time and material basis. The project manager should use internal work
orders to authorize force account work. The work should be managed so that
its completion does not interfere with the major construction contractors. It is
also prudent for the project manager to confirm that non-project related force
account costs are not allowed to be charged against the project. The CM should
observe the activities and keep accurate accounts of time and material used.
Communications Management and Community Outreach

A communications plan is important for projects that impact the local
community or businesses, are of potential interest to the media, and where
there are political stakeholders. Figure 6-4 sets out basic guidelines for managing
communications in each of these areas.
Figure 6-4 Audience Communications Guidelines

Guidelines Identify project impacts of concern to local community and business groups.
for Managing Local Communicate frequently and timely on the status of the project and associated
Communications Community impacts (community meetings, informational newssheets).
and Business Demonstrate sincere empathy and understanding on adverse impacts.
Groups
Mitigate adverse impacts (limit construction at nights/weekends, provide
temporary signage where access to business is impacted during construction).
Limit media contact to designated Agency personnel.
Require contractors to refer all media comment to the Agency.
Media Establish the Agencys position and message on project issues.
Address media questions so as to communicate the Agencys message.
Cultivate the media to present positive news on project events.
Above all else make certain a political stakeholder is not taken by surprise by a
project event, good or bad.
Regularly brief political stakeholders on project events and issues.
Political
Stakeholders Discuss project issues with political stakeholders before they have to comment
or decide on them in public such as at a board meeting or media interview.
Include political stakeholders in project milestone events so that their support
and contributions can be recognized.

Although communications management is usually thought of as managing damage

control when bad things happen, communications management also manages
good news on the project such as:
Announcing the project to promote its benefits.

Holding milestone events to celebrate progress such as:
- Unveiling the design of a new facility
- A groundbreaking to mark the start of construction
- Inaugurating the start-up of a completed facility.

Publicizing any awards or industry recognition achieved by the project or the
project team.
Important to Third Party Coordination

Know
Third Party Work
Third party work
Third party work involves the relocation or rearrangement of existing facilities
needs to be
completed early to that impact project construction including:
give clear access to
Utilities (electric power, gas, telephone, cable, etc.)
contractors.
Public infrastructure (highways, bridges, streets, sewer, water, etc.)
Agencies have
Railroads.
limited influence on
the performance The timing and duration of third party work requires careful negotiation with
of work by third third parties due to the significant time required for the work and the limited
parties. influence an Agency has with respect to controlling the work of a third party.
Work by third parties needs to be accomplished early in the project because
Delays in third
any delays impact the follow-on contractors with the risk of delaying the overall
party work can
project and incurring additional costs due to contractor delay claims.
have costly impacts
on the follow on
contractors. Third Party Agreements
It is imperative that the project manager negotiates and has in place agreements
Costs for
with third parties early in design so the project manager can assess their impact
betterments should
be paid for by the on the overall schedule, the utilities have time to plan and carry out any design
third party. required, and the project manager
identifies interfaces with other
contractors and incorporates them
into the contract provisions.
The project managers negotiations

with third parties should address
betterment work that the third party
intends to carry out. Betterments are
where the third party takes advantage

of the relocation to upgrade the relocated facility. The project manager should
agree to reimburse the third party only for the cost of relocating the equivalent
facility and any additional costs for upgrades should be borne by the third party.
Managing Third Party Construction

The project manager should make certain there is no ambiguity as to who
is responsible for the oversight of the construction work of a third party by
explicitly delegating the oversight either to the CM or to the contractor as part
of the contract requirements.
Where the CM is responsible for overseeing third party work on behalf of

the Agency, the CM needs to carefully coordinate third party work using the
master schedule to monitor the interfaces with other contractors. Due to the
limited influence an Agency has over a third party it is important that the project
manager maintains a close and good relationship with third parties and gains
an understanding of what motivates a particular third party to expedite their
work. Motivation may include a subtle combination of negotiation trade-offs with
respect to betterments and applying pressure through the political jurisdiction
under which the third party operates.
Where responsibility for certain third party work is given to a contractor it is

important that the contract provisions are clear on who is responsible for the
relocation of a third party facility. During construction the CM should oversee
that the contractor is aggressively managing the interfaces and that responsibility
for any delays and their cost impact lie with the contractor.
Important to Quality Management

Know Scope of Quality Management During Construction
Quality is achieved
by the contractors Quality management during the construction phase covers:
performing quality
work. Review of contract documents to verify that quality aspects have been
considered
Contractors should
have a Quality Surveillance of construction for adherence to quality requirements
Assurance/Quality In process and receiving point quality inspections
Control plan. Audits of consultant, contractor, and supplier quality programs for adequacy
The Agency should and compliance.
audit contractor
compliance with Role of the Agency in Quality Management During
their Quality Construction
Assurance/Quality The focus of the Agency is quality management and assurance. The PMP should
Control plan. document the project approach to quality management and larger projects may
require a subsidiary quality management plan.

The Agency performs scheduled audits and periodic oversight reviews to ensure
contractors comply with their quality plans and overall Agency QA policies. To
avoid conflicts of interest between project progress and quality management
the Agencys quality manager should report outside of the project managers
chain of command. The project manager should set a tone for the project that
emphasizes quality management and supports the Agencys independent quality
manager.
Role of the Contractor in Quality Management During

Construction
Quality is achieved by the contractors performing work in accordance to an
approved quality control plan. Construction contractors and suppliers should
be required to submit a quality plan appropriate for their scope of work to the
Agency for approval.
The contractor controls the quality of deliverables by monitoring and verification

against the quality criteria specified in the design documents. The quality control
activities include construction site activity, installation, inspection, test, and
documentation. Results of inspections and tests are retained by the contractor
as objective evidence of acceptability. The contractor turns over the records to
the Agency as required by the contract documents. In particular, where quality
problems are revealed, these are documented in non-conformance reports
(NCRs).
Action on Non-Conforming Work

The contractor is responsible for determining the cause of non-conformance
reports (NCRs) and taking appropriate corrective action. If the quality problem
continues, the CM should raise the corrective action request to the contractors
senior management using the partnering concepts agreed to at the project
outset. Further actions the CM can take include recommending to the Agency
non-payment for the non-conforming work and ultimately that the Agency issue
a stop work order until the contractor implements proper disposition of the
quality problem.
Audits
The Agencys quality management plan should include a comprehensive program
of periodic audits. The audits are to verify that the CM and contractors have
effectively implemented and are in compliance with, applicable elements of the
quality management plan. Follow-up audits, including re-audit of deficient areas
will be conducted to assure that effective corrective action has been taken.

Important to Safety Management During

Know
Construction
Safety is a top
priority. Scope of Safety Management
Safety management Safety management during construction phase covers:

depends on
Planning of work to avoid personal injury and property damage
contractor
enforcement, Monitoring of work to provide early detection and correction of unsafe
education, and practices and conditions
incentives. Protecting adjacent public and private properties to provide for the safety of
the public
The Agency
should audit the Providing safety education and incentive programs
contractors safety, Complying with federal and state Occupational Health and Safety Acts
compliance, and (OSHA).

performance.
Roles of the Agency in Safety Management
The Agencys role is to establish awareness that the prevention of accidents and
protection of employees, the public, and property is a top priority. The Agency
should have a safety management plan which can be a sub section of the PMP or
on larger projects a separate subsidiary planning document. The requirements
of the safety management plan should be incorporated as part of the contract
documents.
The Agency through their CM monitors individual contractor safety performance

for compliance with the above contractual safety requirements and conducts
regular contractor safety audits and loss control surveys. When a violation of
job safety is observed the CM will advise the Agency to notify the contractor in
writing to correct the violation.
Roles of the Contractor in Safety Management

Contractors are responsible for having a safety management plan in place and
for assuring safety on site, the safe and healthful performance of their work,
preventing accidents or damage to adjacent public and private property, and
safety training of their employees. When a contractor is advised by the Agency
of a safety violation, the contractor should respond in writing and immediately
take corrective action as set out in their safety management plan.
Enforcement
Contractors enforce safety by developing a Job Hazard Analysis for the work to
be undertaken and discussing actions needed to provide safety at jobsite planning
meetings. Supervisors draw on their safety experience to direct the actions of
those under their direction. Contractor staff should include a safety professional

who undertakes surveillance of operations to eliminate sources of potential

accidents.
Education
Contractors give newly employed, promoted, and/or transferred personnel
comprehensive safety indoctrination on topics such as: workplace hazards,
required protective equipment, procedures for reporting unsafe job conditions,
procedures for reporting accidents, contractor job rules, location of first-aid
and medical facilities, and tool box safety meeting requirements. Safety should
be a standing item at site meetings. Foremen or shift supervisors should also
hold regular crew training (toolbox) meetings to cover specific safety procedures
pertinent to the crews on-going activity.
Incentives
Contractors should display signs and posters at the job site to reinforce safety
training and as an incentive to maintain interest in job safety with the changing
work assignments and jobsite conditions. The Agency should encourage
contractors to introduce employee incentive programs that reward safe work
performance through personal recognition and prizes such as belt buckles, pins,
or lunch boxes.
Audits
The Agency through the CM monitors and conducts regular audits of contractor
safety performance and notifies the contractor in writing of unsafe practices
observed. Should a contractor fail to correct an unsafe condition or practice,
the CM may recommend that the Agency issue a stop work order until the
condition is corrected.
Accident Investigation and Record Keeping

Accidents should be investigated without delay by the contractor and the
investigation should generate recommendations for corrective actions to
prevent recurrence of similar accidents. The contractors accident report,
project records, progress reports, and daily time reports may become important
evidential material in any ensuing legal action. The contractor prepares monthly
accident summary reports for submission to the CM. These reports will allow
the CM to assess contractor safety performance as measured by recordable
and lost time accident frequency rates and the type and cause of accidents. The
federal and state regulations mandate reporting of certain injury accidents to the
authorities.


and Resources
listings, by section, of helpful documents and web sites that pertain to each
section.

Commissioning
7
SECTION

Introduction
Important to Do
We often hear people say that the last ten percent of the job
q Identify a champion to lead
commissioning starting as early took ninety percent of the resources. Advance planning of the
as project initiation. commissioning process can help you reduce the risks of prolonging
the project in its last strides. Whether you are rolling buses into a
q Initiate a commissioning plan as new park-and-ride station, moving people into a new maintenance
a part of, or a complementary building, or flipping the switch at your new compressed natural
document to, the Project gas station, you will need to follow certain key steps to minimize
Management Plan.
commissioning issues. This section discusses the commissioning
q Consider lead times in phase of a project, which consists of the roles and responsibilities,
procurement of owner commissioning plan, owner furnished equipment (OFE), integrated
furnished equipment in the testing, safety and security and emergency preparedness, operations
schedule. and maintenance (O&M) manuals, training, as-built drawings, and
q Assure system coordination warranty administration.
through integration testing.
Commissioning Phase
q Develop and implement a
safety and security certification Commissioning is a process for validation of building equipment and
plan and provide contingency systems in coordination with operations personnel and third parties.
for emergencies in close When the project manager allows adequate time and resources in
coordination with emergency the commissioning phase, the Agency minimizes the risk of delays,
responders in your area. cost overruns, and underperforming heating, air conditioning and
ventilation systems; electrical power systems failure and faults; and
q Require the operations and
unreliable support equipment.
maintenance manuals well
in advance of construction In the maintenance facility example, the commissioning process will
completion. help validate performance of such equipment as fare collection,
q Allow adequate time to train fueling, bus washer, and lifts. The overall impact of life cycle costs
staff with the new equipment. is not only associated with direct operations costs, but also can
be attributed to employee productivity associated with indoor
q Document the as-built
environmental conditions.
conditions and become familiar
with them. Understanding of the commissioning phase before you embark
q Accept equipment after it is on a new project will help you identify and address issues before
in operation to assure a full they could take additional time and cost more dollars. The project
warranty period. manager should begin the project with the end in mind through a well
thought-out commissioning phase early during project initiation.

