Transcript Mitch Bartelt, Districts 6-8 State Aid Construction Engineer Metro State Aid Construction Training Shoreview, MN February 19, 2015 (Washington CSAH 21 over Valley Creek)

Mitch Bartelt,
Districts 6-8 State Aid Construction Engineer
Metro State Aid Construction Training
Shoreview, MN
February 19, 2015
(Washington CSAH 21 over Valley Creek)
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Four local Federal Aid projects were audited
statewide in 2014.
◦ Two cities and two counties were audited.
◦ Two of the agencies were in the Metro District.
◦ One was in the Bemidji District; one was in the
Mankato District.
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The official report from MnDOT Audit has not
yet been issued.
The State Aid office is expecting the news to
be good.
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Overall, things went very well for the local agency
audits.
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Findings and other items of emphasis from past
years have been followed by local agencies.
◦ Disposable material handling, and documentation,
were improved.
 City of St Paul audit included a commendation for this.
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Grading and Base items had few problems.
Yet again, the annual audit review meeting went
very well this year.
Compliance reviews performed so far this year
also went well.
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Contract Changes
Buy America Steel provisions
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
requirements
Documentation
Random Sampling
Contract Changes
 Reminder to make sure contract changes
are executed when necessary, particularly
for Federal Aid Projects
 Be sure to perform the correct contract
change.
◦ Refer to Contract Change flow chart for guidance.
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Note that reducing test rates or using
different methods at the suggestion of
third-party tester carries risk borne by the
agency, and not necessarily the third-party.
Check out the State Aid Construction page:
Check out the
State Aid
construction
web page:
Check out the
State Aid
Construction
page:
Buy America Steel (1/2)
 Make sure Certificates of Compliance for
steel are obtained in a timely fashion as the
project goes along.
◦ Perhaps collect them at each regular weekly or
bi-weekly project meeting?
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Auditors weren’t able to obtain all
documentation within the week of the audit
in many cases.
Buy America Steel (2/2)
 Be ready to have an up-to-date amount of
steel quantities used on the job, and make
sure it is verified.
◦ One part of contract documents notes steel
quantities in terms of pieces, while yet another
notes it in terms of pounds.
◦ We’ll see if we can work with the MnDOT
Materials Office to make compliance with Buy
America Steel easier for agencies administering
contracts.
Subcontractors/DBE
 Make sure Request to Sublet forms are
received in a timely manner.
◦ The Pre-Construction meeting, or shortly
thereafter, works well.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
requirements
 If a project receives federal funds, DBE
requirements apply to all portions of that
job!
DBE requirements and substitutions
 If a substitution of a DBE subcontractor takes
place, it needs to be cleared in advance by
the Office of Civil Rights.
 The Engineer should fill out the Exhibit A
form in a timely manner.
◦ Preferably when the DBE has finished 1/3 to 1/2 of
its work.
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If you’re having trouble getting timely DBE
certification from OCR, please let State Aid
know.
Documentation
 Common problem with tester names not
being on document
 Location not always specified
◦ Stationing + offset, reference or mile post + offset,
latitude & longitude all acceptable
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Tests not provided in a timely fashion
◦ Most items require weekly reports.
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Note whether a test is a QA or QC test.
If you miss a test, be sure to include it on the
Materials Exception Test Form.
Random Sampling
 This was entirely my fault.
 The MnDOT Grading and Base Manual has
some good material on random number
selection and sampling.
◦ Check out Section 5-692.125, part D.
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The State Aid Documentation Manual,
unfortunately, doesn’t contain any such
information.
This wasn’t particularly noteworthy or
concerning, but we will work to provide
better guidance.
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The State Aid Manual is currently being
rewritten. The rewrite is nearly complete.
It incorporates the 2014 Spec Book.
The State Aid Documentation Manual will also
be updated.
Section 5.6.IV.D on page 245 in the current
eSAM provides a lot of information on
Contract Changes
If you have any suggested changes, please
contact either your District or Central Office
State Aid representatives.
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Changes in the 2014 Spec Book have greatly
changed how this is handled.
It encourages the resolution of disputes as
they occur.
It also sets time limits for responses between
Engineer and Contractor.
There is a handy flowchart to guide people
through the dispute resolution process using
the 2014 MnDOT Spec Book. Let us know if
you’d like another copy.
Have the Contractor provide a project
schedule at the Pre-Construction meeting.
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The Engineer shall submit a notice of change in
contract construction status (CCCS) to the DSAE on
each State Aid and Federal Aid contract for:
◦ Starting work
◦ Suspension and Resumption of Work
◦ Completion of work
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On Federal Aid projects, the Engineer must use the
Change in Contract Construction Status form.
◦ On State Aid projects, the Engineer may use the CCCS form
or other form selected by the City/County.
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It ensures a timely final inspection, and ultimately,
a timely payment of state aid and/or federal aid
funds for the job.
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MnDOT is planning on coming out with a
new version of the Spec Book in 2016.
The changes should not be as major as
the previous update.
Hopefully it will all be in one book.
Hopefully the headings atop each page
will be more descriptive.
We will stay in the loop on this change to
ensure local agencies can adjust
appropriately.
◦ Another Tech Memo is possible.
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I can help when it comes to using MnDOT
contract language for local agency projects.
◦ Proper grooving equipment
◦ Pavement Marking Removal language
 There have been some recent changes to this. Special
Provision language for 2102: Pavement Marking
Removal should be used, even when it’s incidental.
◦ Data Logging System and Mobile Reflectometer
Measurement Special Provisions
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Crosswalk material isn’t always explicitly
spelled out on plans.
Please do not pre-mix beads in paint!
(Mower CSAH 29 Roosevelt Bridge restoration project in Austin)
(Shared –use trail project)
(Nicollet County CSAH 25 concrete overlay project)
(Washington Street realignment project)
(CSAH 25 bituminous pavement reconstruction project)
(Pedestrian bridge rehabilitation project)
(Pedestrian bridge rehabilitation project)
Office 651-366-3832
 Cell 651-900-4206
E-mail [email protected]
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Metro State Aid Construction Training
Shoreview, MN
February 19, 2015
(Chisago County CSAH 30 concrete reconstruction project)