200 Soils, Foundations and Concrete Civil and Structural Manual

17. Construction Support

a. Evaluation of methods and equipment for placing compacted fills
b. Verification of density and compliance with compaction and placement
criteria
c. Advice on subsurface drainage or special stabilization problems
d. Evaluation of quality, stability, and probable behavior of fill and materials
beneath the fill
e. Consultation and inspection of piling, caissons, or footings placement
f. Evaluation of field loading tests on footings, piling, or caissons
g. Instrumentation in slope stability problems or underpinning problems, such
as strain gages, settlement readings, or inclinometer installations
h. Advice on operating conditions for earthmoving, including trafficability,
striping arrangements and possible weather considerations
i. Evaluation of criteria for control of pile-driving operations, with provi-
sions for adapting to possible variations in subsurface condition
j. Evaluation of criteria for installation of piers or caissons
k. Evaluation of stability of construction excavations and possible risks to
adjacent structures
l. Consultation on subsurface construction problems

224 Administering Soil Investigation Contracts

The need for soil and foundation engineering consulting services on any project
must be recognized by the responsible Company engineers, and steps should be
initiated to define the services needed for each project. The Civil/Structural team in
CRTC can provide input at this stage. Since the program for a soil or foundation
investigation can range from a very limited to a very involved study, the appro-
priate extent of study depends on a number of factors.
The most important aspect of planning a study for a particular project is to reach a
complete and mutual understanding of the exact problems for which answers are
desired. It is imperative that the specific purposes of the studies be clearly under-
stood by all participants and that the contractor be held to the agreed scope of work.

Soil Consultant Selection

The consultant must be selected to provide the desired engineering services. The
consultant is usually selected in one of the following ways:
1. Solicit competitively-bid proposals from qualified consultants
2. Negotiate a contract with the preferred consultant

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Civil and Structural Manual 200 Soils, Foundations and Concrete

3. Prepare an authorization to an existing standing contract with the preferred

consultant
Review the Company’s Construction Contracts and Services Manual for procedures
on bidding, negotiating, and authorizing professional services contracts.
For large projects in areas where little or no previous soil investigation work has
been performed, competitive bidding for the soil investigation and engineering is
recommended. In order to prepare a proposal for a soil investigation program, the
consultants will need to know the major facilities that are considered.
For work in areas where significant soil investigation work has been done, it is often
beneficial to retain the services of the consultant who performed the previous work.
This can frequently be done by negotiating a contract or supplementing an existing
contract with the consultant.
Contact the Civil/Structural team in CRTC for information on soil consultants with
whom the Company has had prior satisfactory experience.

Establish Scope of Services and Prepare Cost Estimate

Request an initial proposal for a foundation investigation which describes the
purposes and detailed services which the soil consultant will provide. The
consultant should include an estimate of the costs to perform the proposed services.
The evolution of some projects may require changes by either increasing or
decreasing the initial scope of work. During the initial planning of a soil investiga-
tion, the total program should be anticipated and at least tentatively outlined, with
the understanding that the scope and details of future portions will be influenced by
developments during the successive steps.

Clarify Division of Responsibilities

The Company will always maintain overall administrative responsibility of direct
contracts with the consultant. Where technical responsibilities are divided between
the Company and the consultant, the division should be very clear.
The division of responsibilities, as well as the scope, timing and presentation of a
soil investigation, will be influenced by the manner in which the design and
construction work is contracted. When work is contracted on a turnkey basis,
responsibility for detailed foundation design and construction may be placed on the
contractor. In this case, the soil investigation program might be limited to general
site information for planning purposes, with the contractor later handling the
detailed soil investigation. The preferred method is for the Company to be respon-
sible for the entire soil investigation program and to furnish such data (or a design
basis) to the contractor. Accordingly, it is necessary that the soil consultant be aware
of the contracting plan and the division of Company-Contractor responsibilities.
When parts of the engineering design are carried out by design, or design and
construction contractors, additional problems of communication and division of
responsibility must be considered. For example, if a soil consultant is retained by a
design and construction contractor directly, the consultant’s primary responsibility
may be to help save the contractor the maximum amount of construction costs. This

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200 Soils, Foundations and Concrete Civil and Structural Manual

situation may involve difficult decisions about whether to approve construction

which is acceptable in performance at a minimum cost, or to select slightly safer or
more desirable construction having a higher margin of safety at slightly greater
construction cost.

Maintain Open Communications

Communications between the soil consultant and Company must always be open
and it is essential that all concerned be kept informed of plans which affect their
work or which may be affected by their work. Some knowledge of the project as a
whole and of the functional demands of equipment to be supported may permit the
soil consultant to suggest an attractive alternate design, rather than simply to answer
specific questions. Also, if you have a good understanding of the reasons and basis
for the foundation recommendation, you may be able to modify designs to take best
advantage of site conditions.

Request Complete Reports

Reports should be prompt, concise, should point out specific objectives and conclu-
sions, and may often need to be presented in stages to meet the timing needs of the
project’s development. A complete report should:
1. Call attention to unresolved problems which may need further study.
2. Evaluate areas of uncertainty due to variability of soil or unknown conditions.
3. Indicate the range of accuracy in the results presented.
4. Address any anticipated special construction problems.
5. List detailed data, such as boring logs and test results.
A draft soil report should be reviewed with the consultant before issuing the final
report to ensure that all questions have been satisfactorily covered in the report.
During the course of all phases of a soil investigation program (field, lab, and
office), a continuing review between you and the soil consultant of results to date,
current status of work, outlook for completions, and preliminary conclusions will
help ensure that the results are adequate and timely.

Prepare Cost Estimates Early

An estimate of the cost of the services to be performed by the soil consultant should
be prepared as soon as the program is defined and before starting the program in
order that the work be properly authorized. The soil consultant should prepare a
detailed cost estimate which should be reviewed and approved by you. In case of a
stepwise approach to the investigation, an approximate overall cost should be esti-
mated, with detailed estimates made as each step is defined.

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