Construction administration

Why it matters

A design is not finished when the drawings are sealed. During construction the contractor finds conflicts, asks questions, proposes substitutions and submits shop drawings, and the engineer's answers keep the project safe, on budget and on schedule. Construction administration (CA) is where junior engineers learn fastest how designs meet reality, and where poor communication becomes expensive claims.

The contract documents

The contract between owner and contractor usually includes:

• Drawings: the plan set.
• Specifications: written requirements for materials, products, execution and testing, organized in the US by the CSI MasterFormat numbering system (for example Division 03 Concrete, Division 31 Earthwork, Division 33 Utilities).
• General and supplementary conditions: often based on standard forms from AIA (A201), EJCDC or ConsensusDocs, or an agency's standard specifications for public works.

These define who does what, how questions and changes are handled, and response times. The engineer's CA role is whatever the engineer's own contract with the owner says; read it before you answer anything.

The main CA processes

Submittals and shop drawings

Before fabricating or installing, the contractor submits product data, shop drawings (for example rebar placement, precast structures, steel connections) and samples. The engineer reviews them for general conformance with the design intent and the contract documents. A typical stamp says "No exceptions taken", "Make corrections noted" or "Revise and resubmit". Review does not relieve the contractor of responsibility for dimensions, quantities, and means and methods (how they build it, including temporary works and site safety).

Requests for information (RFIs)

An RFI is a formal written question from the contractor when the documents are unclear, conflicting or incomplete. A good RFI process:

1. Log it with a number, date received and required response date.
2. Understand it: read the referenced sheets and spec sections, look at photos, and talk to the contractor if needed.
3. Find the answer in the documents first. Many RFIs are answered by a detail or spec clause the contractor missed; cite it.
4. If a design decision is needed, coordinate with the right discipline and the engineer of record.
5. Respond in writing: clear, specific, referencing sheets and details, with a sketch if helpful.
6. Flag cost or schedule impact. An RFI response is not a change order. If the answer changes the work, it goes through the contract's change process (a field order, construction change directive or change order approved by the owner).
7. Close and file it; update the record drawings.

Field observation

Engineers visit the site to observe progress and conformance, document what they see in field reports with photos, and raise concerns. They are not usually full-time inspectors and do not supervise the contractor's workers. Special inspections and testing (concrete cylinders, soil compaction, welding) are often required by the building code and done by qualified agencies.

Changes, pay applications and closeout

Change orders adjust scope, price and time. Pay applications are reviewed against progress. At closeout come the punch list, final inspections, as-built (record) drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, and warranty documents.

Worked example: an RFI

RFI 014. Sheet C-501 shows storm pipe ST-3 crossing the existing 8-inch water main at station 2+40 with invert 98.20 ft. Potholing found the top of the water main at 98.45 ft. The pipe would hit the main. Please advise.

A good response process: confirm the conflict from the survey and potholing data; check whether the storm pipe can be lowered while keeping minimum cover and the downstream slope, or whether the water main needs a deflection (which involves the water utility); coordinate with the engineer of record; respond with a revised profile or a sketch, the required vertical separation from the water utility's or state's standards, and a note that the contractor should submit any cost or time impact through the change process. Do not tell the contractor how to sequence the excavation or support the trench: that is their means and methods and their safety responsibility.

Common mistakes

• Answering verbally on site and not documenting it.
• Directing means and methods, which shifts liability and safety responsibility.
• Approving changes in an RFI response without owner authorization.
• Missing contract response times, which can support delay claims.
• Not updating the drawings, so the next RFI repeats the problem.

Professional responsibility

Design changes during construction must be made or approved by the licensed engineer of record. Real designs and design changes need review and sealing by a licensed professional engineer (PE) under the codes your jurisdiction adopts. Site visits require the owner's and contractor's site-safety orientation and personal protective equipment.

Recap

• Contract documents (drawings, specifications, conditions) define roles, processes and timing.
• Submittals are reviewed for design intent; RFIs are logged, answered from the documents, coordinated and documented.
• Keep cost and schedule changes in the change process, and stay out of means and methods.

Try it

Open the Do tab to work through an RFI on paper, from log entry to written response.