On a recent assignment we encountered a hospital project that will be headed for the toilet and likely end up in litigation or arbitration. We can see this coming prior to bid time. The problems could have been avoided if the owner only knew. I don’t know where it started. It could be with the owner, construction manger or the designers. I do know the bidders and owner will end up “paying for the pleasure” on this project.
The bid documents are some of the poorest I have encountered in a long time. One small example will serve to illustrate. Addendum One was issued a few days before the bids were due. The steel details show similar configurations for bent plates at the edge of the metal deck for the concrete pours on metal deck. Detail 6/S4.01 showed a shop welded 5/8” x 2’-0” long bar shop welded to the bent plate at 16” o.c. Detail 8/S4.01 showed a 5/8” x 2’-0” long bar at 24” o.c. shop welded to the bent plate. Detail 10/S4.01 showed a #5 x 2’-0” long rebar apparently attached to the bent plate but no weld symbol to show if it is shop welded, field welded, or if it is welded at all. Detail 11/S4.01 shows the same as detail 10. Detail 13/S4.01 does not show any bar or rebar attachment to the bent plate. Detail 2/S4.02 does not show any rebar or bar either. Detail 16/S4.02 shows a 5/8” x 2’-0” bar field welded, not shop welded and this is referenced as typical on detail 1/S4.03. To top it off, Detail 9/S4.03 has a #6 x 2’-0” rebar that does not have the center to center distance identified.
This addendum was to clarify the design details. The structural engineer has nine separate details on a similar configuration and the differences are amazing. Not only that, they do not agree with one another! This is not only confusing; it is driving up the price of construction! The problems associated with these details affect the steel and rebar fabricators, the steel and rebar installers, the concrete placement crews and other trades that need to coordinate in these areas.
The structural engineering group is part of a very well known ENR nationally ranked architectural-engineering firm. Their drawings and specifications are a disaster on this project. The construction manager, a regional firm, should be considered a joke for not picking up on the problems before the documents were issued for bid. They are compounding the problems with the design by continuing with the bid process. The construction manager does not know what is scope is being bid. The owner doesn’t have a clue as to what the designer and construction manger are doing to the project.
Sadly, the bidding and construction are proceeding on this project. My thoughts are it will take longer than scheduled, cost more than expected and require dispute resolution services to resolve the problems.
Oh By The Way…It is very refreshing to see a competent construction manager like M.A. Mortenson bring a project in under the scheduled completion time. It makes for better reading than what will come from this project!
