York Fire Station No. 2 — Capstone Defense Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the financial, legal, technical, and management terms from the York Fire Station No. 2 Capstone Defense Study Guide.

Stipulated Sum

The fixed, agreed-upon total price ($2,328,284.75$) that the City of York will pay to build the station; it does not change unless both sides formally agree to a change.

Apparatus Bay

The tall garage portion of the fire station where fire trucks are parked.

Labor Burden

The hidden cost of employing workers beyond their paychecks, including payroll taxes, insurance, and benefits ($247,726$ for this project).

Performance Bond

A guarantee that if the contractor fails to finish, a backer called a surety pays to complete the job.

Payment Bond

A guarantee that the contractor's workers and suppliers will get paid.

Notice to Proceed (NTP)

The official written green light from the owner that starts the project clock; for this project, the date is July 27, 2026.

Dry-in Milestone

The date (March 11, 2027) when the building becomes weathertight—roof on, walls closed, and windows/doors in—allowing interior trades to begin.

Retainage

A 5% portion of every payment held back by the owner as leverage to ensure the contractor finishes all items, released at the end of the project.

Liquidated Damages

A pre-agreed penalty of $500$ per calendar day that the contractor owes the city if the project finishes late.

General Conditions (GC) Cost of Delay

The contractor's overhead cost to stay on the job an extra day—including supervisor salaries and temporary power—estimated at approximately $2,300$ per workday.

Value Engineering (VE)

Proposing cheaper or smarter ways to build something without sacrificing structural performance or service life.

Oil/Water Separator

A 1,000-gallon tank that traps petroleum products from truck wash water before the cleaned water enters the sanitary sewer.

Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU)

Concrete blocks, also known as cinder blocks; used for the load-bearing back-up walls in the station.

Single Prime Contractor

A delivery method where one company signs a single contract with the owner and is responsible for all work from sitework to closeout.

Self-Perform

Work completed by the general contractor's own crews rather than hiring outside specialty companies.

Competent Person

An OSHA legal term for an individual qualified to identify hazards and authorized to stop work to fix them; Tim Wattley serves this role for excavation and fall protection.

Requests For Information (RFIs)

Formal written questions sent to the architect when construction drawings or specifications are unclear.

Submittals

Documents or samples the contractor sends to the architect for approval before purchasing materials to confirm they match the design.

CSI Divisions

The construction industry's standard filing system (Divisions 1–33) that sorts work into numbered categories like concrete, masonry, or electrical.

Allowances

Placeholder dollar amounts set aside in the contract for items like plumbing or electrical when final design details are not yet fully pinned down.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

A scheduling technique that identifies the single longest chain of dependent activities; any delay on this chain delays the entire project completion.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

An outline that breaks the total project scope into manageable phases, such as Sitework, Foundations, or Interior Finishes.

S-Curve

A cash-flow graph showing cumulative spending over time, typically characterized by slow starts, steep middle spending, and a slow finish.

Substantial Completion

The legal milestone when the building is finished enough for the owner to use it for its intended purpose; the fire department could move in at this stage.

Schedule of Values (SOV)

The itemized price breakdown used for monthly billing, showing the percentage of work complete for each CSI division.

Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA)

A step-by-step written breakdown of a specific construction task, its associated hazards, and the controls used to mitigate them.