(2025) Research Solutions: Matching Construction Scheduling Specifications to Project Scope, SPR-RE23(009)-8H-00, 2025. Transportation, Department of
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SPR-RE23009_8H_00_Research_Solutions_Matching_Construction_Scheduling_Specifications_to_Project_Scope.pdf File Size:994kB |
Abstract
With the adoption of Aurigo Masterworks software by the Iowa DOT, there is benefit to revising Section 1110 Progress Scheduling of the Iowa DOT Standard Specifications for Highway and Bridge Construction and other scheduling specifications and requirements. The Masterworks Project Management software has been implemented, and the Iowa DOT has enough licenses to distribute the program to contractors and county engineers. Section 1110 of the Standard Specification for Highway and Bridge Construction describes the Progress Scheduling requirements for the contractor. Currently, the specification is written prescriptively to favor high-end project enterprise software such as Primvera P6 by Oracle. This is problematic because most contractors and the Iowa DOT do not have expertise in Primavera nor do they have site licenses. As a result, contractors often must hire scheduling consultants with expertise and access to expensive scheduling software programs and the Iowa DOT has to hire consultants to review and comment on the CPM schedules submitted by the contractor. The existing Progress Scheduling specification results in a system where most contractors and the DOT cannot even open the schedules because they don’t have licenses for the software used to create them. In addition to revising Section 1110, other Iowa DOT specifications and requirements need to investigated and revised to support the use of the Aurigo Masterworks software on projects of different size and scope, not just the very large projects. All projects may benefit from some level of additional schedule detail to support management and control of the project. However, not all projects warrant the level of detail of the larger projects. Revising the Progress Scheduling specification to incorporate Masterwork compatible language will allow contractors to use a variety of scheduling software systems that are compatible with the Masterworks platform. The result will be lower costs through the elimination of scheduling consultant fees, greater capabilities to manage schedules for both contractors and Iowa DOT, and improved understanding of the scheduling process due to less proprietary specifications. A second benefit of revising the Progress Scheduling section of the Standard Specification is to identify the ideal level of detail required to effectively manage and control a construction project. The current specifications require a very high level of detail from the contractor, perhaps more than is needed for effective control. The high level of detail may be adding time and cost associated with creating the schedule without adding additional benefit in the form of risk mitigation or schedule control. The same is true for the cash flow projections. The current specification requires units and related costs for every activity in the schedule. Requiring such a high level of resource loading in the schedule is likely to drive up prices due to the increased number of consultant hours required to add unit and cost detail on activities that represent a small percentage of overall cost. A recent review by the Project Management Bureau discovered that 20% of work items accounted for 80% of project cost, and 25% of work items accounted for 90% of the cost. This means that scheduling consultants are spending billable hours adding unit and cost information for 75% of the project activities that only reflect 10% of the project cost. Costs could be reduced while still providing relatively accurate cash flow estimates. This will also make payment schedules tied to CPM schedules much easier for contractors to manage. The combined effort of evaluating and modifying all scheduling requirements at one time allow for a cohesive set of requirements and implementation.
| Item Type: | Departmental Report |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Bridge construction; Construction scheduling; Road construction; Software; Standards |
| Subjects: | Transportation Transportation > Bridges and tunnels Transportation > Roads and highways Transportation > Research Transportation > Design and Construction Transportation > Data and Information Technology |
| ID Code: | 52817 |
| Deposited By: | Iowa DOT Research |
| Deposited On: | 07 May 2025 17:22 |
| Last Modified: | 07 May 2025 17:22 |
| URI: | https://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/52817 |