A comprehensive quality control plan isn’t just a tool for construction firms to safeguard their reputation and avoid financial losses. It’s also a contractual requirement on just about every large-scale construction project in the United States, allowing all stakeholders to have confidence in the project’s eventual success.
Good Quality Control Begins with the Contract
Farid Cardozo, co-founder and president of the New York-based construction management firm Group PMX, said the general requirements for quality control should be clearly defined in the contract to ensure all work meets established standards. The general contractor and trades should participate in developing the QC plan, which should be regularly reviewed and revised throughout the project, he said.
The QC plan must be completed and approved before fabrication or construction begins. It should be concise, tailored to the specific project scope, and it should clearly outline roles, responsibilities and lines of communication, Cardozo added.
“Regular and consistent involvement by all parties, including the design team, will minimize quality issues and optimize processes throughout the construction phase,” he said. “Any nonconforming work should be addressed and corrected as soon as it is identified. The plan should also account for personnel training where specialized knowledge or procedures are required to meet project-specific standards.”
Federal Requirements
Clause 52.246-12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which governs procurement by the federal government, requires federal contractors to establish a QC plan. In addition, a QC plan typically is necessary to comply with ISO 9001, a standard on quality management systems established by the International Organization for Standardization.
Federal regulations require the performance of all contractors to be evaluated, and quality of work is one of five elements of that evaluation, along with timely performance, effectiveness of management, compliance with labor standards and compliance with safety standards, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
In general, contractors that fail to maintain effective QC plans will receive an unsatisfactory rating for quality of work, making them less likely to win competitive bids. However, companies that fail to maintain QC plans must be notified of that deficiency and given a chance to correct it, the FHA said.
When subcontractors are involved, the QC plan must clearly address whether their QC measures will be performed independently or will be the prime contractor’s responsibility. If subcontractors are to perform their own QC, then their QC plan must be submitted for approval through the prime contractor. Otherwise, the general contractor’s QC plan must address how it will monitor and verify the work of subcontractors, the FHA said.
The QC plan should minimize any parroting or paraphrasing of requirements in the contract and should avoid simply promising to comply with the contract. Assurances of this type are of essentially no added value, according to the FHA. The QC plan must go beyond the contract requirements and address the contractor’s organizational process for consistently delivering those requirements.
3 Phases and 5 Questions
QC plans should cover three separate phases of projects: preparatory, startup and production, the FHA said. The preparatory stage includes evaluating the equipment, materials and other resources prior to work being started and comparing contract requirements with training and other needs.
Startup includes the additional management, training and inspection resources usually required when beginning a new operation. Production addresses the routine QC resources necessary after the process is established. Throughout each phase, the QC plan should clearly answer the following five questions, according to the FHA:
- Who will be responsible for QC during the operation? A QC technician may be responsible for testing and documentation ahead of startup, but as production ramps us, foremen or construction supervisors typically gain responsibility.
If the principal QC official is central to overall operations, such as the project superintendent, then he or she may not have enough time to adequately monitor QC, so subordinate personnel should take on that responsibility. - What will the QC official do to ensure contract compliance? What authority will the QC official have over operations? During operations, what portion of the time will that person be present to perform QC responsibilities?
In addition to testing, measuring and documentation, QC officials should have input into personnel, materials and equipment. Those components often have stated or implied contract requirements, and the QC plan must ensure that those requirements are met. - Where will QC activities be performed? Will process control testing be performed onsite or at a laboratory? Will manufactured materials be inspected at the plant, the contractor’s facility or the jobsite? Will equipment be inspected at the yard or onsite?
- When will these activities be performed? The sooner QC activities are performed, the more latitude the contractor has in dealing with problems. But when activities are performed too early, there’s a risk of unforeseen changes or issues prior to actual construction. A QC plan should address when test results will be available so contractors can be responsive to deficiencies.
- How will inspections be performed? Using a standard checklist? Using the specifications themselves, such as quality assurance criteria? The more generalized and vague the inspection procedures, the more likely they won’t be consistently effective.
Cardozo, of Group PMX, said a good QC plan should establish open lines of communication between parties, how disputes will be handled, the timing to correct nonconforming work and requirements for documentation and reporting. The QC plan should establish standards for workmanship and precise requirements for each scope of work, specifications and applicable regulations, he added.
“Before awarding the contract, the owner must establish the level of the design team’s involvement,” he said. “Ideally, they will enhance the customary punch-list approach. Incorporating construction administration services ensures the construction manager or general contractor and the design team actively participate in quality assurance throughout the project.”
Whether you're bidding on federal contracts or managing complex construction projects, a well-structured quality control plan is your foundation for success. Review your current QC plan today—does it answer the 5 key questions? Continue reading our articles for more insights and updates. Share this article with your team and start the conversation about the importance of quality control in construction.
Photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/NATTAWIT KHOMSANIT
