Compiled Set

Construction plans

are drawings that show the location, dimensions, and details of the work to be performed.

Construction technical specifications

provide the detailed requirements for the materials, equipment, and workmanship to be incorporated into the project.

Shop drawings

are drawings, charts, and other data prepared by a contractor or supplier which describe the detailed characteristics of equipment or show how specific structural elements or items of equipment are to be fabricated and installed.

Punch list

is the list of deficiencies to be corrected which is prepared at the final inspection.

Claim

is a request by the contractor for a time extension or for additional payment based on the occurrence of an event beyond the contractor’s control that has not been covered by a change order.

Disputes

are disagreements between the contractor and owner over some aspect of contract performance.

Drawings

are construction documents that “show in graphic and quantitative form the extent, design location, relationships, and dimensions of the work to be done.

Project manual

is a single volume that contains all written requirements for a building construction project.

Specifications

constitute that portion of the written requirements for a building construction project that are contained in the divisions of a project manual.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

presents a database that includes design data, drawings, specifications, materials and systems parameters, and life cycle data, for all the various disciplines involved in a project and relates those data to each other and to the project as a whole to present an overall view of the project.

Financial planning

for a construction project includes cost estimating prior to bidding or negotiating a contract, forecasting project income and expenditure (or cash flow), and determining the amount of work that a construction firm can safely undertake at one time.

Cost estimating

involves estimating the total cost to carry out a construction project in accordance with the plans and specifications.

Project cost control

involves the measurement and recording of project costs and progress and a comparison between actual and planned performance.

Qualification of a contractor

the determination that the contractor possesses both the technical and financial ability to perform the work required by the contract.

Prequalification

under this procedure only those contractors determined to be capable of performing are invited to submit bids for the project.

Bid bond

guarantees that a contractor will provide the required performance and payment bonds if awarded the contract.

Performance bond

guarantees completion of the project as described in the contract documents.

Payment bond

guarantees the payment of subcontractors, laborers, and suppliers by the contractor.

Bidding

a process whereby a prime design professional engaged by an owner, and the design professional's consultants, prepare bidding documents and issue them to a group of constructors.

Negotiation

a process whereby an architect engaged by an owner, and the architect's consultants, prepare negotiation document

Owning costs

fixed costs that are incurred each year whether the equipment is operated or not. Owning costs are made up of the following principal elements: Depreciation, investment (or interest) cost, insurance cost, taxes, and storage cost.

Operating costs

costs that are incurred only when the equipment is used. Service cost represents the cost of oil, hydraulic fluids, grease, and filters as well as the labor required to perform routine maintenance service. Repair cost represents the cost of all equipment repair and maintenance.

Progress payments

payments made at the interval specified in the contract, usually monthly or upon completion of certain milestones.

Retainage

a percentage of the value of work completed that is withheld as a guarantee against defective work and to ensure that the remaining work can be completed within the unpaid amount of the contract.

Change order

a document authorizing changes to the project within the general scope of the contract.

Consequential costs

additional project costs that result from changes or delay in one activity that necessitate changes in resource allocation or progress on other activities.

Delays

interruptions in the orderly progress of a construction project, which may result from a multitude of causes. The three general categories of delay include: those beyond the control of either the contractor or the owner (“acts of God”), those under the control of the owner, and those under the control of the contractor.

Construction Management

refers to the contractual arrangement under which a firm supplies construction management services to an owner.

Quality management

includes such activities as specification development, process control, product acceptance, laboratory and technician certification, training, and communication.

Quality control (QC)

primarily concerned with the process control function.

Bar graph or bar chart schedule

a graphical schedule relating progress of items of work to a time schedule.

CPM

assigns each activity a single fixed duration.

PERT

utilizes probability concepts to deal with the uncertainty associated with activity time estimates.

Activity-on-arrow format

each activity is represented by an arrow that has an associated description and expected duration.

Dummy Activity

does not represent any work and, hence, always has a duration of zero.

Early event time

the earliest time at which each event may occur based on an arbitrary starting time of zero.

Critical path

that path through the network which establishes the minimum project duration.

Float

(slack in PERT terminology) - the amount of scheduling leeway available to an activity.

Activity on-node diagram

a simple form of the activity on-node diagram is the circle diagram or circle notation, in which each activity is represented by a circle containing the activity description, an identifying number, and the activity duration.

Precedence diagram

an extension of the activity-on node format that provides for incorporation of lag-time factors as well as permitting additional precedence relationships.

Early start schedule

when all activities are scheduled to start at the earliest allowable time.

Late start schedule

when all activities are started at their latest allowable starting time.

Value engineering

the analysis of a design with the objective of accomplishing the required function at a lower cost.

Subcontracts

are contracts between a prime contractor and secondary contractors or suppliers.

Negotiated contract

is one negotiated between an owner and a construction firm.

Lump-sum contract

provides a specified payment for completion of the work described in the contract documents.

Unit-price contracts

specify the amount to be paid for each unit of work but not the total contract amount.

Fixed price with escalation contracts

contain a provision whereby the contract value is adjusted according to a specified price index.

Cost plus percentage of cost contract

pays the contractor a fee that is a percentage of the project’s actual cost.

