Print this page Bid Document Preparation for Civil Engineering Projects
T. E. McLaughlin, PE
Course Outline
This online course provides six PDH credit hours upon passing the quiz satisfactorily. The four components of bid package preparation are discussed, and give a guide to assembling a successful bid package for the client. For horizontal construction projects, we also discuss earthwork, drainage, underground utilities, concrete work, and paving as they relate to the construction drawings, specifications, and pay quantities. The course concludes with a survey of bidding practices and short description of issues which affect the outcome of the bidding process. A multiple-choice online quiz is taken at the conclusion of the review of the course materials, and is designed to accent the information in the course by highlighting the key issues discussed therein.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
After completing this course the student should be able to:
- Be able to clearly define the key components of the project planning & design process;
- Know where to obtain information for determining those key components;
- Understand the US EPA requirements for FHWA or other Federal funding involving Federal and State projects;
- Determine which information is critical in order to commence the planning and design of the project;
- Correlate the Owner’s requirements with the project design characteristics;
- Provide critical information concerning the design to the Geotechnical Engineer in order to obtain the most useful geotechnical analysis of the project site;
- Review the project soils data in the same way a contractor views it;
- Analyze site conditions using geotechnical information and correlate that information with the bid items or pay items;
- Provide a systematic list of soils pay items which accurately represent the project site conditions and the work to be performed;
- Assemble and/or provide references to specifications which provide a comprehensive bid package;
- Determine when detailed item-specific specifications are required;
- Drawings vs. specifications - how to check for conflicts and items which have been left open-ended as far as specifications are concerned;
- Review and check the bid package prior to release to the public, in order to determine how the bid items and specifications interact;
- Check the bid package and review all the components for errors and “holes” in specifications and standard drawing details;
- Be aware of the consequences of drawing errors, specification, and “pay item” or “bid item” conflicts;
- Review and analyze bids after they are submitted to the contracting agency;
- Be aware of online bid analysis programs and their advantages; and
- Avoid becoming known as a source of bid problems or problems for the client.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for civil engineers, civil project managers, and civil designers.
Benefit for Attendee
Persons taking this course will be able to prepare a successful construction bid package and avoid some of the primary problems associated with horizontal construction and bidding.
Course Introduction
Preparation of a successful bid document package is critical to maintaining good client relations and to maintaining a reputation as an engineer who “knows what he is doing.” Projects which are placed into the public domain for bidding will invariably be picked over by contracting firms with an eye to change orders and quantity increases. Review of the overall design process, combined with bid document cross-checking, can reduce and perhaps eliminate most of the obvious inconsistencies in a project bid package.
Course Content
The course content is contained in the following PDF file:
Bid Document Preparation for Civil Engineering Projects
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Summary
It is of critical importance that the engineer-of-record review the bid documents for consistency prior to having them placed out for bidding. An engineer with experience in the civil construction industry is best suited to perform this review. There is no substitute for conducting an in-house “bid” on the project construction document package prior to releasing that package to the client.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
