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Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
November 1st, 2016 #09208 Page #4
Question of the Day... As a CM, how do I best convey my intended and assumed scope of work and overall responsibility to all parties involved in the construction of a project I am bidding? I don’t want to be held responsible for something I haven’t bid.
Stan Sias
his is a terrific question and one that deserves revisiting. There are many excellent tools available to assist you and help open the risk management umbrella for you and your company. Probably the hardest part of this is getting everyone within your company to agree to your intended and stated scope, and not waiver from it in the name of being a nice guy for your customer. Once you have a written Scope of Work that both your corporate counsel and liability insurer agree with and provide coverage for, then you’re well on your way. The structural building components industry provides you with many of the other tools you need to protect your interest. Your first and perhaps most widereaching resource is the Building Code itself.
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In the US, that would be the IBC/IRC as issued by the International Code Council and adopted in the majority of the country. IBC/IRC references our industry design standard, ANSI/TPI 1 (version 2014 being the latest in the 2015 I-Codes). Without specific language in the project specifications directing bidders elsewhere, or adding/deleting to/from TPI 1, the provisions of TPI 1, Chapter 2 are codified and therefore made an equal part of the project specifications. Yes, you probably already knew that. The question for you then is this: How are you telling the others involved in the project you are bidding what your assumptions are? My suggestion to you is this: Tell them with every piece of correspondence you have with each party…your Quote/Bid, your Delivery Ticket, and your Invoice. After all, the Building Code references TPI 1, the project specifications by the Building Designer reference TPI 1, so you should join that party – it’s to your distinct advantage!
I suggest adding the following disclosures (or something similar that has been reviewed and approved by your corporate counsel and liability insurer) to your correspondence with any parties involved in the process of review/approval/construction with your trusses. This will go a great distance in drawing the proverbial line in the sand when it comes to your scope of work assumptions as well as serve notice of the building code and project specification mandate for the division of responsibilities of all of the parties involved. You then become the resource for the free online information on not only the Design Responsibilities, but also the best practices for the safe handling, installing, restraining, and bracing of the quoted/supplied trusses.
Jobsite Packages available from SBCA Not only do you want to take the opportunity to highlight and reference ANSI/TPI 1 on all of your correspondence, but you also want to take the same opportunity to start the distribution of the BCSI Summary Sheets included in your Jobsite Delivery Package. Sending this information along in your Quote/ Bid/Submittal correspondence shows your interest in providing the necessary information for safe and efficient storage, handling, and installation of the products you intend to provide. PHONE: 800-289-5627
Quote/Bid Disclosure This Quote/Bid is offered based upon Plans & Specifications by (Building Designer info here), dated (xx/xx/xxxx, latest plan revision date [possibly also including RFI response dates] here). Further, per the referenced project specifications, the provisions of ANSI/TPI 1 – 2014, the National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction, shall be in effect. All parties are advised to familiarize themselves and their employees, contractors, sub-contractors, and/or installers, of the division of responsibilities in the design and application of MPCWT construction as defined in Chapter 2 of TPI 1. A free online read-only version of this referenced Standard is available at http://www.tpinst.org/technical-downloads.
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