SECTION 7: COMMISSIONING
In the commissioning phase the project manager assigns responsibility and

Important to Know authority to the commissioning team that will incorporate checks and
Commissioning is a balances to ensure that the documentation, manufacturing requirements,
process for validation of and systems, equipment, and operations are integrated, validated, and
building equipment and accepted. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership
systems in coordination in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2.2 Energy and Atmosphere
with operations (Prerequisite 1) mandates that fundamental building commissioning be
personnel and third
incorporated for LEED certified construction projects. The emphasis
parties.
for building commissioning has taken a whole new dimension as a result of
In the commissioning LEED. Commissioning is recognized as an effective way to ensure that
phase the project the energy design requirements are being met.
manager assigns
responsibility and This commissioning phase should be described in detail in the PMP and
authority to the team that followed by development of the Commissioning Plan.
will incorporate checks
and balances to ensure Role of Agency
that the documentation,
Early in the planning and design process the project manager should assign
manufacturing
a champion for the facility commissioning. In our maintenance facility
requirements, and
systems, equipment, and example, this champion could be staff from operations or engineering
operations are integrated, with prior relevant experience. This champion would be partially or
validated, and accepted. fully relieved of his or her normal duties to focus on the commissioning
work. Alternatively, a commissioning consultant could be hired. Under
The assignment of a the general supervision of the project manager, the Agency will need to
commissioning team support the commissioning manager with assignment of personnel from
during the design phase
safety, security, operations, engineering, maintenance, procurement and
will help begin the project
warranty administration, customer service, public relations, and other
with the end in mind
functions as may be necessary.
and facilitate preparation
of a well thought
commissioning plan. Role of Consultants and Contractors
The project manager may feel that the Agency is already paying for
The project manager
commissioning through project management, the construction contract,
must assign a commission
manager with prior and construction management services and may wonder why they should
relevant experience to expend additional dollars to perform tasks that the construction manager
work with all internal and and general contractor should be providing. While the many aspects of
external stakeholders commissioning are included in the scope of the above parties, there will
throughout the project always be gaps in requirements due to interfaces that are out of the control
implementation. and/or capacity and capability of one party or another. The level of effort
by the commissioning manager and the team varies from one project to
The commissioning
another, but the assignment of responsibility and authority to a single point
manager may be an
of responsibility who can take ownership for this phase is a necessity. For
experienced staff member
who is relieved of normal example, a maintenance facility project is a complex undertaking and will
duties or a consultant. require a high-level of capacity and capability for commissioning to assure
the project is completed within the schedule and budget and realizes life
cycle cost savings.

Figure 7-1 below is a typical responsibility matrix that shows the lead personnel commissioning tasks including testing.

Submittals:
Prepare Equipment, O&M Proof of design, Prepare Perform
Team plans and Manuals, and construction and integrated test integrated Safety As-built Warranty Team
Members specifications Warranties manufacturing tests procedures tests Training Certification drawings Administration Management
Designer of
Lead Support Support Support
record
Construction
Support Support
Manager
Construction
Lead Lead Lead Lead Support
Contractor
Project
Lead
Manager
Commissioning
Lead Lead Support
Team
Operations Support Support Support Support Support
Safety and
Security Lead Support
Department
Procurement
Lead Support
Department
Agency top
Support
management
Figure 7-1 Typical Responsibility Matrix for Commissioning Tasks (Design-Bid-Build Delivery)
Important to The Commissioning Plan

Know The commissioning plan is a living document and a supporting document to the
The commissioning PMP. The plan should be started early in the design phase and further refined
plan is a living with additional details as information becomes available at the completion of
document and design and well in advance of construction completion. Under the general
a supporting direction of the project manager, the commissioning manager will prepare the
document to commissioning plan. The plan provides guidance and details the key elements of
the Project the commissioning process including roles and responsibilities, critical equipment
Management Plan. list, OFE, integrated testing, safety and security and emergency preparedness,
The plan should be O&M manuals, training, as-built drawings, and the warranty administration.
prepared as early The commissioning plan is prepared with significant input from all internal and
as possible in the external stakeholders in close coordination with the design and construction
design phase. teams. Prepared properly and used as a living document the plan will assure
all requirements are properly incorporated in the design and construction bid
A formal
commissioning documents and executed during construction and commissioning.
process is required
Figure 7-2 shows a typical commissioning list for equipment used in a
by LEED for
maintenance facility project. There may be many other items that will have to be
certain equipment.
added to this list for your project. Items checked are assumed to be required for
LEED certification.
Figure 7-2 LEED ITEM HVAC System (and all integral equipment controls):
Typical Equipment X 1. Pumps (chilled water) if required
Commissioning List X 2. Chillers if required
X 3. Piping, cleaning, and purging
X 4. Chemical treatment
X 5. Ductwork
X 6. Air handling units
Heating/A.C (including controls, piping, pumps, compressors) recovery &
X 7.
ventilating units
X 8. Split systems
X 9. Air terminal units
X 10. Testing, adjusting, and balancing work (TAB)
X 11. Unit heaters (area, cabinet)
Building automation system (controlled devices, control loops, and
X 12.
system integration)
X 13. Fans & ventilation systems including fume and exhaust evacuation systems
X 14. Variable frequency drives
X 15. Humidifiers

Figure 7-2 Mechanical Systems: (As related to facilities and processes

LEED ITEM
(continued) including primary control systems)
Typical Equipment
X 16. Building envelope
Commissioning List
17. Overhead roll-up doors and grilles
X 18. Boilers
19. Bus wash and reclamation system
20. Elevators (freight and passenger)
Bulk fluid storage and distribution systems including but not limited
21. to diesel fuel, fuel oil, motor oil, antifreeze, chassis grease, automatic
transmission fluid, gear oil, windshield washer fluid, and waste fluids
22. Oil/water separator systems
23. Paint spray booths
24. Compressed air system
25. Domestic water system (plumbing, fixtures etc.)
26. Piping
27. Monorail systems and traveling cranes
LEED ITEM Electrical Systems:
X 28. Sweep and scheduled lighting controls (i.e. photocells, occupancy sensors)
29. Fire alarm system
30. Emergency power system and transfer switch
X 31. UPS
32. Wiring devices
33. Transient voltage suppression
34. Secondary unit substations
35. Enclosed switches and circuit breakers
36. Enclosed controllers
37. Panel boards
38. Dry-type transformers
39. Grounding
40. Battery charging system
41. Level gauging and leak detection systems for bulk fluid systems and tanks
42. Fuel management system
43. Bus traffic control system and pedestrian protection system
44. Data communications system
45. Integrated telephone and paging systems
46. Security system
47. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) system
48. Time clock system
LEED ITEM Life Safety Systems:
49. Emergency lights and signs
50. Emergency eye wash
Fire protection (including but not limited to fire pump, standpipe, and
51.
sprinkler systems)
52. Gas detection

Important to Owner Furnished Equipment

Know Almost every job will have some level of owner furnished equipment (OFE),
Almost every job either due to long lead procurement cycles of equipment or the high-level of
will have some level specialty involved, or when equipment requirements are not known during
of owner furnished the design phase. The OFE can be any equipment that is not furnished and
equipment due installed by the construction contractors but will require installation facilities
to long lead time, by the contractor or is required by the project to be fully operational. The
specialty equipment, OFE could be furniture, office equipment, telephones, audio-visual equipment,
or unknown operational signage, fare collection equipment, etc. As the project manager
requirements at the you are responsible to fully integrate and account for the OFE with the rest of
time of bidding.
the construction project work. Lack of OFE coordination with the design and
The project construction is often the main source of schedule delays and technical difficulties.
manager is
responsible to In the example maintenance facility project, the Agency may decide to furnish
fully integrate and its own telephone system and furniture. The project manager should assure
account for the that the equipment is ordered and delivered in time for installation and that the
owner furnished construction contractor has the necessary facilities ready for operation of the
equipment with OFE. The fare collection supplier may furnish a perfectly factory tested fare
the rest of the collection system. However, if the contractor does not provide adequate power
construction and signal conduits, it may not have the power and communication cables to be
project work. operational when it arrives on site. The commissioning manager will be focused
The commissioning on installation and testing. However, assignment of the commissioning manager
manager will early on may help catch an omission in integration of OFE early in design or
be focused on during construction and provide an opportunity for the parties to close any
installation and gaps. Another example is signage. The architect may have specified all building
testing. code related signage. However, in every project there will be some operational
signages that will need to be defined and ordered under direction of the project
The assignment of
the commissioning manager and installed under supervision of the commissioning manager.
manager early on
may help catch
an omission in
integration of
owner furnished
equipment early in
design or during
construction
and provide an
opportunity for
the parties to close
any gaps. Procure
furniture and/or
amenities early.

Important to Know Integrated Testing and

Integrated testing verifies proof Start-up
of design and construction
The objectives of integrated testing are: verification of the proof of
tests, assures compliance with
design and construction tests done by the contractor and observed
performance requirements,
coordinates compliance with third by the construction manager. Usually this information is available
parties, and documents results for through the construction manager or the contractor: assurance
safety and security certification. of compliance with performance requirements for the system as a
whole; coordination and compliance with third party requirements
Integrated tests are generally non- such as fire, police, etc.; and documentation of integrated testing
contractual because they usually results for safety and security certification.
involve more than one responsible
party beyond the control of the The project manager fulfills the above objectives, by overseeing the
construction contractor. commissioning manager, identifying roles and responsibilities of the
The project manager oversees testing organization, establishing testing plans and procedures, and
integrated testing led by the performing and documenting test results.
commissioning team.
Test types include: proof of construction tests including contractual
material tests, factory/plant tests, installation checkout tests,
inspections, and acceptance tests to provide verification of
functional performance and contract compliance. Integrated tests
are generally non-contractual because they usually involve more
than one responsible party. These tests will provide verification,
Important to Know validation, and documentation of system performance and its
operational characteristics. Finally, the Agency may want simulated
Safety is used for hazards due to
unintentional acts, and security is operations tests to provide an opportunity for development of
to deal with vulnerabilities due to operating procedures, training and familiarization exercises for the
intentional acts. O&M staff.
The project manager identifies

safety and security requirements Safety and Security
with support from the design Certification
and commissioning team and in
coordination with the safety and The word safety is used to deal with hazards (due to
security personnel. unintentional acts) and security to deal with vulnerabilities (due
to intentional acts). The projects that are the subject of this
Hazard and risk analysis are Handbook fall mainly under bus transit mode. The standards that
the basis for identification and apply include: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and
development of a safety and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); Institute of Electrical and
security plan.
Electronics Engineers; and federal, city, and state building codes. In
Emergency preparedness requires addition, for bus operations the project manager should consider
working with local emergency regulations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
management groups to develop (FMCSA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
procedures and contingency plans. FTA Drug and Alcohol, and the applicable States Department of
Motor Vehicle regulations.

The project manager, with support from the commissioning manager and led by
the safety and security personnel, should consider self-certification of the project
for satisfactory compliance with a formal list of hazards and applicable safety
and security requirements. The self-certification will document all actions taken,
identify and close gaps, and assure the stakeholders of the Agencys commitment
to safety and security. The responsible parties self-certify by signing off on this
document.
In addition, the Agency should establish strong ties with emergency response
agencies and resources to provide mutual assistance in an event of major
emergencies on or near the project. Emergency preparedness requires
working with local emergency management groups to develop procedures and
contingency plans specific to the location and the nature of the project, and
perform specific drills to simulate emergencies.
Important to Operational and Maintenance

Know Manuals
Operations and
The project manager must assure that the technical requirements for O&M
maintenance
manuals are addressed by the designers of record and specify schedule
manuals are
requirements for submittal of the O&M manuals well in advance of construction
specified during
design. completion. The contractor prepares and submits the O&M manuals in
accordance with specification requirements. The specifications should address
Operations and the systems and subsystems for which manuals are required. It should outline
maintenance the media (hard copy, CDROM, etc.), the quantities, formatting, and schedule for
manuals and the delivery. You should consider liquidated damages to be specified and assessed
necessary training to the contractor if the O&M manuals and follow-on training are not provided
must occur well in
within the specified time frame well in advance of the operations. The O&M
advance of project
manuals typically contain items listed in Figure 7-3.
completion.
Equipment Ratings & Inspection Maintenance &

Specifications Including Specific Troubleshooting
Product Data Sheet Required Forms to Document
Standards/Code Compliance Maintenance
Figure 7-3 Training and Safe Practices Authorized Factory
Typical O&M Manual Receiving and Handling Representative Contact
Content Information for Technical Support
Inspection and Installation
and Replacement Parts
Description and Operation
Warranty
Factory Specified Tests
Renewal Parts Listing and Views
Control Descriptions
Figures/Drawings
Environmental Considerations

Important to Training and Transition to

Know Operations
To assure a smooth
Under general direction of the project manager and through supervision of
start in operations,
the commissioning manager, training is conducted by the contractor or its
the personnel must
subcontractors or suppliers and takes place after the acceptance of equipment
be trained well
in advance of the and O&M manuals, and before operations begin. The project manager will
project completion. work closely with the commissioning manager to schedule personnel in training
classes. When a large number of personnel are involved, the project may choose
When a large to have several experienced personnel with ability to teach, take part in train-
number of the-trainer sessions (if available) and begin training others. The contractor
personnel are must submit a detailed outline of the training program with the O&M manuals.
involved the project
The commissioning manager will review the material for compliance with
manager can
construction specifications and get input from the specific group being trained.
consider training
The commissioning manager with assistance from the contractor and the group
Agency personnel
as trainers to train being trained will ensure that all training requirements are met and the training
their groups. material is turned over to the Agency.
As-Built Documentation
The project manager should assure
Important to the construction contract calls for the
Know
contractor to mark up the changes
The construction on the drawings and specifications as
contractor should they occur during construction and
mark up the
turn in a set of marked up drawings
drawing as changes
and specifications. Under general
occur.
direction of the project manager, the
The designer of the construction manager verifies the
record reviews, construction contractor is keeping
approves, and the drawings up to date. The project
documents the manager should provide in the agreement with the designer of record scope for
changes into final the designer to review, approve, and produce the final as-built drawings.
as-built drawings
and conformed The commissioning manager will use the as-built documentation as necessary to
specifications. commission the project. As-built drawings will save significant life cycle costs
and avoid potential safety hazards during operations and life of the facilities. The
commissioning manager will review the final as-built drawings and assure they are
a part of the final commissioning report.

