Construction

Quality Assurance in Materials and Construction

Conclusions and Successful Practices

Conclusions

Quality Assurance is an area of significant risk for the Agency. The QA was selected for review because the program was ranked by the Agency as one of the top five concerns and this review validates that observation. The role and structure of FHWA has changed since ISTEA; leading to a lack of focus in the QA area. Division Offices and State DOTs interviewed by the Team expressed a strong desire for FHWA to play a lead role in the QA area. They expressed concern that a lack of appropriate emphasis by FHWA will reduce performance of transportation projects resulting in a continued decline of confidence by the public and also expose FHWA to negative findings from outside review agencies. It is imperative that the FHWA reestablish a strong commitment to stewardship and oversight of the quality assurance program.

Quality Assurance touches all materials and construction activities on a project and directly impacts the service life of a transportation facility. Over the last 10 years an average of 75 percent of the Federal-aid program was affected by the QA program; for fiscal year 2006 this amounted to approximately $26.5 billion. The Team was charged to review Division Offices with the goals of recommending improvements, identifying successful practices, and reducing the risk in this program. Based on this review, the Team offers several recommendations that will improve and strengthen the QA program: to ensure that Agency emphasis is commensurate with the level of risk in the program; modify the existing regulations; develop an aligned Agency structure; increase Agency knowledge and skills in QA; and provide tools to facilitate Division Office assessments of State QA programs.

The Team strongly believes that by implementing these recommendations the result will be improved performance of transportation construction projects; more effective QA programs for State DOTs; improved oversight/stewardship by FHWA; and increased confidence by FHWA and State DOTs that the identified risk is acceptable in the QA area.

Successful Practices

The Alabama Division Office successfully used QL-PAY as an analytical tool to test the validity of contractor and State DOT test data. A bias was uncovered that resulted in higher pay for the contractor when using contractor test data rather than the State test data.

A description of the process used by the Alabama Division Office is included as Appendix D.