Forensic Audit Report-WPCA Phase IV, Part B. Contract ... - Trumbull

Forensic Consulting Services Report
Town of Trumbull, Connecticut
Page 32
Another example of leniency relates to the provisions or requirements set forth for “Blasting” under
the Section 8 of the Supplemental General Conditions, which states:
“If blasting is required, the Contractor shall supply the services of a “Seismic Consultant”
who will perform pre and post blasting building conditions surveys and conduct seismic
and over pressure measurements during blasting.”
Based on available records and the interview process, it appears there is little if any documentation
available to confirm as to whether or not an independent and qualified “Seismic Consultant” was
employed by the contractor, whether monitoring of the blasting operations were indeed performed,
or whether or not the data requirements of this Section (i.e. Pre and Post surveys, blast monitoring
reports, etc.) were ever submitted by the contractor to the Town. The recollection of the field
operations appear to indicate that this requirement of the Contract was not performed.
Other examples of leniency, or items that may not have been performed, provided and/or levels of
compliance were found to be lacking in performance or documentation whether the responsibilities
of the Town or contractor, or both in accordance with the Contract, include the following:
Section 5 of the General Conditions entitled “Shop Drawings”
Section 14 of the General Conditions entitled “Negotiation of Contract Amendments”
Section 2 of the Supplemental General Conditions entitled “Project Photographs”
Section 5 of the Supplemental General Conditions entitled “Job Offices”
Section 6 of the Supplemental General Conditions entitled “As-Built Records”
Section 12 of the Supplemental General Conditions entitled “Sequence of Operations”
Section 27 of the Supplemental General Conditions entitled “Sediment Control Measures”
Specification Division 2, Section 2.5 entitled “Trench Excavation and Backfill”
Field Records and Related Documentation
A review of the Town’s field records and related documentation for Contract 3, or lack thereof, was
found to be a major concern and proved to be a significant detriment in reviewing, reconstructing
and, to any reliable sense, confirming the construction activities and the quantities for payment
related to Contract 3. Typically one of the most important responsibilities given to a field
representative inspecting a project of this type, or for any construction related activity, is to visually
observe and fully document any and all onsite activities, conditions, events and other relevant
matters in a detailed manner for accountability and future reference. This type of recordkeeping is
typically done in writing utilizing standardized formats that are setup and established prior to
construction. Primarily this recordkeeping should consist of a combination of daily/weekly field
reports, diaries, quantity logs with material slips as applicable, field survey books, material shop
drawings, test reports, as-built drawing markups, correspondence and memorandums of record, as
well as being supplemented by photographic documents as deemed necessary. This is especially
true when such inspection is being provided on a full-time basis. Upon completion all reporting
documents should be maintained in a properly organized, centralized filing system that may be used
by the Town for future reference.