Important to Warranty Administration

Know
Warranty is an assurance by the manufacturer in writing to the Agency that
The project assumes stipulated responsibility for the performance of the equipment supplied
manager should for a specified period after acceptance. Warranty lengths typically vary in
be careful not to length from six months to five years. The project manager should be careful
accept a piece of not to accept a piece of equipment before it is ready for overall operations.
equipment before it
The project manager should consider provisions for extended warranty when
is ready for overall
equipment must arrive and must be accepted well in advance of total operations.
operations.
Under general direction of the project manager, the commissioning manager will
work closely with the procurement department personnel who will check the
equipment warranties against contractual requirements.

and Resources
section.

Project Closeout
8
SECTION

Introduction
Completing a project requires procedures to closeout project contractual and
Important to administrative activities.
Do
q Prepare a punch Role of the Agency in Project Completion
list of incomplete
contractor items. Closing contractual activities requires the Agencys project manager to oversee
final settlement of project contracts, acceptance of contract deliverables,
q Lead a final walk collection of contract documents and records (such as as-built drawings,
through inspection operation and maintenance manuals, and warranties, etc.), and approval of final
of constructed payments. The project managers responsibilities for administrative closeout
facility.
relate to demobilizing the project team and completing activities with other
q Resolve outstanding stakeholders, arranging the disposition of project records, closing of funding
changes/claims. and financing agreements, and performing an evaluation of project success and
lessons learned.
q Develop a plan to
demobilize Agency
and consultant staff. Contractual Closeout
q Keep project Construction Contracts
teams attention The project manager, commissioning manager, construction manager/resident
focused on closeout
engineer, and contract administrator, should follow the procedures and actions
activities.
specified in each contracts terms and conditions to settle and close the projects
q Assess and construction contract agreements.
document lessons
learned on project. For a typical construction contract you will need to confirm the completion and
acceptability of the following activities:
q Obtain project
acceptance Manuals and Training The contractor delivers the operations and
from principal maintenance (O&M) manuals for the facilities constructed and equipment
stakeholders.
installed and provides any associated training of Agency staff in their use.

q Celebrate project
completion. Beneficial Occupancy A contract is substantially complete when the
permitting authority issues a Certificate of Beneficial Occupancy to the
Agency and then the Agency can occupy and begin use of the facility and
equipment. It is important on taking beneficial occupancy that you ensure
the construction manager/resident engineer prepares a punch list of open
items for the contractor to complete.

SECTION 8: PROJECT CLOSEOUT
Guaranties and Warranties With beneficial occupancy confirm that the

Important to contractor has initiated the guaranties and warranties associated with the
Know
facility and equipment.
A contracts terms
and conditions Record or As-built Drawings The construction manager/resident engineer
specify the actions confirms that the contractor has submitted the record drawings that show
needed for final the as-built condition of the constructed facility and installed equipment.
settlement and
closure. Final Inspection Lead a final walk through inspection of the facility to
A contract is
confirm that the contractor has completed the open punch list items and all
substantially work is completed correctly and satisfactorily.
complete when the
Resolve Outstanding Change/Claim Disputes You should make every effort to
permitting authority
issues Certificate resolve any outstanding contract disputes so that they do not drag on past
of Beneficial contract and project completion.
Occupancy.
Final Payment With the above activities satisfactorily completed you can
A contract audit is approve the final payment to the contractor and the Agency can close the
needed to verify contract.
appropriateness
of costs invoiced Commissioning Assure that all other commissioning activities have been
on cost plus type completed in a satisfactory manner.
contracts.
A contract audit Professional Service Contracts
examines direct Although closing a professional service contract, for such as design or
labor, other direct management services, does not involve as many milestones and activities as
cost, and indirect a construction contract, you still need to follow the completion procedures
overhead charges. dictated by the terms of the professional service contract.
Typical closeout activities for a professional service contract include:
Verification of Scope Completion Confirm that the professional service

contractor has satisfactorily delivered the services called for in the contract
scope of work.
Contract Audit Where contract payments are on a cost plus fee basis,
the contract provisions should give the Agency the right to audit the
contractors costs. The audit should verify items such as direct labor rates,
support for time charges, support for other direct costs, and justification
for overhead rates.
Final Payment and Release of Retention With scope completed satisfactorily

and audit completed, you can approve the final payment and release of any
retention held back from prior contract payments pending satisfactory
completion of services and audit of costs.

Important to Administrative Closeout

Know
Project Demobilization
The original Project
Authorization Managing the demobilization of the project can often test the project managers
and Project administrative and interpersonal skills in order to address the following end of
Requirements project issues:
Definition set out
what the project Key project staff that see the end of the project coming and acquire positions
needs to fulfill elsewhere in the Agency before their project role and duties are complete.
before it is closed Or the opposite, Agency project staff whose duties are complete and are
out. difficult to relocate off the project because there is no immediate position
for them to move to.

Important
administrative Professional service consultants, whose role is concluding, prematurely
closeout items transfer key staff to newer long term assignments and/or endeavor to stretch
include the: out their services to maintain revenue.
- Demobilization of To manage demobilization as project manager, you should develop a staffing

project team. plan for the final phase of the project that plans the reduction in the Agencys
- Closure of project own forces and those of the professional service consultants. You should
funding and work with the Agencys human resources to help manage the transition of staff
financing. off the project, ease their anxieties surrounding what their next role is, and
provide incentives for key staff to remain on the project and defer moving on.
- Securing the
disposition of Similarly you should meet with the principals of the professional service firms to
project records. reach agreement on a timetable for winding down their services as the project
concludes.
- Conducting a
lessons learned The project managers final challenge once the demobilization plans are in place
project evaluation. is to keep the project teams attention focused on the tasks needed to complete
- Achieving closure the project as opposed to what they will be doing once the project is over.
with stakeholders.
- Celebrating Closure of Project Financing and Funding
project success. The project manager will need to work with the Agencys finance staff to close
out the funding to the project. Where a project receives FTA funds, Circular
5010.1C Grant Management Guidelines sets out the activities required of an
Agency to satisfy the FTA that all the Agencys project responsibilities and work
are completed and the associated financial records closed.
Disposition of Project Records

The project manager has to arrange for project records to be transferred to the
Agencys document control function. Project records required to be maintained
will be determined by a combination of the Agencys own records retention
policy, retention requirements imposed by parties funding the project such as the
FTA, and any special requirements due to contract provisions. Should there be

an unresolved change/claim dispute, it is important that all records pertaining to

the contract and dispute also be retained.
Project Evaluation
Before the project is over and key project staff has dispersed, it is desirable
for the project manager to hold a lessons learned session. The lessons
learned should focus on identifying project strengths and weaknesses with
recommendations on how to improve future performance on projects. To
be most effective the project manager should encourage the project team to
identify and document lessons learned through the project life cycle so that a
database of lessons learned experience is built up for consideration at the final
lessons learned session. Lessons learned can consider technical, managerial, and
process aspects of the project.
Stakeholder Closure
Perhaps the most important aspect of completing the project is to achieve
acceptance and closure of the project by the projects principal stakeholders,
those who sponsored the project, and those that are to use the facilities and
equipment delivered by the project. The Project Authorization and PRD
documents formally set out the expectations for the project. The project
manager should now receive formal confirmation that with the handover of the
project deliverables from the project team to the operational users, the project
sponsors and users have officially accepted the project deliverables.
This formal acceptance is also the opportunity to celebrate project success with
some ceremony to mark the opening of the new facility and equipment into
operations.

and Resources
Additional help and resources
can be found in Section 10 of
this Handbook. This section
begins with a nationwide listing
of the FTA offices, along with
listings, by section, of helpful
documents and Web sites that
pertain to each section.

Project Support
9
SECTION

Introduction
Project support functions are administrative in nature and typically take place
Important to throughout all phases of the project cycle in order to support the management
Do
and control of project activities. Topics discussed in this section include: project
q Include funds within control, project accounting, grant management and clerical/administrative
the project budget support; procurement and contract administration of professional services,
to provide for
construction, equipment and supplies, and third party agreements; project
project support
communications; and records management.
functions.
q Establish control
baselines against
Project Control
which to compare Project Control Process
actual performance. Project control provides the systems and procedures to track and control the
q Focus control projects scope, cost, and schedule to support project managements objective
activities on of delivering a scope that meets project requirements, within the budget and
correcting the on schedule. Scope, cost, and schedule are interdependent on a project, see
significant variances. Figure 9-1. For example, a change that increases the project scope typically is
associated with an increase to the project cost or schedule or both.
q Allow enough
time in the project
schedule for the
procurement
process.
q Use proactive Cost Schedule
communication and
avoid stakeholders
being surprised by
project events.
Scope
Figure 9-1 Illustrating scope, cost, and schedule as three sides of

a triangle underlines their interdependency. A change
Project Control Triangle to one (side) impacts one or both of the other (sides).

SECTION 9: PROJECT SUPPORT
The fundamental principles of the control processes are the same

Important to Know for controlling scope, cost, or schedule. They are to:
Project control compares
actual performance with plan Establish a control baseline
(baseline), identifies variances, Track project performance against the baseline
and corrects adverse variances.
Continually forecast performance at completion and compare to
A Work Breakdown Structure the baseline
is a hierarchical breakdown Identify changes to the project and assess their impact on
of project scope into its performance against the baseline

component parts and their
Take management action to correct adverse forecast and/or
elements of work.
change variances.
Scope control (configuration The role of the Agency and its project manager is to establish
management) defines the the management approach to project control and ensure that it is
project deliverables of the Work followed during the execution of each phase of the project. You
Breakdown Structure, controls should document the approach to project control in the Project
changes to deliverables and
Management Plan (PMP). For larger projects you may need to
tracks the impact of changes.
retain the services of a program management or project controls
Schedule control defines consultant to provide staff with specialist expertise in scope, cost,
the dates for performing and schedule controls.
project activities of the
Work Breakdown Structure Scope Control
elements of work, identifies
the relationship between The project requirements, as set out in the Project Requirements
activities, identifies activities Document discussed in Section 2, determine the project scope
that determine the project total described in terms of the project deliverables. The project scope is
duration (critical path), and alternatively referred to as the project configuration. Configuration
tracks and controls changes to management is the project control process for scope control.
the schedule.
For engineering/construction projects, such as our example bus
Cost control defines the budget maintenance facility project, project scope is defined and quantified
for the Work Breakdown by the drawings and specifications. In successive phases of the
Structure components, tracks project, the design drawing and specifications develop from
actual costs, estimates the costs the design concepts and technical studies of conceptual design/
at completion, and controls
preliminary engineering, through final design packages, and the
changes to costs and variances
as-built drawings at the end of construction.
of forecast costs from budget.
In conceptual design/preliminary engineering you analyze alternative
design concepts and select the preferred design configuration for the
required project deliverables. It is at the conclusion of preliminary
engineering prior to beginning final design that you should establish
the scope baseline, sometimes called the technical baseline, for the
project. Configuration management provides the project control
process to identify, assess, and track the impact on the scope
baseline of changes to the project requirements. Changes in project

requirements may be due to changes in owner requirements, unforeseen project

conditions, changes in governing regulations, value engineering proposals, etc.
An important project control tool in configuration management and the other

project control processes for cost and schedule control is the Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS). The WBS is a hierarchical structure that breaks down the
scope of the project deliverables into their component and subcomponent parts
and then further down into the subcomponents design and construction work
package elements. Figure 9-2 is a simplified WBS for our example maintenance
facility project.
Figure 9-2 Work Breakdown Structure, Maintenance Facility Project

