1.00 GENERAL INFORMATION
1.01 OFFICE OF CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
The Office of Construction and Materials is
located within the Operations Bureau of the Highway Division. The Office is
responsible to:
n Provide technical and administrative support to DOT and highway construction industries by assisting in the resolution of construction issues. This includes consulting with District Construction Engineers, project engineers and other central office staff regarding specifications, methods, techniques and policies of highway construction, inspection and contract administration.
n Identify and communicate information on quality enhancement practices in highway construction
n Evaluate and support new technologies that enhance highway quality
n Provide Education and training
n Facilitate the identification and implementation of improved safety practices for the public, inspectors and contractors on highway construction projects
n Provide statewide administrative support of the highway construction program
1.02 DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
The Director is directly accountable to the Director of the Operations Bureau. Other Office of Construction and Materials engineers include field engineers specializing in grading, PCC paving, HMA paving, structures, foundation analysis and traffic safety/systems automation.
The Director of Construction and Materials provides guidance to District Construction Engineers and, through the District Offices, to Resident Construction Offices to insure compliance with specifications and established policies and procedures in the timely completion of projects administered by the Highway Division. This is accomplished, in part, through Office of Construction and Materials field engineers who act and speak for the Director of Construction and Materials.
1.03 DISTRICT CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER (DCE)
The DCE is responsible for management of the field staff that provide construction and materials inspection on transportation projects within their district. This responsibility includes oversight on contract administration issues, compliance of materials, quality of work performed, and approval of non‑substantial change orders. DCE’s also provide field input into construction related problems for process improvements. It is imperative DCE’s maintain a close working relationship with all central offices. DCE’s report to the District Engineer.
1.04 PROJECT ENGINEER
Instructions and guidelines contained in the manual are mainly directed to project engineers and their staff. The "project engineer" is defined as the Resident Construction Engineer on primary projects for county or city projects, the project engineer is a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Iowa, such as the County Engineer, city engineer, or other authorized representative of the city or county.
References in the manual to Construction Engineer, District Engineer, District Construction Engineer, project engineer, etc. may be interpreted as that individual or an authorized representative. There are times, however, when the designated engineer must personally take the required action or sign the specific document.
1.05 PURPOSE OF MANUAL
n Establish uniform policy and procedure on contract administration and inspection on construction projects
n Provide interpretation and clarification of specifications for contract administration and inspection on construction projects
n Serve as collecting point for new instructions and guidelines relating to administration and inspection of construction projects
n Describe role of engineers and field personnel assigned to supervise and inspect construction projects