Who we are: Facilities Planning and Construction Project Inspections and Control
 
Role of Project Inspections and Control
The University of Houston�s Facilities Project Inspectors (FPI) provide assurance to Facilities Planning and Construction Department management that contractors working on all UH capital projects comply with quality assurance requirements of their contract and have met expectations regarding the quality of the final work product.

Processes of Project Inspections and Control
The inspectors are responsible for observing the contractor�s quality management plan to assure the contractor remains up-to-date and current with as-built record documentation and deficiency resolution throughout the construction, commissioning and close-out phases of a project. The objective is to verify that all work installed by contractors is in conformance with all applicable project requirements throughout the construction phase. It is the responsibility of the FPI to monitor the contractor�s deficiency issues tracking logs. The FPI will verify that when the contractor removes a deficiency from the active list, the removal of the issue was done with a written authorization to do so from the original reporting stakeholder.

Gary Alley, Principal Project Manager
Gary has spent 39 years in construction, with 30 of those years as a manager of large industrial and commercial construction projects from $20 million to $300 million. Gary received his AS-CET (Civil Engineering Technology) from the University of Maine at Orono and his BS-CET from the University of Houston. He was hired by UH in July 2010 in order to define and then develop quality assurance processes and procedures for the University of Houston System. Using his broad range of construction experience, he developed the control processes, forms, and documentation procedures used by the FPIs to monitor and document contractor conformance. He supervises and provides technical assistance and support to a staff of FPIs.

Jeff Brown, Facilities Project Inspector
Jeff has 18 years of experience with the University of Houston. He assists with ongoing refinements of design standards and technical campus specifications and assists fire marshals with life safety interpretations and inspections. Jeff works closely with senior and principal project managers on site construction/renovation inspections and act as a liaison with contractors and Facility Management staff. He also ensures that plans and specifications are followed and the university does not pay more than intended on projects.

Larkin Buechmann, Facilities Project Inspector
Larkin has 40-plus years of experience in commercial/institutional construction and facilities maintenance. He worked for the University of Houston from 1992 to 1999 as building services supervisor, followed by 11 years as senior construction inspector for the University of Texas Office of Facilities Planning and Construction on the UT Houston Heath Science Center campus and the UT M.D. Anderson campus. He returned to UH on Aug. 1, 2010 as a facilities project inspector. He has many certifications in all aspects of construction including concrete, rebar, post tension, structural welding and bolting, NFPA, OSHA, ICC Combination Plumbing Inspector, etc., and holds a current State of Texas Master Plumbing license.

Stephen Dehart, Facilities Project Inspector
Stephen has been a member of the Construction Projects Inspection team since May 2011 and is currently working on the Sophomore Housing/ Cougar Place Replacement Project. He works to ensure project delivery per the contract requirements. He is a University of Houston Civil Engineering graduate with a background in structures with 12 years of quality assurance experience on projects including medical research buildings, hospitals, and radiology facilities, as well as parking garages and dining halls.

James Regan, Facilities Project Inspector
James has over 30 years of experience in construction and has been a University of Houston employee since August 2010. His job is to assure contractors install work per OSHA and project contract documents. He also assures that work put in place complies with federal, state and local building codes and manufacturer�s installation recommendations. He is currently working on the Health and Biomedical Science, Cougar Village II, University Center Transformation, and 1A Parking Garage projects.

In addition to other work activities, the FPI�s primary job responsibilities are:

1) Pre-Construction Verification Records: Documentation of existing site conditions before a contractor has mobilized. The intent is to document the existing improvements surrounding a project in the event damage is caused to those improvements by the construction.

2) FPI�s Daily Field Report (�FPI-FR�): FPIs create a record of construction activities on each of their assigned projects. It is a job requirement that each FPI write a minimum of one (1) FPI-Daily Field Report per week for each assigned project. Types of information reported by the FPI are:
a) Document in general terms the construction activities and areas of the project being worked on. Of critical importance is documenting the start of new work activities as they occur for the SPM�s use when reviewing a contractor�s published construction schedule.

b) Document weather or other influences that may affect the construction schedule.

c) Document safety concerns, safety problems, or accidents involving the contractor, FPI, architect, engineer, or the public.

d) Document the size of the contractor�s work force on the project.

e) Document the equipment being used by the contractor as well as the equipment the contractor has on site but is not actually using.

f) Document the delivery of key materials and/or equipment delivered to the site.

g) Identify issues that could potentially become a delay to the schedule and/or claim by the contractor.

3) Contractor Requested Verifications (�CRV�): Throughout construction there are certain tests and inspections that are required. Using the CRV procedures the FPI provides assurance that the contractors fulfill their contractual obligations for documentation of in process inspections and testing.

4) Report of Findings (�ROF�): The FPI will issue an ROF to a contractor to identify unacceptable quality of work, unsafe site conditions, or any other type of non-conformance with contractual requirements.

5) Notices of Non-Compliance (�NNC�): The FPI will issue an NNC to a contractor through the SPM as a written directive to correct any failure to adhere to the requirements of the contract drawings, contract specifications, or applicable laws and/or codes.

6) Jobsite Interference Report (�JIR�): The FPI will issue a JIR to document the circumstances of an unforeseen or changed condition which interferes with the ability of the contractor to prosecute the work per the contract requirements.

7) Materials Testing Records: The FPI assures that all tests required by the contract documents are performed by the appropriate entity. Observation to assure that tests performed by the various entities do not deviate from the standards stipulated in the contract documents.

8) Shop Inspection Records: FPI should review and verify that shop inspections required by the contract documents have been performed by the contractor and/or the university�s third party testing laboratory.

9) Shop Verification Records: FPI should review materials and quality control documents submitted by the contractor to verify that materials furnished to the project have been inspected and are in compliance with the requirements of the contract documents.

10) Claims Resolution Support: When requested, the FPI shall provide claim resolution support to the SPM.

11) Monthly Progress Payments: At the request of the SPM, the FPI will assist with the review/verification of a contractor�s monthly progress payment request and report the results of their review to the SPM. The results of an FPI�s review shall only be communicated to the contractor by the SPM.