The work package elements are assigned to the design consultants, contractors,
third parties, and the Agencys own forces. In addition to using the WBS to
define scope, budgets and cost estimates are developed for each WBS work
package element and the activities of the WBS work packages are scheduled to
define and control the projects cost and schedule as discussed below.
Prior to preliminary engineering phase completion, the project manager will

budget and baseline each task. However, at the conclusion of preliminary
engineering the control baseline for the scope should be established and
supported by the technical studies, conceptual designs, and preliminary
engineering drawings and specifications. As the final design and construction
phases progress, configuration management requires that any changes to
project requirements are identified, their impact on the project scope
assessed, and the configuration of the affected drawings and specifications
amended. It is important that you make certain that project changes do not
result in compromising the intended project deliverables in terms of required
performance and/or quality and take the necessary management action to ensure
the current configuration delivers the required standard of performance and
quality as defined by the control scope baseline.
Often the scope changes also result in changes to the scopes of work of the
design consultant and/or construction contracts, in which case the projects
change control processes should be used to process the associated contract
changes. Additionally, the impact on the projects cost and schedule needs to be
assessed with corresponding updates to cost and schedule as discussed below.
The final phase of configuration management is to document the as-built scope

of the project deliverables, through receiving the as-built drawings from the
construction contractors.
Cost Control
Cost control is based on continually refining the projects cost estimate at
completion as the project progresses and taking management action to address
adverse variances in the cost estimate compared to the baseline budget. As
with the scope baseline, the cost baseline is developed at the conclusion of
preliminary engineering. You should manage the preliminary engineering so that
the baseline cost estimate for the selected scope configuration is in an acceptable
range of the estimated project cost at the time the project was authorized and
the project requirements definition prepared.
The baseline cost estimate must include allocated and overall unallocated
contingency funds that are established based on deterministic or probablistic risk
assessment.

It is important to understand the reliability of the cost estimate. To accomplish

this you should require your cost estimators to provide an estimating range in
addition to the single point estimate, so for our example maintenance facility
the cost baseline project budget estimate is expressed as $40 million with a 90
percent confidence that the cost will be in the range of $35 to $50 million. As
the design and construction phases progress the range should become narrower
for the same level of confidence. The ranges can be used to establish the levels
of cost contingency to include in the project budget. Risk assessment techniques
are helpful in both identifying cost impact of project risks and the resulting
estimating range for a given level of confidence.
You should track the projects cost performance against the baseline budget as
design and construction progresses and contracts are awarded, costs incurred,
project changes identified, and cost trends forecasted based on expected future
scope and/or contract changes. The projects cost at completion should be
continually reforecast and management action taken to address adverse cost
variances.
The WBS is again the key control tool. The baseline budget and cost estimates
are developed for the WBS work package elements. The assignment of the
elements to design and construction work packages provide the means to track
the costs as they develop by the same categories as the work is performed. In
addition, as the scope control is also by the same work package elements, the
WBS provides for consistency in assessing changes in scope and assessing the
corresponding impact on costs for the affected WBS work package elements.
Figure 9-3 provides an example format for a WBS cost control report for the bus
maintenance facility project.

Baseline Estimate to Estimate at

WBS Element/Package Budget Committed Incurred Complete Completion Variance
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e =c + d) (f = a - e)
1 Planning and Conceptual Design
1.1 Planning Studies
1.1.1 Functional Studies
1.1.2 Site Selection
1.1.3 Technical Studies
1.2 Environmental Studies
------
2 Design
---
3 Construction
---
4 Commissioning
---
5 Management & Administration

---
9 Contingency
Total Project
Notes:
(a) Baseline Budget: Control budget against which project cost performance is measured and controlled
(b) Committed: Value of project contractual commitments to contractors and/or internal work orders to Agency's own forces
(c) Incurred: Project costs to date incurred by contractors and/or Agency's own forces
(d) Estimate to Complete: Forecast of estimated costs to go in order to finish the remaining work on the WBS element/package:
for construction in design - the forecast is based on the current capital cost estimate for the construction package; for contract
work in progress - the forecast is based on the outstanding commitment (b - c) plus the forecast value of any pending and/or
expected contract changes; for Agency own forces work - the forecast is based on the expected cost of the remaining work.
(e) Estimate at Completion: Forecast of the final cost of the work element/package (c + d)
(f) Variance: Comparison of the Estimate at Completion to the Baseline Budget (a - e): positive variance indicate forecast project
costs better than budget; negative variances are forecast to be worse than budget and indicate to the project manager where
action needs to be taken to address forecast adverse project cost performance.
Figure 9-3 Cost Control Report, Maintenance Facility Project
You should include formal cost reviews at the following project milestones and
major events:
Construction package design reviews (conceptual, 30 percent, 60 percent, 90

percent, and 100 percent)
Construction contract award
Major contract changes.
Each construction package design review should include an updated estimate of

the packages capital cost. The review process should include a consideration
of the capital cost in relationship to the baseline budget and the technical scope.
Any adverse variances should be addressed and the level of design contingency
assessed based on the level of confidence of the estimate. Following award
of the construction contract the costs should be examined to take account of
differences between the contract amount and the 100 percent design estimate
and the level of contingency necessary to cover for risks during construction

that remain with the Agency and could result in contract changes. Where major
contract changes have occurred, are pending, or forecast, the expected final
contract cost should be updated. At each of these types of review, management
action should be taken to address adverse cost trends so that the final cost of
the project can be maintained within the cost baseline.
You should have in place cost control procedures to provide for transfers in
budget between WBS elements as the project evolves so that, for example,
cost savings in one area can be used to offset overruns elsewhere, or scope is
transferred along with budget from one area of the project to another. The
procedures should provide for the appropriate levels of management approval to
transfer budget and the maintenance of an audit trail of budget transfers so the
current budget can be tied back to the original baseline.
Unforeseen events may result in the need to make hard trade-off decisions
between scope, budget, and schedule. For example a part of the projects
scope may have to be reduced in order to keep costs within budget following
an unforeseen change that exceeds the outstanding contingency. Alternatively,
an increase in the projects final cost may be agreed to in order to keep the
project on schedule following delays in progress due to unforeseen construction
conditions. Project procedures should require that significant changes in scope,
schedule, or budget from the baseline receive the approval of the projects
sponsors, which in our example maintenance facility project would be the
Agencys board.
Good cost control also requires regular reporting of project costs on a

monthly basis. Cost reports, see Figure 9-3, should present the baseline budget
compared to contract commitment, incurred costs, approved and pending
changes, forecast cost trends, estimated costs at completion, and variance
between the cost at completion and budget. You should use the WBS as the
means to prepare reports at various levels of summary and detail.
Schedule Control
The WBS is again the starting point for schedule control. Work activities are
identified for each of the WBS work package elements and form the building
blocks of the project schedule. For relatively simple projects you can represent
the activities using a bar chart schedule and the time from the beginning of the
first bar (start) and the end of the last bar (finish) is the duration of the project.
More complex projects, such as our example maintenance facility project require
a critical path method (CPM) schedule.
To develop a CPM schedule the activities are arranged into a precedence

diagram network that shows the logical start and finish relationships between
each activity along with the estimated duration of each activity. The logic of the

precedence diagram and activity durations is then input into a CPM software
scheduling program that calculates the projects critical path. The critical path
is the path through the network that has the longest duration and therefore
determines the duration of the project. The sums of the durations along all
other paths through the network are shorter than the critical path. Figure
9-4 shows a simplified precedence and critical path for the maintenance facility
project.
Critical Path 4.1 24 4.2 10

Owner Integrated
Project Duration 101 Weeks Furnished Testing and
WBS Number Duration (Weeks) Equipment Start-up
Finish
1.1 6 1.3 4 2.1 6 2.3 21 3.1 12 3.3 36 4.3 5
Planning Architectural Preliminary Final Real Estate Facility Safety and
Studies Concepts and Engineering Design Acquisition Construction Security
Basis for Design Certification
Start
1.2 8 2.2 4 3.2 16
Environmental Environmental Utility
Studies Clearance and Relocation
Permitting

Figure 9-4 Precedence Diagram and Critical Path, Maintenance Facility Project
The critical path is important because it focuses managements attention on

the activities that contribute to the longest path through the schedule. If the
critical activities are completed on time then the project will finish on schedule.
In practice it is prudent to focus schedule control on critical and near critical
activities on other paths. A near critical activity is identified by the size of
its float. The float is the number of days the activity can be delayed before it
becomes critical. Activities with little float are near critical (and by definition
activities on the critical path have zero float).
As with the scope and cost baseline, the schedule baseline should be developed
at the close of conceptual design/preliminary engineering. As the project
progresses through final design and construction the schedule performance
is monitored, the outstanding durations of incomplete activities estimated,
the critical path updated and compared to baseline. You should then take
management action to address schedule slippages of critical and near critical
activities.
When changes to the project occur it is important to assess their impact on

the schedule along with their scope and cost impact. If a change results in a
delay to a contractor, where the change is not due to the contractors own
non-performance, then in addition to compensating the contractor for the cost
impact of the change, the contractor should also be allowed the additional time
to complete the work brought about by the delay. Consequently, it is important
that you understand and manage the schedule relationships between contractors
in addition to overseeing the schedule performance of each specific contract.

Project Administration
Project Accounting
Important to
Know The Agencys accounting department performs accounting functions for the
project including:
Project accounting
reports project Developing the fiscal year budgets for the project
expenditures in
compliance with Recording and reporting expenditures in the Agencys accounts
generally accepted Review and payment of contractor invoices
accounting practice, Management of project cash flow.
administers the
projects accounts The total project budget typically spans multiple project years. Agency
payables, and accounting works with project staff to develop the fiscal year budgets as part of
manages the project the Agencys annual budget. In addition to being by fiscal year, the accounting
cash flow. project budget is broken down by the Agencys chart of accounts as opposed to
the WBS breakdown used for project control. For these reasons an Agency that
Grants management
applies for project relies only on accounting information to manage project costs (that is fiscal year
funding from and chart of account based) and does not create a project cost control system
federal, state, and (that is project-to-date and WBS based) finds that cost data appropriate for
local agencies, accounting controls is not helpful from a project cost management point of view.
draws down funds
to meet project Similarly, accounting records project expenditures by the Agencys chart of
expenditures, and accounts and report the results against the fiscal year budgets. In setting up
reports project procedures to process project transactions you should give careful consideration
status to funding to ensuring that costs are coded by both their WBS and accounting codes so that
agencies. they can be processed through both the cost control and accounting systems.
Administrative The project team is responsible for reviewing consultant and contractor invoices
support provides to confirm that the services or work invoiced has been acceptably completed.
for the project Accountings role is to review the invoices to confirm that they are computed
office facilities
accurately, that the charges billed are contractually eligible, and that the charge
and clerical and
rates and/or prices are consistent with the contract terms. Following review,
administrative staff.
accounting is responsible for paying the invoice having made adjustments for
retainage and any disallowed charges.
Accounting, through its treasury function, manages the cash flow for the project.
Accounting works with the project team to project both the near and long term
cash flow requirements for the project so that funds are made available for
project expenditures without tying up the Agencys cash. Accounting invests
funds raised for the project that are not immediately required in a mix of short
and long term investments based on the cash flow projections.

