Quality Assurance and Quality Control - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 259

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Quality Assurance
and Quality Control
Mark E. Alpert, PE, DBIA, CH2M HILL
INTRODUCTION
Quality objectives for DB projects are similar to those for traditional DBB projects, with
specific quality requirements and measures for projects being defined by owners, con-
firmed in design documents, and mandated by code and regulatory requirements. Both
DB and traditional DBB project delivery can generate infrastructure with the owner's
desired level of quality. This is achieved through a combination of quality control (QC)
and quality assurance (QA), and activities and tools. The assigned roles and responsibili-
ties, however, as well as the means and methods to plan and achieve the owner's quality
objectives, are different between DBB and DB.
By definition, quality control includes the monitoring, inspection, testing as appli-
cable, and evaluation of work throughout the project to verify that quality requirements
as specified in the contract documents are met. It also includes the identification of any
defective work and documentation of completed corrective measures. Quality assurance
includes the planning and activities necessary to verify that the required QC activities
have been satisfactorily conducted and that the quality requirements were met.
The roles of the owner, designer, and contractor for QA/QC activities for a project
are different for DB and DBB. In DB, the design-builder is responsible for the QA/QC
for both design and construction. In DBB, the owner plays a larger role in QA/QC activi-
ties. The timing of QA/QC definitions is also different for project delivery types. For DBB
projects, owners define the quality requirements in the plans and specifications during
design development. For DB, the timing of quality definition depends on the procure-
ment approach that is used.
This chapter will address the roles, responsibilities, activities, and tools for plan-
ning, and implementation of QA/QC for DB projects, and how QA/QC for DB projects
varies from that of DBB. Beard and Belle (2003) and DBIA (2008) also present recom-
mendations for a QA program for DB projects; however, much of the information in this
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