Construction and Installation - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 150

regarding contracting for construction and installation; and the best combined workforce to get
the job done effectively and efficiently. You may have prepared the project plans and are now be-
ing asked to construct/install the project: this is often referred to as design-build. In this instance,
you may have been the project planner/designer and now serve as the “design-build contractor.”
Or, you may specialize in installing and maintaining restoration projects while working under the
direction of a design-build contractor. In that instance, you may function as the “field supervisor.”
In another instance, you may have been involved with project planning, design, and plan
preparation but now will serve only as the “project supervisor” overseeing the work performed by
a contractor who has bid on a set of plans for constructing and installing the project. Or, you may
be the “independent contractor” who submitted the winning bid on the plans for construction
and installation of the restoration project. You could be the “field supervisor” working for this “in-
dependent contractor.” Or, you may be a “subcontractor” who has been given the responsibility
of constructing or installing only a portion of the improvements at the project site. Finally, it is
possible that your only involvement with a certain restoration project is serving as the “site inspec-
tor,” or one of several site inspectors, making sure that the project is constructed and installed in
accordance with project plans and specifications.
It helps for restoration practitioners to understand all aspects of the construction and installa-
tion of restoration projects because their roles may differ from project to project. For this reason,
practitioners should be capable of functioning as “design-build contractor,” “project supervisor,”
“field supervisor,” and “site inspector.”
Detailed Planning, Permitting, and Licensing
Planning for the construction and installation of a restoration project is an extension of the proj-
ect's overall planning (chapters 1 and 3). Preliminary planning for construction and installation
should have already been done during the design phase (chapter 6), the determination of the
required plant materials (chapter 8), and the preparation of the project plans and specifications
(chapter 9). If this is the case, then planning at this stage becomes merely a task of refining, adding
more detail to the scheduling, and procuring the required materials and equipment.
Permit applications are made during the planning phase, and permits should be issued when
the plans are finalized. Work on-site cannot begin until permits are issued, so, if required, verify
the issuance of permits and the conditions that will control the installation. A variety of permits
may be required at the federal, state, and local levels in the United States (appendix 9). Ecological
restoration practitioners working in other countries will probably need to obtain permits for many
of the circumstances and activities listed in appendix 9.
Identifying required permits and making initial applications for these permits should already
have happened during the design phase. However, taking the final steps needed to secure the
required permits can still be time-consuming. Generally, regulatory agencies that issue permits
or other forms of agreements will want to review near final plans (e.g., plans that are 90 percent
complete) before signing off on a permit. However, as mentioned previously, permit issuance is
more likely if the agency has been involved in reviewing the conceptual plans and early-stage plan