Grant Management
Grant management involves:
Application for grant funding from the FTA and/or state and local funding
agencies
Reporting of project progress
Drawing down and management of grant funds during project
implementation.
An Agency submits grant applications to the FTA through its Transportation

Electronic Award and Management (TEAM) system. The grantees primary
point of contact with the FTA during the grant application process is the FTA
community planner. The FTA regional engineer is available to provide active
monitoring and technical assistance through the application process.
Major capital project funding from the Federal Transit Administration is

provided either through the New Starts program or programs which are
generally referred to as Formula Funds. The New Starts program is a nationally
competitive program based on a project scoring system which is updated
annually and requires significant reporting efforts by the project sponsor. It
is generally used for new or significant extensions of rail or bus rapid transit
projects including guideway, stations, vehicles and facilities. Formula funds are
allocated to the Metropolitan Planning Organization for each region based on
population, service and other variables. They are typically used for replacement
of vehicles and facilities. The MPOs administer a regional transportation
planning process that determines which projects will be advanced into design and
construction and how they will be funded.
Once a grant has been approved the regional engineer will monitor project
milestones and progress reports that the grantee submits through the TEAM
system. After a grant has been awarded the Agency will draw down funds for
reimbursement of project expenses using the FTA Electronic Clearing House
Operation (ECHO) system.
FTA Circular C 5010.1D Grant Management Guidelines provides detailed

guidance on FTAs grant management requirements.
Administrative Support
Administrative support involves providing the project office facilities and clerical/
administrative staff. Wherever possible a project team works most effectively
when the team members, including both Agency staff and their consultants, can
be co-located in the same project office. Large projects can justify the cost of
setting up a special project office for this purpose. An effective compromise for
mid size and smaller projects, such as our example maintenance facility project, is

to set aside workspace in the Agencys office and require the projects principal
consultants to use this space when working on the project.
As the demands of a project change as the project moves through its phases, it
is desirable to select administrative support staff who thrive on variety and are
flexible to take on a range of administrative tasks where the workloads can vary
from day to day.
Procurement and Contract

Administration
The methods of solicitation and selection allowed within the federal contractual
sphere are listed in 9 of FTA Circular 4220.1E. You may choose:
Micro-purchases only for contract amounts less than $2,500.

Small purchase procedures only for contract amounts less than the simplified
acquisition threshold (currently $100,000).
Sealed bids where
- You have a complete, adequate, and realistic specification or purchase
description.
- Two or more responsible bidders are willing and able to compete.
- The procurement lends itself to a firm fixed price contract and the
selection can be made primarily on the basis of price.

- No discussion with bidders is needed after receipt of offers.

Competitive proposals.
Noncompetitive proposals (sole source) procurement only if you can justify
not soliciting additional competition in the manner explicitly defined in FTA
Circular 4420.1F 9.h.
State law usually restricts the method of procurement more tightly than these
federal requirements.
Professional Services
Contract Types
To contract for professional services, you have two main methods:
a. Procurement by Competitive Proposal/Request for Proposals (RFP). The

competitive proposal method of procurement is normally conducted with
more than one offerer (e.g., design consultant, design manager). This method
of procurement is generally used when conditions are not appropriate for
the use of sealed bids.
b. Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services (A&E). When
contracting for A&E services, you will need to use competitive proposal

procedures based on the Brooks Act as defined in 40 U.S.C. Section

541. Other types of services considered A&E services include program
management, construction management, feasibility studies, preliminary
engineering, design, surveying, mapping, and services which require
performance by a registered or licensed architect or engineer. This
"qualifications based procurement method" can only be used for the
procurement of A&E services. These requirements apply except to the
extent any state adopts or has adopted by statute a formal procedure for
the procurement of A&E services. The Brooks Act requires a qualifications
based procurement method for the selection of A&E firms. Price is excluded
as an evaluation factor, and negotiations are conducted with the most
qualified firm only.
For further details regarding each selection method, you should refer to FTA
Circular 4220.1E, Section 9, Procurement Methods.
Contract Provisions
When procuring for professional services, you will need to coordinate with
your Agency's contracting officer. When developing the contract provisions
you and the contracting officer should review the 54 mandatory procurement
standards listed in Appendix B.19 of FTA Circular 4220.1E and determine the
provisions that apply to the particular procurement. In addition, to receive
federal funds, you will need to determine which of the 31 federal statutes and
regulations presented in Appendix A.1 of the FTA Best Practices Procurement
Manual (BPPM) applies to the project. Finally, you will also need to make sure
your Agencys required terms and conditions (clauses, etc.) are included in
the advertisement. This will allow the A&E firm to address these terms and
conditions as part of the proposal. Any exceptions taken by the A&E firm
to terms and conditions should be included in the price proposal only, as this
recognizes that contract terms involve risk allocation and therefore cost.
Procurement Process
The procurement process for professional services is a multi-step process. The
following are the key steps that occur in the process. For additional information,
refer to Section 6.5 of the BPPM.
Name selection committee with specific expertise needed for performing

the contract.
Announce project in accordance with state law. The announcement should
describe the project's requirements, criteria to be used in the evaluation, and
when and in what form the qualification statements are to be submitted.
Determine short-list of qualified firms based on the submitted qualification
statements. The short-list should be appropriate in size for adequate
competition and should consist of those firms that have a reasonable chance

of getting the award. You should check your state laws to determine if a
minimum number of firms are required to be short-listed.
Request technical proposals. If you determine to require detailed technical
proposals after the short-list has been determined, you will need to establish
the evaluation criteria to be used in selecting the successful contractor and
to advise the firms of the criteria in your RFP. Criteria would normally
involve past performance, technical criteria, and key personnel.
Evaluate the technical proposals. The selection committee will review the
submitted technical proposals within the criteria that were set forth in the
RFP.
Oral presentations by A&E firms. If the selection committee feels that oral
presentations are needed, they should be scheduled with the short-listed
firms. It is important that the actual project managers are being proposed by
the short-listed firms assigned to the project.
Final rank of firms. After the technical evaluation and oral presentations (if
held), the selection committee will finalize the ranking of the firms.
Once an agreement is reached on the highest qualified firm, that firm is then
requested to submit a cost proposal for negotiation of a contract.
Contract Negotiations - The Brooks Act requires a qualifications based
procurement method for the selection of A&E firms. Price is excluded as
an evaluation factor, and negotiations are conducted with the most qualified
firm only.
Construction Contracts
The traditional approach has been to have a detailed design completed for the
entire project prior to soliciting bids from construction contractors. This is
known as design/bid/build (D/B/B). This D/B/B approach requires that a detailed
design package of the entire project be complete before bids are solicited from
construction contractors. For the procurement of contractors, the most
common method of procurement is Procurement by Sealed Bids/Invitation
for Bid. Bids are publicly solicited and a firm-fixed-price contract (lump sum
or unit price) is awarded to the responsible bidder whose bid, conforming to
all the material terms and conditions of the bids, is the lowest in price. These
services must be procured in a manner that conforms to applicable state and
local law, the requirements of FTA Circular 4220.1E relative to the method of
procurement used, and all other applicable federal requirements.
Contract Provisions
Construction contracts require certain provisions which are unique to that
activity. These provisions are discussed in detail Chapter 6 of the BPPM.
Following is a summary of the special provisions and the BPPM sections where
they are discussed.

Labor The three wage and hour laws governing federally assisted
construction are the Davis-Bacon Act, the Contract Work-Hours and Safety
Standards Act, and the Copeland Anti-Kickback Act.
Bonding Construction contracts require contractors to furnish three
types of bonds-bid bonds, payment bonds, and performance bonds.

Liquidated damages Section 8.2.3 Liquidated Damages contains
guidance on the use of liquidated damages clauses.

Differing Site Conditions Section 9.2.3.1 contains guidance on
administering the Differing Site Conditions clause.

Specifications for Construction Section 3.4 Specifications for
Construction discusses requirements within FTA Circular 4220.1E and the
Master Agreement which may affect your construction specifications.

Insurance Section 6.6 Insurance discusses an approach to insuring
construction project contractors known as Owner Controlled Insurance
Programs, which has proven to be an effective method of insuring the
contractor teams involved in construction projects.

Warranties Obtaining acceptable warranty documents in a timely manner
from contractors has been historically difficult. No contractual incentive has
existed to motivate contractors to supply the required warranties. Grantees
may wish to consider making the submission of an acceptable warranty
form a condition of product or system acceptance in order to motivate
contractors to furnish the required form. Grantees might also include
the warranty forms as a fixed-price line item in the contract for payment
purposes, thus giving the contractors a strong motivation to supply the
required forms.
Contract Closeout Closeout of construction contracts will require
certain documentation unique to these contracts, such as lien waivers,
as-built drawings, etc. These requirements are discussed in Section 10,
Closeout.

When developing the contract provisions for sealed bid procurement, you
along with the Agency's contracting officer should review the 54 mandatory
procurement standards listed in Appendix B.19 of FTA Circular 4220.1E and
determine the provisions that apply to the particular procurement. In addition,
to receive federal funds, you will need to determine which of the 31 federal
statutes and regulations presented in Appendix A.1 of the FTA BPPM applies to
the sealed bid document.
Procurement Process
The procurement process for construction is a multi-step process. The following
are the key steps that occur in the process. For additional information, refer to
Chapter 6.5 of the BPPM.

Prepare Notice Describe the projects requirements completely, clearly,

accurately, and unambiguously. The notice must also include all documents
(whether actually attached or incorporated by reference) furnished to all
prospective bidders for the purpose of bidding.
Publicize Notice The notice must be publicly advertised and distributed to
prospective bidders. The amount of time after publication and distribution
of the notice to prepare and submit their bids and prior to the time and date
set for opening of bids is important.
Submission of bids Sealed bids are submitted to you by bidders by the time
and place stated in the invitation. Bids are publicly opened at the time and
place described in the invitation.
Contract Award A fixed price contract will be awarded to the responsible
bidder whose bid, conforming to the terms and conditions of the notice is
the lowest in price.
Equipment and Supplies
Contract Types
For the procurement of equipment, you will need to perform a lease versus
purchase analysis to determine the most economical approach. The analysis
should be appropriate to the size and complexity of the procurement. While
it is usually more economical to purchase equipment than to lease it, this is not
always true, however, especially when highly complex equipment is involved and
there are issues of maintaining the equipment or having trained personnel who
are competent to operate the equipment. The factors that must be considered
when performing a lease versus purchase analysis are discussed in detail in
Chapter 6.2 of the BPPM.
Contract Provisions
When developing procurements for equipment and supplies, you along with
the contracting officer must be aware of local or state labor laws, as well as
federal laws if construction is involved (e.g., Davis-Bacon Act), when developing
the solicitation document and contract. In addition, the contract officer should
carefully coordinate the insurance provisions with their insurance department or
legal specialists. Requirements might include coverage for commercial general
liability, auto vehicle insurance, workers compensation, and perhaps, a special
railway protective policy. The Agencys insurance specialists should determine
specific coverage requirements and amounts.
Third Party (Utility) Agreements

The development of a project typically requires you to perform coordination
with utility companies regarding the relocation of utilities and associated
reimbursement to the utility. Utilities are defined in 23 CFR, Part 645, Subpart

B, Section 645.207 as a "privately, publicly, or cooperatively owned line, facility,

or system for producing, transmitting, or distributing communications, cable
television, power, electricity, light, heat, gas, oil, crude products, water, steam,
waste, stormwater not connected with highway drainage, or any other similar
commodity, including any fire or police signal system or street lighting system,
which directly or indirectly serves the public."
Once the preliminary initial utility alignments have been identified, you should
initiate discussions with the utility regarding the development of the utility
agreement. The scope of the utility relocation must be determined as well as the
responsibility for costs of the relocation. As part of this discussion, determine:
The utility's policy for relocating its own utilities or if it wants the relocation
performed under the relocation activities of the project.
Who is responsible for the relocation costs. Only actual allowable, allocable,
Important to and reasonable costs are reimbursable. If costs are to be covered by the
Know Agency, determine what these costs are up front, and begin negotiations.
A Disadvantaged The costs of the relocation are not always borne by the Agency. Cost
Business Enterprise sharing must always be considered as a feasible alternative.
or DBE means a If a utility elects to improve, change, rearrange, or otherwise enhance its
for-profit small facilities beyond that which currently exists, you should obtain separate
business concern estimates to identify the cost difference between the improved adjustment
that is at least 51 and the adjustment that is comparable to the existing facility.
percent owned
by one or more The ideal situation is to have signed agreements and all utilities relocated prior
individuals who to the general contractor receiving a notice-to-proceed on the main project. If
are both socially this is not possible, all affected utility facilities need to be shown in the project
and economically documents and relocation will be made concurrent with the construction
disadvantaged, activities. Coordinating the availability of the project site with the project's
or, in the case of general contractor and the utility will be very important. Once the utility
a corporation, 51 agreement is in place, you will need to oversee or perform the following as part
percent of the stock of administering the utility agreement:
of which is owned
by one or more Conduct a utility pre-construction meeting.
such individuals; and Monitor the relocation work.
whose management
and daily business Provide oversight of progress. Any slip in the schedule of the utility
operations are relocation will have an effect on main construction project's schedule.

