Quality Assurance and Quality Control - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 263

testing and startup, commissioning, and operations support, a successful quality manage-
ment program should address each aspect of project implementation. The design-builder
prepares the plan with review by the owner, and the design-builder implements that plan.
Specific quality management metrics are developed to address project requirements,
as defined in the RFP and the contract. Most quality standards, measures, and otherre-
quirements are established in the design criteria documents and cover materials of con-
struction and specific codes that must be followed. The ultimate quality objective for a
project is that the facilities will perform as intended, as demonstrated by actual field test-
ing, startup, and performance testing. A common outline for a project quality manage-
ment plan is shown in Table 21-1.
DESIGN-BUILDER'S QA/QC STAFF ROLES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The RFP issued by an owner typically requires that each proposer specify its quality plan
approach, including associated staff and reporting relationships in the design-builder's
proposal. Subsequent to award and notice to proceed, the design-builder will develop
its detailed plan based on its proposal approach, indicating the assigned staff, roles and
responsibilities, activities, and tools to be utilized. During project delivery, the design-
builder's quality management team will function in coordination with ongoing design and
construction activities to schedule the QC activities and QA reviews, as defined in the plan.
The project's quality plan manager will typically develop quality reports and deliver those
reports and data on a scheduled basis to the owner. As shown in Figure 21-1, the qual-
ity management team will typically include the project manager, project quality manager
(PQM), technology consultant, engineering manager, construction manager, and other
quality reviewers. The PQM works in conjunction with the project manager and follows
the project from the inception of design until close-out and final acceptance are achieved.
Quality control reviewers are members of the design-builder project team who help
maintain the continuous QC and monitoring functions. The quality management staff
will address design, permitting, construction, and operation interests throughout the
project. The owner may perform independent quality reviews by discipline-specific or
third-party quality reviewers reporting to the owner to provide further analysis and/or
audit without any perceived bias. Sometimes a third-party review is mandated by either
code or permitting agencies or established in the DB contract.
The leadership and staff who are responsible for QA/QC both within the owner's
organization and on the design-builder team should be identified in the QA/QC plan,
with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and reporting lines of authority. Table 21-2
defines the typical responsibilities of the design-builder's QA/QC personnel.