Mitch Bartelt, Districts 6-8 State Aid Construction Engineer Metro State Aid Construction Training Shoreview, MN February 19, 2015 (Washington CSAH 21 over Valley Creek)

 Four local Federal Aid projects were audited statewide in ◦ Two cities and two counties were audited. ◦ Two of the agencies were in the Metro District. ◦ One was in the Bemidji District; one was in the Mankato District.  The official report from MnDOT Audit has not yet been issued.  The State Aid office is expecting the news to be good.  Overall, things went very well for the local agency audits.

 Findings and other items of emphasis from past years have been followed by local agencies. ◦ Disposable material handling, and documentation, were improved.  City of St Paul audit included a commendation for this.  Grading and Base items had few problems.  Yet again, the annual audit review meeting went very well this year.  Compliance reviews performed so far this year also went well.

 Contract Changes  Buy America Steel provisions  Disadvantaged Business Enterprise requirements  Documentation  Random Sampling

Contract Changes  Reminder to make sure contract changes are executed when necessary, particularly for Federal Aid Projects  Be sure to perform the correct contract change. ◦ Refer to Contract Change flow chart for guidance.  Note that reducing test rates or using different methods at the suggestion of third-party tester carries risk borne by the agency, and not necessarily the third-party.

Check out the State Aid Construction page:

Check out the State Aid construction web page:

Check out the State Aid Construction page:

Buy America Steel (1/2)  Make sure Certificates of Compliance for steel are obtained in a timely fashion as the project goes along. ◦ Perhaps collect them at each regular weekly or bi-weekly project meeting?  Auditors weren’t able to obtain all documentation within the week of the audit in many cases.

Buy America Steel (2/2)  Be ready to have an up-to-date amount of steel quantities used on the job, and make sure it is verified. ◦ One part of contract documents notes steel quantities in terms of pieces, while yet another notes it in terms of pounds. ◦ We’ll see if we can work with the MnDOT Materials Office to make compliance with Buy America Steel easier for agencies administering contracts.

Subcontractors/DBE  Make sure Request to Sublet forms are received in a timely manner. ◦ The Pre-Construction meeting, or shortly thereafter, works well. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise requirements  If a project receives federal funds, DBE requirements apply to all portions of that job!

DBE requirements and substitutions  If a substitution of a DBE subcontractor takes place, it needs to be cleared in advance by the Office of Civil Rights.  The Engineer should fill out the Exhibit A form in a timely manner. ◦ Preferably when the DBE has finished 1/3 to 1/2 of its work.  If you’re having trouble getting timely DBE certification from OCR, please let State Aid know.

Documentation  Common problem with tester names not being on document  Location not always specified ◦ Stationing + offset, reference or mile post + offset, latitude & longitude all acceptable  Tests not provided in a timely fashion ◦ Most items require weekly reports.  Note whether a test is a QA or QC test.  If you miss a test, be sure to include it on the Materials Exception Test Form.

Random Sampling  This was entirely my fault.  The MnDOT Grading and Base Manual has some good material on random number selection and sampling. ◦ Check out Section , part D.  The State Aid Documentation Manual, unfortunately, doesn’t contain any such information.  This wasn’t particularly noteworthy or concerning, but we will work to provide better guidance.

 The State Aid Manual is currently being rewritten. The rewrite is nearly complete.  It incorporates the 2014 Spec Book.  The State Aid Documentation Manual will also be updated.  Section 5.6.IV.D on page 245 in the current eSAM provides a lot of information on Contract Changes  If you have any suggested changes, please contact either your District or Central Office State Aid representatives.

 Changes in the 2014 Spec Book have greatly changed how this is handled.  It encourages the resolution of disputes as they occur.  It also sets time limits for responses between Engineer and Contractor.  There is a handy flowchart to guide people through the dispute resolution process using the 2014 MnDOT Spec Book. Let us know if you’d like another copy.  Have the Contractor provide a project schedule at the Pre-Construction meeting.

 The Engineer shall submit a notice of change in contract construction status (CCCS) to the DSAE on each State Aid and Federal Aid contract for: ◦ Starting work ◦ Suspension and Resumption of Work ◦ Completion of work  On Federal Aid projects, the Engineer must use the Change in Contract Construction Status form. ◦ On State Aid projects, the Engineer may use the CCCS form or other form selected by the City/County.  It ensures a timely final inspection, and ultimately, a timely payment of state aid and/or federal aid funds for the job.

 MnDOT is planning on coming out with a new version of the Spec Book in  The changes should not be as major as the previous update.  Hopefully it will all be in one book.  Hopefully the headings atop each page will be more descriptive.  We will stay in the loop on this change to ensure local agencies can adjust appropriately. ◦ Another Tech Memo is possible.

 I can help when it comes to using MnDOT contract language for local agency projects. ◦ Proper grooving equipment ◦ Pavement Marking Removal language  There have been some recent changes to this. Special Provision language for 2102: Pavement Marking Removal should be used, even when it’s incidental. ◦ Data Logging System and Mobile Reflectometer Measurement Special Provisions  Crosswalk material isn’t always explicitly spelled out on plans.  Please do not pre-mix beads in paint!

(Mower CSAH 29 Roosevelt Bridge restoration project in Austin)

(Shared –use trail project)

(Nicollet County CSAH 25 concrete overlay project)

(Washington Street realignment project)

(CSAH 25 bituminous pavement reconstruction project)

(Pedestrian bridge rehabilitation project)

 Office  Cell 

Metro State Aid Construction Training Shoreview, MN February 19, 2015 (Chisago County CSAH 30 concrete reconstruction project)