controlled by Inspect the utility relocations to ensure that all work is performed according
one or more of to the Agency's expectations.
the socially and
economically DBE Requirements
disadvantaged Any third party contract that you award, funded in whole or in part with Federal
individuals who Department of Transportation (DOT) funds, is subject to the DBE regulations
own it. in 49 CFR Part 26. It does not matter whether the federal funds are for

planning, capital, or operating assistance, the DBE rules apply. This does not
mean, however, that every procurement or contract must be reviewed for DBE
participation. The rules give you the flexibility regarding how and when they
establish individual contract goals. Certain types of procurements (e.g., off-the-
shelf commodities) may not have subcontracting opportunities or be appropriate
for DBE goal setting.
While the U.S. DOT has a national goal of 10 percent, this goal does not apply to
individual Agencies or their contractors. Therefore, Agencies are not required
to set their overall or contract goals at 10 percent or any other particular level.
Agencies are to set goals based on what will achieve a level playing field for DBEs
in their own programs, without regard to the national DOT goal.
It should also be noted that a contract that is funded entirely with local funds,
without any federal funds, is not subject to the DBE requirements under this rule.
Project Communications
In accordance to the Project Management Plan, the project manager or delegated
personnel should prepare a communication plan for the project that addresses
the following:
Community Relations
Important to
Know Most transit-related projects have an impact on the community. The project
manager should inform the general public, business groups, and civic associations
Most transit
as to the goals, facts, and progress of the project. The Agency through the
projects impact
the community project manager should encourage community input and comments during
and therefore need the project design and adhere to any local, state, or federal comment period
informing. regulations that apply to the project.
Every media contact You should pay special attention to making certain that the residents, businesses,
is an opportunity to and general public in the vicinity of project construction are kept informed of
communicate your the status of construction and its possible impact on the community. To assist
project message. in this effort on larger projects it is beneficial to open a local store front office
Good conveniently accessible to the community, hold community meetings, and visit
communications local schools.
with government
stakeholders means Public Agencies have the policy and obligation to ensure that DBEs have the
no surprises. opportunity to compete for contracts and perform work on Agency projects.
The project manager should communicate with the DBE community to make
Regular certain that they are informed on project contracting opportunities. You should
project team refer to Agency records of DBE firms interested in performing project work
communications
as subcontractors and make this available to principal professional service and
maintain
contracting firms competing for project contracts.

Media Communications
Project managers should be accessible and responsive to media requests for
information and comment. However, communication with the media needs to
be coordinated by and channeled through the Agencys media communications
personnel. The project manager should make certain that project staff,
consultants, and contractors do not contact or respond to the media unless
requested to do so by the Agencys communications personnel. Contacts by the
media to project personnel, consultants, or contractors should be immediately
referred to the Agency communications personnel.
All contacts with the media should be viewed as opportunities to get the
Agencys message out on the status of the project through briefings and press
releases covering project facts, events, and progress of interest to the media.
Special events are a particularly good time for messages to the media, e.g.,
ceremonies to mark groundbreaking, significant project achievements, dedication
ceremonies upon the completion of project facilities, tours of the project, and
local community events.
Government Relations
The most important principle the project manager needs to remember with
respect to government relations is no surprises. Whatever developments
take place on the project, good or bad, it is critical that you make certain that
the government stakeholders are kept informed and do not learn of events from
other sources, particularly the media. You should make full use of your Agencys
government relations staff to help you keep government stakeholders fully
informed. To do this you need to keep the government relations staff informed
on project issues and status, and give priority to responding to requests from
government relations staff on project issues.
Project Team Communications

Internal project team communications are essential to project team building
and maintaining effective ongoing working relationships. The project manager
should hold regular general team meetings to discuss the project status as well
as focused technical meetings on design, construction, and project control issues.
Although it is unreasonable for everyone to be kept informed about everything,
you should take care to avoid unnecessarily limiting access to project information
amongst the team as this can create mistrust and distracting speculation.

Important to Records Management

Know
Document Control
Document
control is needed Document control supports the configuration management of scope control
to support discussed earlier. Document control makes certain that project design and
scope control baseline documentation, including contract drawings, specifications, budget, and
(configuration schedule, are maintained and revised throughout the design, bid, procurement,
management). construction, and closeout phases of the project with the required standard of
security, integrity, quality, and currency. Document control tracks actions to
Records
management ensure that changes to the baseline documents are evaluated and approved and
provides for the that the integrity of the baseline documentation is maintained as changes are
distribution, executed.
storage, and
retrieval of hard The project manager should make certain that the projects document control
copy and electronic process identifies who on the project management team has the authority and
records. accountability for ensuring that each of the baseline documents is kept current
in compliance with the projects configuration management and document
control procedures. Figure 9-5 shows the types of baseline documents for a
typical engineering/construction project such as our example maintenance facility
project.
Figure 9-5 Function Document

Typical Baseline Management and Control Project Management Plan
Documents Project Budget
Project Master Schedule
Project Financial Plan (Funding & Cash Flow)
Project Policies and Procedures
Quality Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program Plan
Safety and Security Management Plan
Design Functional Analysis
Design Standards and Criteria
Technical Reports
Contract Unit Descriptions
Contracts Instructions to Bidders and Bid Forms
Master Contract General Conditions
Contract Drawings
Contract Specifications
Contract Terms and Conditions
Construction Resident Engineers Manual
Operations and Maintenance Facility Operating Plan
Project Management Plan
Communications Community Awareness Plan
Administration Project Status Reporting
Configuration and Records Management Plan

Records Distribution, Storage, and Retrieval

Records management controls the distribution, storage, and retrieval of project
records in both hard copy and electronic form.
The project manager should ensure that incoming and outgoing correspondence
and documents are transmitted through the projects records management
specialist, who can use records database software to computer index the
records. Working copies of records can be retrieved by records management
for use by project staff. Records management should securely store original
copies and ultimately dispose of the records according to the Agencys and the
projects records retention schedule.
The project manager should not allow project staff to keep their own files of
original project documents or correspondence. Records management should
maintain the projects active and historical records and files in order to provide
efficient access and complete audit trails of the current status and record of
revisions to the project design and baseline documentation and associated
correspondence.
Records managements correspondence control system should provide

convenient access to records and make certain the records are secure and
the appropriate level of confidentiality maintained. The system should be set
up to comply with the Agencys administrative, legal, and historical record
requirements and provide an audit trail and documentation of project activities.
Records management can also be used to establish an accessible project library

of technical documents, standards, baseline documents, industry codes and
standards, studies, and other general information pertaining to the project.
Records management should develop a records storage program that identifies

and protects project documentation critical to project completion and the
ongoing operation of the completed project. The vital records storage program
needs a procedure for archiving critical documents and their disaster protection.

and Resources
section.

ACRONYMS ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
A&E architectural and engineering
BPPM Best Practices Procurement Manual
CA contract administrator
CE categorical exclusion
CIP Capital Improvement Plan (Planning)
CM construction manager
CMAR construction manager at-risk
CPM critical path method
CVS certified value specialist
D/B design/build
D/B/B design/bid/build
DBE Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
D/B/O/M design/build/operate/maintain
DEIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement
DOT Department of Transportation
EA Environmental Assessment
ECHO Electronic Clearing House Operation
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
FEIS Final Environmental Impact Statement
FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact
GEC general engineering consultant
LEDPA Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization
NCR non-conformance reports
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NTI National Transit Institute
OFE owner furnished equipment
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
O&M operations and maintenance
PMC program management consultant
PMP Project Management Plan
PRD Project Requirements Definition
QA/QC quality assurance/quality control
RE resident engineer
RFC request for change
RFI request for information
RFP request for proposal
ROD Record of Decision
ROW right-of-way
SAVE Society of American Value Engineers

SOW scope of work
STIP Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
TAB testing, adjusting, and balancing
TEAM Transportation Electronic Award Management
USGBC United States Green Building Council
VE Value Engineering
WBS work breakdown structure

REFERENCES
and Resources
FTA Office Locations
FTA HEADQUARTERS
East Building, 4th and 5th Floors
Office of Communications and
Congressional Affairs
Telephone: (202) 366-4043
REGION 1
Transportation Systems Center
Kendall Square
55 Broadway, Suite 920
Cambridge, MA 02142-1093
Telephone: (617) 494-2055
Fax: (617) 494-2865
Areas served: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont
REGION 2
One Bowling Green
Room 429
New York, NY 10004-1415
Telephone: (212) 668-2170
Fax: (212) 668-2136
Areas served: New Jersey, New York, and U.S. Virgin Islands
REGION 3
1760 Market Street
Suite 500
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124
Telephone: (215) 656-7100
Fax: (215) 656-7260
Areas served: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
and West Virginia

REGION 4
230 Peachtree, NW
Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30303
Telephone: (404) 865-5600
Fax: (404) 865-5605
Areas served: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and U.S. Virgin Islands
REGION 5
200 West Adams Street

Suite 320
Chicago, IL 60606
Telephone: (312) 353-2789
Fax: (312) 886-0351
Areas served: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
REGION 6
819 Taylor Street
Room 8A36
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Telephone: (817) 978-0550
Fax: (817) 978-0575
Areas served: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
REGION 7
901 Locust Street
Suite 404
Kansas City, MO 64106
Telephone: (816) 329-3920
Fax: (816) 329-3921
Areas served: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska
REGION 8
12300 West Dakota Ave., Suite 310
Lakewood, CO 80228-2583
Telephone: (720) 963-3300
Fax: (720) 963-3333
Areas served: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and
Wyoming

REGION 9
201 Mission Street, Suite 1650
San Francisco, CA 94105-1926
Telephone: (415) 744-3133
Fax: (415) 744-2726
Areas served: American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, and
the Northern Mariana Islands
REGION 10
Jackson Federal Building
915 Second Avenue, Suite 3142
Seattle, WA 98174-1002
Telephone: (206) 220-7954
Fax: (206) 220-7959
Areas served: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
Metropolitan Offices/Lower Manhattan Recovery Office
New York Metropolitan Office

One Bowling Green, Room 428
New York, NY 10004-1415
Telephone: (212) 668-2201
Fax: (212) 668-2136
Area served: New York Metropolitan Area
Lower Manhattan Recovery Office

One Bowling Green, Room 436
New York, NY 10004-1415
Telephone: (212) 668-1770
Fax: (212) 668-2505
Area served: Lower Manhattan Recovery Area
Philadelphia Metropolitan Office

1760 Market Street, Suite 510
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4124
Telephone: (215) 656-7070
Fax: (215) 656-7269
Area served: Philadelphia Metropolitan Area
Chicago Metropolitan Office

200 West Adams Street
Suite 2410 (24th floor)
Chicago, IL 60606
Telephone: (312) 886-1616

Fax: (312) 886-0351
Area served: Chicago Metropolitan Area
Los Angeles Metropolitan Office

888 S. Figueroa, Suite 1850
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Telephone: (213) 202-3950
Fax: (213) 202-3961
Area served: Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Office

1990 K Street, NW
Suite 510
Washington, D.C. 20006
Telephone: (202) 219-3562/219-3565
Fax: (202) 219-3545
Area served: Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area
Section 1
Federal Transit Administration: www.fta.dot.gov
49 CFR Part 611-Major Capital Investment Projects http://www.access.gpo.
gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/49cfr611_03.html
Project and Construction Management Guidelines, 2003 Update. http://
www.fta.dot.gov/publications/reports/publications_3875.html
Best Practices Procurement Manual http://www.fta.dot.gov/library/admin/
BPPM/
FTA Circulars, http://www.fta.dot.gov/laws/leg_reg_circulars_guidance.html
SAFETEA-LU Federal Register Notices, http://www.fta.dot.gov/index_6533.
html
National Transit Institute: www.ntionline.com
American Public Transportation Association: www.apta.com
Transportation Research Board: www.trb.org
International Association of Public Transport: www.uitp.com
Project Management Institute: www.pmi.org
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)
Section 2
United States General Accounting Office, Leading Practices in Capital Decision-
Making, Accounting and Information Management Division GAO, December
1989.