Construction contract

consists of the following documents: Agreement, Conditions of the Contract (usually General Conditions and Special Conditions), Plans, Specifications.

Agreement

describes the work to be performed, the required completion time, contract sum, provisions for progress payments and final payment, and lists the other documents making up the complete contract.

General Conditions

contain those contract provisions applicable to most construction contracts written by the owner.

Special Conditions

contain any additional contract provisions applicable to the specific project.

Contract Time

is the time allowed (expressed as either days allowed or as a required completion date) for completion of a construction project that is normally specified in the contract along with the phrase “time is of the essence.”

Liquidated damages

clause in the contract may be used to simplify the process of establishing the amount of damages resulting from late completion.

foundation

The part of a structure that supports its weight and the weight of applied loads.

spread footing

The simplest and most common type of building foundation that includes individual footings, combined footings, and mat foundations.

mat or raft foundation

A heavily reinforced concrete slab extending under the entire structure, used to spread the structure's load over a large area.

floating foundation

A type of mat foundation in which the weight of the soil excavated approximately equals the weight of the structure being erected.

ground modification

The process of improving soils in place, also known as soil stabilization.

pile

A column driven into the soil to support a structure by transferring building loads to a deeper and stronger layer of soil or rock.

precast concrete piles

Piles that may be manufactured in almost any desired size or shape.

cast-in-place concrete piles

Piles constructed by driving a steel shell into the ground and then filling it with concrete.

steel piles

Piles made of steel that are capable of supporting heavy loads, can be driven to great depth without damage, and are easily cut and spliced.

composite piles

Piles made up of two or more different materials.

bulb piles

A special form of cast-in-place concrete pile in which an enlarged base (or bulb) is formed during driving.

pier

A column, usually of reinforced concrete, constructed below the ground surface.

caisson

A structure used to provide all-around lateral support to an excavation. Caissons may be either open or pneumatic.

liquefaction

A condition in which the water pressure exactly equals soil weight, causing the soil to behave like a liquid.

boiling or piping

A condition in which the water pressure is strong enough to move subsurface soil up through the bottom of a cut.

shoring

A method of providing lateral support for the sides of an excavation.

lagging

Sheet placed horizontally for shoring.

sheet piling

Sheeting of concrete, steel, or timber that is designed to be driven by a pile driver.

trench shields or trench boxes

Used in place of shoring to protect workers during trenching operations.

dewatering

The process of removing water from an excavation.

soil permeability

The ease with which water flows through soil, primarily a function of the soil's grain size distribution.

wellpoint

The perforated assembly placed on the bottom of the inlet pipe for a well.

vacuum wells

Wellpoints that are sealed at the surface by placing a ring of bentonite or clay around the well casing.

electroosmosis

The process of accelerating the flow of water through soil by the application of a direct current.

grouting or pressure grouting

The process of injecting a grouting agent into soil or rock to increase its strength or stability, protect foundations, or reduce groundwater flow.

Running bond

a pattern bond that uses only stretcher courses with head joints centered over stretchers in the course below.

Common bond

a pattern bond that uses a header course repeated at regular intervals; usually every fifth, sixth, or seventh course.

Flemish bond

a pattern bond that alternates stretchers and headers in each course with headers centered over stretchers in the course below.

English bond

a pattern bond made up of alternate courses of headers and stretchers, with headers centered on stretchers.

Stack bond

a pattern bond that provides no interlocking between adjacent masonry units and is used for its architectural effect.

Bond beam

a continuously reinforced horizontal beam of concrete or masonry designed to provide additional strength and to prevent cracking in a masonry wall.

Expansion or control joints

joints in masonry walls used to permit differential movement of wall sections caused by shrinkage of concrete foundations and floor slabs, temperature and moisture changes, and foundation settlement.

Flashing

layers of impervious material used to seal out moisture or to direct any moisture that does penetrate back to the outside.

Fuel-resistant asphalt

often based on a polymer-modified asphalt (PMA), is available and has demonstrated high resistance to rutting and cracking as well as to petroleum fuels.

Asphalt cutback

is liquid at room temperature and is created when petroleum distillates are mixed with asphalt cement.

Asphalt emulsions

contain particles of asphalt dispersed in water by means of emulsifying agents.

Flash point

of a liquid is the temperature at which it produces sufficient vapor to ignite in the presence of air and an open flame.

Slipform paver

is capable of spreading, consolidating, and finishing a concrete slab without the use of conventional forms.

Tack coat

is a thin coating of light bituminous material applied to a previously paved surface to act as a bonding agent.

Dust palliative

is a substance applied to an unpaved surface to reduce the amount of dust produced by vehicular traffic and wind.

Fog seal

is a light application of a slow-setting asphalt emulsion diluted by one to three parts of water.

Emulsion slurry seal

is composed of a mixture of slow-setting asphalt emulsion, fine aggregate, mineral filler, and water.

Sand seal

is composed of a light application of a medium-viscosity liquid asphalt covered with fine aggregates.

Single-pass and multiple-pass surface treatments

sometimes called aggregate surface treatments, are made up of alternate applications of asphalt and aggregate.

Single-pass surface treatment

is constructed by spraying on a layer of asphalt and covering it with a layer of aggregate approximately one stone in depth.