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Contract Management

From a public agency perspective, the use of consultants for project schedule demands result in certain advantages and disadvantages.

PLUS

• Avoids long-term permanent staffing for relatively short-term high intensity workload
• Allows selection of the most highly qualified and experienced consultant for particularly unique workload demands and wide range of skills and disciplines
• Using a "General Engineering Consultant" avoids the time-consuming multiplicity of formal qualification-based consultant selection for a series of individual technical areas
• Allows a specific budget and schedule to be approved in advance for each consultant task

MINUS

• Requires experienced public agency project managers to assure that consultant performances and budget objectives are achieved
• Limits the possibility of providing unique professional development opportunities and challenges to internal public agency staff
• May lead to the erosion of internal core competency within a public agency staff.

As an example of Contract Management, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project was presented. This enormous project not only spanned the Potomac River, but involved, the highway departments of Virginia (VDOT) and Maryland (MSHA), as well as the FHWA, District of Columbia, City of Alexandria and Fairfax County Virginia, and Prince George's County Maryland. The bridge replace includes the complete reconstruction of nearly eight miles of the I-495 Capital Beltway - including four major interchanges.

The sheer size, complexity, duration, and multiple jurisdictional responsibilities of the Wilson Bridge Project created a situation where the use of a General Engineering Consultant (GEC) made economic sense from the sponsoring public agencies viewpoint. After an evaluation of the technical submittals and oral presentations, Potomac Crossing Consultants (a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.; Rummel, Klepper and Kahl, and URS Greiner) was selected .

To assure management integration and coordination of GEC activities the agencies (FHWA, VDOT and MSHA) appointed full-time, on-sit senior managers as the dedicated Project Managers for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. These Project Manager's are empowered with significant decision-making authority and have the necessary access to expedite decision making for items that transcend their authority.

GEC is charged with providing the necessary technical and engineering support to the agencies for moving the project from the planning stage through the subsequent design, permitting and construction stages.

The feasibility of the agencies to staff up in certain technical areas and then reduce staffing while increasing staffing in other technical areas, for such an unique project was not practical.

Potomac Crossing Consultants scope of work included but was not limited to:

• Management and oversight of five independently contracted design consultants
• Coordinating, managing, and implementing the public information and community involvement programs
• Managing, investigating, and implementing all record of decisions and memorandum of agreement provisions
• Fulfilling environmental permitting and documentation requirements along with ensuring that mitigation requirements are met
• Integrating statewide planning, program engineering, and operational criteria for the entire project
• Providing contract administration, costs and schedule control of overall project management
• Providing both overall construction management and field inspection services
• Management and operation of the project offices located in Alexandria, Virginia, and Oxon Hill, Maryland
• Management and oversight of the Right of Way Consultants for the acquisition, relocation, and property management for Virginia elements

Continental Field Services Company (CFSC) was one of the companies subcontracted by the PCC, and their sole responsibility has been to manage and oversee the right of way acquisition and associated functions. Their scope of work included but was not limited to

• Providing and maintaining a separate right of way project office
• Maintaining all right of way files and making those files available for audits
• Coordination, supervision, review, and recommended for approval all appraisals prepared by the Production Consultant (Terra Corporation)
• Coordinate, supervise, and review all negotiations packages and offers prepared by Production Consultant
• Coordinate and supervise Production Consultant on all relocation advisory activities
• Reviewing, approving, and monitoring both Replacement Housing Payments (RHP) and moving costs prepared by Production Consultant
• Addressing all "informal" appeals of the RHP
• Preparing for and attending all "formal" appeals of the RHP
• Providing and coordinating any needed expert testimony for condemnation trials
• Providing periodic cost estimate updates
• Responsible for finalizing any uncompleted work that may remain after the Production Consultant has been released from their contract

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