Federal Transit Administration,
Guidance for Transit Financial Plans, June 2000, http://www.fta.dot.gov/
publications/reports/publications_1336.html
Third Party Contracting Guidance, http://www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/
leg_reg_8641.html
Notice of Final Circular http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-22914.htm
Grant Management Requirements, http://www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/
leg_reg_8640.html
Notice of Final Circular http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-22891.
htm
Safety and Security Management Guidance for Major Capital Projects, http://
www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/leg_reg_6930.html
Notice of Final Circular http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-11970.htm
Program Guidance for Metropolitan Planning and State Planning and Research
Program Grants, http://www.fta.dot.gov/laws/circulars/leg_reg_8454.html
Capital Investment Program Guidance and Application Instructions, http://
Availability of Final Circular, http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/
E8-22840.htm
Final Guidance on New Starts/Small Starts Policies and Procedures, http://
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-18315.htm
Notice of Availability http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-8463.htm
Additional Final Guidance on New Starts/Small Starts Policies and
Procedures, http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-21173.htm
Contractor Performance Incentives for the Capital
Investment Program, http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/

ContractorPerformanceIncentiveReport102006.pdf

Morris, P. and Jamieson, A., Translating Corporate Strategy into Project Strategy.
Project Management Institute, 2004.
Project Management Institute, The Standard for Portfolio Management, Project
Management Institute, 2006.
Section 3
Project and Construction Management Guidelines," 2003 Update. http://
www.fta.dot.gov/publications/publications_3875.html .
Best Practices Procurement Manual www.fta.dot.gov/library/admin/BPPM

Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) -Third Edition Project Management Institute,
2004.
Martin, M. G., Delivering Project Excellence with the Statement of Work. Management
Concepts, 2003.
Anderson, S., and Oyetunji, A., Selection Procedure for Project Delivery and Contract
Strategy. American Society of Civil Engineers, Construction Research
Congress 2003.
Warne, T.R., and Beard, J. L., Project Delivery Systems. American Council of
Engineering Companies, 2005.
Verma, V. K., Organizing Projects for Success, Project Management Institute, 1995.
Kloppenborg, T. J., and Petrick J. A., Managing Project Quality. Management
Concepts, 2002.
Rose, K. H., Project Quality Management. J. Ross Publishing, 2005.
Kendrick, T. Identifying and Managing Project Risk. Amacom, 2003.
Fleming, Q. W., Project Procurement Management. Quentin Fleming, 2003.
Section 4
Environmental Impact and Related Procedures (23 CFR part 771), http://www.fta.
dot.gov/documents/NEPA_reg_clean.pdf
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/
environment/nepatxt.htm
Real Estate Acquisition Guide for Local Public Agencies, http://www.fhwa.dot.
gov/realestate/lpaguide/
The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of
1970 (Uniform Act), http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/realestate/ua/
Land Acquisition Guidelines, http://fast.faa.gov/realestate/land/l-land.htm
Planning & Environment Website, http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning_environment.
html
General Acquisition & Relocation Information, http://www.fta.dot.gov/
documents/FTA_Trifold.pdf
Real Estate, http://www.fta.dot.gov/region5_5937.html
Section 5
Project and Construction Management Guidelines," (2003 Update).
"Third-Party Contracting Requirements," C 4220.1F, (November 1, 2008).
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Guidelines," FTA-IT-90-5001-02.1,
(February 2002).

Transit and Environmental Sustainability http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/
planning_environment_8510.html
Lee, Michael T., Tips for Design and Layout of a First-Class Bus Maintenance
Facility, Metro Magazine, May 2003.
Society of American Value Engineering (SAVE) www.value-eng.org
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) www.usgbc.org
Tax Credit Incentives (Federal and State)
www.irs.gov
www.efficientbuildings.org
www.energytaxincentives.org
www.dsireusa.org
Building Green Suite www.buildinggreen.com

Commercial Building Initiative www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/commercial_
initiative/
Energy Star for Buildings and Manufacturing Plants http://www.energystar.gov/
index.cfm?c=business.bus_bldgs
Transit Green Building Action Plan http://www.fta.dot.gov/publications/
publications_10318.html
University of Minnesota comparison of LEED and Green Globes http://www.
thegbi.org/gbi/pdf/ProcessComparison.pdf
Section 6
Project Management Institute, Construction Extension to A Guide to the Project
Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Project Management
Institute, 2003.
C 4220.1F., "Third-Party Contracting Requirements," (November 1, 2008).
Project and Construction Management Guidelines," 2003 Update.
Crowell, R.D., and Dixon, S.A., DPICs Contract Guide. DPIC Companies, Inc.,
1999.
Section 7
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE), http://www.ashrae.org/
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, http://www.ieee.org/index.html
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations, http://www.fmcsa.dot.
gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrguide.aspx?Section_type=A.
htm
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, http://www.osha.gov/

FTA Drug and Alcohol and the applicable States Department of Motor Vehicle
regulations
The United States Green Building Council, http://www.usgbc.org/
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), http://www.usgbc.org/
DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory LBNL 56637, Building Commissioning, July 2009,
http://eetd.lbl.gov/Emills/PUBS/Cx-Costs-Benefits.html
Section 8
Circular 5010.1D Grant Management Requirements http://www.fta.dot.gov/
laws/circulars/leg_reg_8640.html
PMO Lessons Learned references in Guidelines, September 11, 2003
Project and Construction Management Guidelines, 2003 Update.
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) -Third Edition Project Management Institute.
2004.
United States General Accounting Office, Leading Practices in Capital Decision-
Making, Accounting and Information Management Division GAO, December
1989.
Section 9
Best Practices Procurement Manual, (October 2005).
Sample Master Agreement, Section 15, Procurement, FTA MA(17),
(October 1. 2010 Version).
Sample Master Agreement, Section 16, Leases, FTA MA(17), (October 1,
2010 Version).
Project and Construction Management Guidelines, (2003 Update),
Appendix C, Utility Agreements.
Third-Party Contracting Guidance, C4220.1 F, (November 1, 2008) http://
Knowledge. (PMBOK Guide) Third Edition Project Management Institute,
2004.
Kerzner, H. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and
Controlling. 9th Ed, John Wiley, 2005.

INDEX 100-, 60-, and 90-percent reviews, 61
A
A&E. See Architectural and Engineering Services.
acceptance criteria, 21, 22, 50, 70, 73, 78, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, 113
accessibility, 34
accident investigation, 84
accounting, 23, 28, 108
acquisition process, 43
acquisitions
real estate, 1, 2, 23, 32, 33, 37, 41, 59
right-of-way, 49, 73
ADA. See Americans with Disabilities Act.
administration, project, 46, 74, 108, 110
administrative closeout, 96
administrative support, 108
adverse cost trends, 104, 106
advertising, 34
agency goals
integrating in CIP, 12
agency oversight, 60
agency role
commissioning phase, 87

construction phase, 69

construction quality management, 81

design phase, 44
planning phase, 32
project completion phase, 96
project development phase, 12

project initiation phase, 20
alternative analysis, 46, 48
alternative design concepts, 101
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers, 67, 92
Americans with Disabilities Act, 6, 34
annual budget, 108
Annual Certifications and Assurances, 18
appraisal, property, 41
approval, projects, 15
architectural plans, 48
as-built documentation, 94
as-built drawings, 94, 96, 97
ASHRAE. See American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
Engineers
assessment, economic, 15
assessment, risk, 57
asset gap assessment, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17
assets, capital, 12, 14
audits
contract, 97
quality, 83

safety, 83
authorization
project, 20 21, 22, 27, 98, 99
staged, 17
award contract, 104
B
baseline
budget, 103, 104
cost, 103
documents, 118, 119
schedule, 76
scope, 102
technical, 102
beneficial occupancy, 97
benefits, project, 15
Best Practices Procurement Manual, 1, 111
bid bonds, 123
bid document verification, 52
bid phase, document control, 78
bids submission, 114
bids, sealed, 112
bonding, 113
bonds
bid bonds, 113
payment, 113
performance, 113
boundary survey, 48
BPPM. See Best Practices Procurement Manual.
Brooks Act, 111
budget, 1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 21, 28, 100, 101, 103, 104, 105, 108
estimating, 7
refining, 6
risks, 59
building codes, 34, 51, 92
C
capability assessment, 20, 12, 66
capacity assessment, 24, 28, 50
capital assets
evaluation, 15
inventory, 12
needs assessment, 11
selection, 15
capital cost, 42, 45, 47, 50, 105
Capital Improvement Plan, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17
components, 16
capital resources, 13
cash flow, 108
Categorical Exclusion, 37, 38, 59

CE. See Categorical Exclusion.
Certificate of Beneficial Occupancy, 96
Certified Value Specialist, 54
change control, 67
characteristics, projects, 6
chart of accounts, 108
CIP. See Capital Improvement Plan.
Circulars, 109-112
city building codes, 92
Civil Rights Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Plan and Annual Goal, 18
Civil Rights Equal Employment Opportunity Plan, 18
Civil Rights Title VI nondiscrimination, 18
claim disputes, 97
Clean Water Act, 40
clearance, environmental, 1, 2, 3
closeout contract, 113
closeout phase, 1, 2, 3
administrative, 98

construction contracts, 96

document controls, 118

project financing, 97

project funding, 98, 109

CM. See Construction Manager.
commissioning phase, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 45, 67, 68
responsibility matrix, 88
commissioning plan, 89
commissioning process, 86
communications, 34, 79, 117
management, 79

media, 79, 117

project, 117

project team, 118

community outreach, 48, 79
community relations, 117
competitive proposals, 110
conceptual design, 44, 45, 46
condemnation proceedings, 42
configuration management, 9, 43, 48, 69, 71, 77, 101, 103
constraints, 21
constructability reviews, 44, 45, 48, 56, 59, 61
construction
intermodal terminals, 1
maintenance and operational facilities, 1
park-and-ride stations, 1
project management, 1, 33
project organization, 69, 71

safety management, 78

supporting transit facilities, 1

construction bid package, 45, 46, 49, 50
construction capital cost estimates, 46, 49, 50, 51

construction contract closeout, 96, 113
construction contract documents, 44, 51, 61, 67, 81, 83, 96
Construction Manager, 4, 24
construction manager at risk strategy, 25
construction manager role, 69, 71
construction management, 69
construction phase, 1, 3, 9, 69
construction phase, document control, 118
Construction Project Management Guidelines, 1
consultant role
planning phase, 53
project initiation phase, 20
consultants, 12
contacting FTA, 2
contract
administration planning, 31, 102
audit, 97
award, 105
contract changes, 106
closeout, 96, 113

drawings, 118
contract management, 20, 29, 30, 74
contract procurement plan, 30
contract provisions, 111
equipment, 113
contract types,110
equipment, 113
Contract Work-Hours and Safety Standards Act, 113
contracting out, 24, 25
contractor compensation, 87
contractor role

construction, 70

construction quality management, 81

planning phase, 33
quality management, 81

safety management, 83

coordination
third party, 32, 36, 51
utilities, 36
Copeland Anti-Kickback Act, 113
cost control report, 105
cost reports, 106
cost/schedule trade-off, 9
costs, 11, 19
baseline, 103

control, 23, 71, 76, 101, 103, 105, 106

estimates, 22, 44, 51, 53, 103, 104
performance, 104

reviews, 105
sharing, 115
trends, 104, 106
CPM. See critical path method.
critical equipment list, 89
critical path method, 106
critical path method schedule, 106
CVS. See Certified Value Specialist.
D
damages, liquidated, 76, 93
Davis-Bacon Act, 113, 114
D/B. See design/build.
D/B/B. See design/bid/build.
DBE. See Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
D/B/O/M. See design/build/operate/maintain.
debt service, 17, 18
definition, project, 3, 21
deliverables, 21, 22, 23, 82, 96, 99, 101, 102
delivery method, 20
delivery strategy, 20, 13, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29
construction manager at risk, 25
design/bid/build, 25
design/build, 25
design/build/operate/maintain, 25
own forces, 25
turnkey, 25
DEIS. See Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Department of Motor Vehicle regulations, 92
Department of Transportation, 40
design
charrette, 34, 67, 68
quality assurance, 61
quality control, 61
design/bid/build, 7, 8, 24, 25, 51, 69, 102
design/build, 8, 25
design/build/operate/maintain, 8, 25
design consultants role, 44, 46, 70
design criteria, 44, 45, 47, 48, 51
design phase, 3, 7, 28, 45, 42, 46, 88
agency role, 44
document control, 118
management, 44
project scope, 46
design, projects, 1
design review comment register, 52
design reviews, 46, 51, 61
differing site conditions, 77, 113
document control, 78, 128
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, 18, 115, 116

regulations, 116
requirements, 115
disposition, project records, 98
document control, 118
documents, baseline, 118
DOT. See Department of Transportation.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 39
drawings, 44, 50, 94, 96, 97
E
EA. See environmental assessment.
easements, 53
ECHO. See Electronic Clearing House Operation.
economic assessment, 15
Electronic Clearing House Operation, 18, 109
elevations, 48, 49
emergency preparedness, 86, 89, 92, 93
energy modeling, 67, 68
engineering, preliminary, 7, 17, 25, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 4251, 101, 107
entitlement, 42
environment personnel, FTA, 1
environmental assessment, 37, 38
environmental checklist, 37
environmental clearance, 1, 2, 22, 32
environmental compliance, 37
environmental compliance process, federal, 37
environmental compliance process, state, 39, 40
environmental design, 87
Environmental Impact Statement, 37, 38, 39
environmental review process, 40
environmental review requirements, 49
environmental studies, 36
equipment, 114
contract provisions, 114
lease, 114
procurement, 114

