Construction Management and Engineering Examination Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering construction management, scheduling (CPM), building codes, OSHA regulations, cost accounting, estimating calculations, and structural components.

Retainage

The difference between the gross earned amount and the amount actually paid to the contractor, withheld to encourage the general contractor to complete the project per contract requirements.

Activity Duration Calculation

The estimating method used to calculate task duration by dividing the plan quantity by the daily production rate ($\text{Plan Quantity} / \text{Daily Production Rate}$).

Schedule of Values

A contractor's proposed itemized breakdown of the total project contract sum into individual pay items, utilized for evaluating progress payments.

Topographical Map

A site drawing showing contour lines and ground elevations.

Reinforcing Steel Location (Concrete)

The structural positioning of rebar placed specifically where concrete experiences tension forces.

Value Engineering

A systematic evaluation of a project design, during planning or bidding, to suggest alternative materials or methods that reduce costs without degrading quality.

OSHA Portable Ladder Extension Rule

The safety rule mandating that a portable ladder must extend at least $3\,\text{ft}$ above the upper landing surface being accessed.

Back Charge

A financial deduction made by a general contractor from a subcontractor's contract amount to recover costs for repairing faulty work or completing deficient tasks.

A-C Plywood

A grade stamp indicating a panel with an $A$-grade smooth front veneer and a $C$-grade back veneer.

OSHA Fall Protection Threshold

The maximum allowable height of $6\,\text{ft}$ on an open-sided floor before perimeter fall protection systems must be provided.

Tempered Glass

Treated safety glass that breaks safely into small, dull granular pieces rather than jagged shards upon fracture.

Expediting

The material control activity of tracking, verifying progress, and accelerating vendor deliveries to ensure materials arrive on the jobsite on schedule.

UniFormat

A standardized CSI classification system organized around building systems and assemblies, primarily used in conceptual estimating.

Finish to Start (FS)

A network scheduling precedence relationship in which the start of a successor activity depends on the completion of the preceding activity.

Differing Site Conditions (DSC) Clause

A contractual provision where a claimant seeking equitable adjustment must establish that the contractor performed a site visit and encountered concealed conditions differing from contract representations.

Psychrometric Chart

A thermodynamic graph used to determine dew point, relative humidity, and enthalpy across varying dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures.

Actual Size of a 2x8 Board

The dressed surfaced dimensions of a nominal $2 \times 8$ piece of lumber, measuring $1\frac{1}{2}\,\text{in}$ thick by $7\frac{1}{4}\,\text{in}$ wide.

Davis-Bacon Act

Federal legislation mandating that contractors pay laborers and mechanics wages that are not less than the prevailing wage rates determined for the project locality.

Elevated Slab Form System Components

The structural components of an elevated slab formwork assembly sequenced from the topmost layer downwards: Deck (or Sheathing), Joist, Stringer, and Shore.

Simple Beam Maximum Shear

The highest internal shear force developed in a simply supported beam; for a $20\text{-}\text{ft}$ span carrying a concentrated load $P = 40\,\text{kips}$ located $5\text{-}\text{ft}$ from the left end (reactions: $30\,\text{kips}$ left, $10\,\text{kips}$ right), the maximum shear is $30\,\text{kips}$.

Horizontal Distance (H Distance)

The horizontal projection calculated from a slope measurement using the cosine of the slope angle: for a slope distance of $200\,\text{ft}$ at a $15^\circ$ angle, $H = 200\,\text{ft} \times \cos(15^\circ) = 193.19\,\text{ft}$.

Free Float

The duration an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any immediately succeeding activity, calculated as: $\text{Earliest Start of Next Activity} - \text{Early Finish of Current Activity}$.

Air Entrainment

The intentional inclusion of microscopic air bubbles in a concrete mix to improve workability and enhance resistance to freeze-thaw degradation.

Control Joint

A planned groove or cut placed in concrete slabs to accommodate drying shrinkage and regulate where cracking occurs.

Unit Price Contract

A contract model specifying reimbursement based on fixed stated dollar rates multiplied by field-measured quantities installed.

Concrete Free-Fall Limit

The threshold of $4\,\text{ft}$, beyond which unconfined dropping of fresh concrete leads to segregation of coarse aggregates from the cement-water paste.

Escalation

A contingency allowance budgeted into long-term construction contracts to account for future market inflation in labor and material prices.

Critical Path

The longest continuous chain of dependent tasks through a project schedule network having a total float value of zero, defining the minimum project duration.

Fast-Track Construction

A delivery approach where construction activities are initiated prior to the full completion of design drawings and specifications.

Request for Information (RFI)

A formal submission by a contractor requesting clarification, interpretation, or resolution of drawing discrepancies from the design professional.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A hierarchical framework dividing total project scope into manageable work packages, tasks, and sub-elements.

OSHA General Duty Clause

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act obligating employers to provide each worker with an environment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or physical injury.

Forward Pass

The scheduling computational sequence moving left-to-right through a CPM network that calculates Early Start ($\text{ES}$) and Early Finish ($\text{EF}$) dates for all activities.

Straight-Line Depreciation

An accounting method determining annual asset wear: $(\text{Cost} - \text{Salvage Value}) / \text{Useful Life}$; for a $\$10,000$ asset with $\$1,000$ salvage value over $5\,\text{years}$, depreciation is $\$1,800\,\text{per year}$.

Optimum Moisture Content

The soil water percentage that produces the greatest compaction density with the least mechanical compaction effort and reduced subsequent settlement.

Experience Modification Rate (EMR)

An insurance metric quantifying a contractor's worker safety history, where an EMR below $1.0$ signifies a lower loss rate than the national average.

Crashing

The project schedule compression technique of adding labor or equipment resources to critical path activities to shorten duration at minimal cost.

Builders Risk Insurance

Property damage policy protecting a structure and in-place building materials against losses caused by physical perils (such as storm collapse or fire) during construction.

Sheepsfoot Roller

A compaction roller equipped with projecting tamping feet, ideally suited for compacting cohesive soils like clay.

Modified Proctor Test

A standardized geotechnical laboratory test determining the relationship between dry density and moisture content of compacted soil.

Cardinal Change

A directive issued by an owner that exceeds the contractor's original scope to such an extent that the contractor can legally refuse execution without breach.

Substantial Completion

The point determined by the architect when construction is sufficiently complete for the owner to legally and functionally occupy the building for its intended purpose.

Addendum

A written or graphic modification issued to bidders by the design team to revise or clarify contract documents prior to bid opening.

Proprietary Specification

A specification section that designates a single brand name, model number, manufacturer, or patented design to establish product standards.

Through-Wall Flashing

Continuous moisture barriers placed within masonry cavity walls to collect and redirect penetrating water to the outside via weep holes.