requirements, 34

estimated costs, 35, 105, 106
equipment commissioning list, 89
event risks, 59
F
facilities, lease, 14
federal building codes, 92
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 92
Federal Transit Administration, 1
FEIS. See Final Environmental Impact statement.
final cost, 50, 105, 106
final design, 44, 45, 80
final engineering, 44

final inspection, 97
final payment, 97, 98
Final Environmental Impact Statement, 39
financial planning, 11, 14, 18
Finding of No Significant Impacts, 38, 49
fiscal year budgets, 108
FMCSA. See Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
FONSI. See Finding of No Significant Impacts.
force account management, 79
Formula Funds, 109
FTA. See Federal Transit Administration.
FTA
contacting, 1
funding requirements, 18
grants personnel, 2
legal personnel, 2
locating offices, 3
planning personnel, 2
procurement personnel, 2
program management personnel, 2
working with, 2
FTA Annual Certifications and Assurances, 18
FTA Drug and Alcohol, 92
FTA Electronic Clearing House Operation, 18, 109
FTA Guidance for Transit Financial Plans, 12, 15
FTA personnel, 1
FTA Transportation Electronic Award Management, 18
functional studies, 34
funding requirements, 11, 16, 18
G
gap assessment, assets, 12
GEC. See General Engineering Consultant.
General Engineering Consultant, 24, 25, 72
geotechnical investigations, 32, 34, 431, 46
government relations, 117
government stakeholders, 117
Grant Management Guidelines, 98, 109
grants
administration, 11
applications, 18, 109

funding, 27, 109

management, 1, 98, 100, 109

personnel, FTA, 1
graphic plans, 48
green building design, 62, 57
guaranties, 106
Guidance for Transit Financial Plans, 13, 15
guidelines
public transit agencies, 1

quality assurance, 1
quality control, 1
guidelines document
construction project management, 1
H
handbook, how to use, 2
help, 122
IEEE. See Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
I
incentives, safety, 84
initiation phase, 20
in-progress preliminary submittal, 52
inspection, final, 97
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 92
insurance, 114
integrated project office concept, 26
integrated testing, 86, 89, 92
intermodal terminals, construction, 1
inventory, capital assets, 12, 14
Invitation for Bid, 112
invoices, 70, 108
J
Job Hazard Analysis, 83
L
labor, 113
landscaping plan, 48
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, 63, 87
certification, 87

commissioning, 67, 87

Project Scorecard, 63, 64
Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative, 40

LEDPA. See Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative.

LEED. See Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

legal personnel, FTA, 2
level of service, 6
life cycle costs, 86
life cycle, projects, 3, 68
lighting, 34, 68, 90
liquidated damages, 93
locating FTA offices, 2
M
maintenance and operational facilities, construction, 1
maintenance needs assessment, 14
manage work activities, 3
management, design phase, 44

Management of Transit Construction Projects, 1
management oversight, 23
management structure, 26
manual, National Transit Institute course, 1
manuals, operations and maintenance, 50, 71, 86, 88, 89, 93
Master Agreement, 113
matrix organization, 26
media communications, 117
method of procurement, 110
Metropolitan Planning Organization, 32, 109
micro-purchases, 110
milestones, 15, 21, 22, 57, 73, 76, 97, 105, 109
MPO. See Metropolitan Planning Organization.
N
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 18, 32, 36, 37, 39, 43, 49
National Transit Institute course manual, 1
NCRs. See non-conformance reports.
NEPA. See National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
NEPA Environmental Review Process, 37
net present value, 15
New Starts, 109
noncompetitive proposals, 110
non-conformance reports, 82
non-conforming work, 82
notice, preparing/publicizing, 114
O
O&M. See Operations and Maintenance Manuals.

objectives, project, 21

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 83, 92

OFE. See owner furnished equipment.

operational interference, 53
operational needs, 6, 34
Operations and Maintenance Manuals, 50, 71, 86, 88, 89, 93
organization structure, 20, 26, 71
OSHA. See Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
outsourcing, 3, 14, 34
outreach, community, 33, 48, 79
overview, project, 15
own forces strategy, 25
Owner Controlled Insurance Programs, 113
owner furnished equipment, 86, 91
P
park-and-ride stations, construction, 1
partnering, construction phase, 74
payment bonds, 113
payment, final, 97, 98
peer reviews, 44, 46, 56, 60

performance bonds, 113
permits, 49, 70, 75
planning, contract administration,31
planning personnel, FTA, 10
planning phase, 6, 32
agency role, 32
consultant role, 33
contractor role, 33
planning studies, 3234
plans, drawings, 45
plans, graphic, 45
PMC. See Program Management Consultant.
PMP. See Project Management Plan.
PRD. See Project Requirements Definition.
precedence diagram, 106
preliminary engineering, 7, 17, 25, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 4451, 101, 107
Preliminary Engineering Submittal, 52
principles, project management, 1, 2, 9
Probable Categorical Exclusion Projects, 38
procurement
administration, 23, 26, 30, 86, 87, 88, 100, 102, 110
method, 111
planning, 30
process, 100, 111, 113
standards, 111
Procurement by Competitive Proposal, 110

Procurement by Sealed Bids,112
Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services, 110
procurement manual, best practices, 1, 111
procurement personnel, FTA, 2
procurement phase, document control, 118
professional service contract closeout, 97
professional services, 110
Program Management Consultant, 20, 24, 44, 50
program management personnel, FTA, 2
progress payments, 79
project
acceptance criteria, 21, 22, 50, 70, 73, 78, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, 113
accounting, 23, 28, 108
administration of, 46, 74, 108, 110
approval of, 15
authorization for, 20, 21, 22, 27, 98, 99
benefits of, 15
budget, 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 21, 28, 10, 101, 103105, 108
capability assessment, 20, 22, 57
capacity assessment, 24, 28, 50
characteristics, 6
closeout, 97, 98, 109

commissioning phase, 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 45, 67, 68

communications, 34, 79, 117


completion, agency role, 96
constraints, 21
construction phase, 1, 3, 9, 69

contracting out, 24, 35

control process, 100
control triangle, 100
costs and control of, 23, 71, 85, 101, 103, 105, 106

definition of, 3, 21

deliverables, 21, 22, 23, 82, 96, 99, 101, 102

delivery methods, 20

delivery strategies, 20, 23, 24, 2730

demobilization, 98

design criteria, 44, 45, 47, 48, 51

design management, 44
design phase, 3, 7, 28, 34, 44, 46, 97

design review, 46, 51, 61

development, agency role, 32

development of, 3, 32

environmental clearance, 1, 2, 22, 32

evaluation of, 99

final design, 44, 45, 49

financial planning, 11, 17, 18

financing closeout, 97

funding, 11, 14, 18

funding closeout, 98, 109

initiation, 3, 20
implementation, 1
importance, 1
milestones, 15, 21, 22, 57, 73, 76, 97, 105, 109

objectives, 21

organization structure, 20, 26, 71

overview, 15

phases, 3
planning, 1, 20
preliminary engineering, 7, 17, 25, 47, 28, 32, 33, 34, 4451, 109, 107
procurement, 21
ranking, 11, 15, 112
records disposition, 96
records management, 23, 118

requirements definition, 21, 22

resources, 20, 33

review, 12, 21

risk assessment, 15, 45, 52, 54, 57, 103

schedule, 6, 32, 22, 30, 44, 50, 51, 73, 75, 100

scope, 9, 23, 25, 37, 41, 46, 50, 52, 59, 67, 100, 101, 103

stakeholders, 21, 22

with manager, 4
without manager, 5
project control, 100
documents, 98

schedule, 106
scope, 101, 102
process, 102
triangle, 101
Project Management Plan, 9, 20, 23, 27, 33, 45, 69, 87, 89, 101, 117, 118
Project Request Package, 15, 19
Project Requirements Definition, 20, 21, 47, 95, 103
Project Requirements Document, 20, 101
project support, 100
proposals
competitive, 110
noncompetitive, 110
public infrastructure, 53, 80
public transit agencies, guidelines, 1
Q
QA/QC See quality assurance/quality control.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Guidelines, 1
quality assurance, design, 69, 81, 102
quality assurance/quality control, 1, 112
quality management, 20, 28, 29, 45, 60, 61, 70, 81
R
real estate acquisition, 1, 2, 32, 37, 41
Record of Decision, 39, 43, 49
regulation 23 CFR, 36, 37, 114
regulation 49 CFR, 41, 115
regulatory requirements, 6, 7, 40
release of retention, 97
Requests for Change, 71
Requests for Information, 70, 117
Request for Proposals, 110
review, constructability, 44, 45, 50, 53, 56
RFI. See Requests for Information.
RFP. See Request for Proposals.
right-of-way acquisitions, 46
risk management, 20, 28, 29, 30, 60
risk register, 57, 58
ROD. See Record of Decision
ROW acquisitions. See right-of-way.
S
safety, 9, 83
safety audits, 83
safety certification, 88
safety education, 83
safety enforcement, 83
SAVE. See Society of American Value Engineers.
sealed bids, 110, 112, 114
Section 404 (b)(1) Guidelines, 40

Section 404, Clean Water Act, 40
shop equipment manual, 45
signage, 34, 79, 91
site boundary, 48
site selection, 32, 34, 35
small purchase procedures,110
Society of American Value Engineers, 54
soil testing, 35
space requirements, 34
staged authorization, 27
State Transportation Improvement Program, 32
Statement of Work, 20
STIP. See State Transportation Improvement Program.
strategic planning, 12
surveys, boundary/topographic, 48
sustainability, 45, 62, 63, 68
TEAM. See Transportation Electronic Award and Management.
technical baseline, 101

technical scope, 105
technical studies, 35
testing requirements, 50
third party agreements, 36, 53, 80
third party coordination, 78, 80
Threatened Species Act , 37
topographic surveys, 48
traffic studies, 35
training, 10, 83, 84, 86, 89, 94, 96
transition to operations, 94
Transportation Electronic Award and Management, 18, 109
transportation needs identification, 32
turnkey strategy, 25
U
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 40
Uniform Act of 1970, 32
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 37
United States Green Building Council, 63, 87
USGBC. See United States Green Building Council.
utilities, 36, 53, 73, 80
utility agreements, 114V
V
value engineering, 45, 49, 54, 55, 67, 71, 75
VE. See value engineering.
verification, bid document, 52
verification, scope completion, 98W

W
warranties, 73, 88, 95, 96, 113
water testing, 35
Waters of the United States, 40
WBS. See Work Breakdown Structure.
Work Breakdown Structure, 22, 101, 102
work package, 102, 103, 106
written offer, 41
Z
zoning restrictions, 42
zoning studies, 35

U.S. Department of Transportation
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Construction Project Management

Kam Shadan, P.E.

Kam Shadan, P.E.

Gannett Fleming, Inc.

591 Redwood Highway

Mill Valley, CA 94941-3064

AVAIL ABLE ONLINE

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION i

SYMBOL WHEN YOU KNOW MULTIPLY BY

in inches 25.4 millimeters mm

ft feet 0.305 meters m

yd yards 0.914 meters m

mi miles 1.61 kilometers km

fl oz fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters mL

gal gallons 3.785 liters L

ft3 cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters m3

yd3 cubic yards 0.765 cubic meters m3

NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m3

oz ounces 28.35 grams g

lb pounds 0.454 kilograms kg

TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION ii

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESSE(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT

12A. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12B. DISTRIBUTION CODE

14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES

16. PRICE CODE

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION iii

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION iv

96 Purpose of this Section

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION v

4 Figure 1-1 A Project without a Project Manager

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION vi

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION vii

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) sponsored and developed the

This Handbook provides comprehensive coverage of construction project

The FTA Construction Project Management Handbook was sponsored and

An Industry Workgroup was created by FTA to specify the content of the

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION viii

Capital Area Transit, Harrisburg, PA

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION ix

Purpose of the Handbook

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) maintains oversight of grant projects

This Handbook complements the many circulars and publications available on

This Handbook provides guidance

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 1

facilities. Throughout the sections, project management concepts are illustrated

How to Use the Handbook

How to Work with the FTA

How to Contact the FTA

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 2

Important to What is a Project?

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 3

Figure 1-1 A Project without a Project Manager

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 4

Figure 1-2 A Project with a Project Manager

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 5

Budget: All projects are constrained by limited monetary funding resources.

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION 6

Project Life Cycle