Today's Law As Amended


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AB-2498 Department of Transportation: Construction Manager/General Contractor project method.(2011-2012)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 6.3 (commencing with Section 6700) is added to Part 1 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, to read:

CHAPTER  6.3. Construction Manager/General Contractor Authority: Department of Transportation
6700.
 (a) This chapter provides for an alternative procurement procedure for certain transportation projects performed by the Department of Transportation.
(b) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to establish a pilot program to test the utilization of a Construction Manager/General Contractor method as a cost-effective option for constructing transportation projects, including the potential for partnering with local entities to deliver projects on the state highway system.
(2) The Construction Manager/General Contractor method allows the department to engage a construction manager during the design process to provide input on the design. During the design phase, the construction manager provides advice including, but not limited to, scheduling, pricing, and phasing to assist the department to design a more constructible project.
(c) The Legislature finds and declares that utilizing a Construction Manager/General Contractor method requires a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each participant in the process. The Legislature also finds and declares that cost-effective benefits are achieved by shifting the liability and risk for cost containment and project schedule to the construction manager and by permitting the coherent phasing of projects into discrete contract increments.
6701.
 (a) The Construction Manager/General Contractor method provided by this chapter may be used by the department, but is not limited to, when it is anticipated that it will reduce project costs or expedite project completion in a manner that is not achievable through the design-bid-build method. Notwithstanding any other law, for projects utilizing the Construction Manager/General Contractor method provided by this chapter, the department shall advertise, award, and administer the Construction Manager/General Contractor contract. The department shall not delegate the contracting authority.
(b) The department may use the Construction Manager/General Contractor method on no more than six projects, at least five of which shall have construction costs greater than ten million dollars ($10,000,000).
(c) On at least four of the projects utilizing the Construction Manager/General Contractor method provided by this chapter, the department shall use department employees or consultants under contract with the department to perform all project design and engineering services related to design required for Construction Manager/General Contractor project delivery consistent with Article XXII of the California Constitution. On all six projects, the department shall use department employees or consultants under contract with the department to perform all construction inspection services required for Construction Manager/General Contractor project delivery consistent with Article XXII of the California Constitution. Department resources, including personnel requirements, necessary to perform all services described in this subdivision shall be included in the department’s capital outlay support program for workload purposes in the annual Budget Act.
(d) (1) The department shall prepare and submit to the Legislature, no later than July 1 of each year during which any project using the Construction Manager/General Contractor method is ongoing, a report that describes each project and provides relevant data, including, but not limited to, the stage of completion, district, cost, description, status, and estimated time to completion.
(2) The department shall prepare and submit to the Legislature, no later than July 1 of the year after any project using the Construction Manager/General Contractor method has been completed, a report that includes, in addition to the data in paragraph (1), all of the following:
(A) Data on initial cost estimates, actual cost upon completion, and the reasons for any difference.
(B) Estimated time for completion, actual time of completion, and the reasons for any difference.
(C) The number and dollar value of any change orders for all projects completed using the Construction Manager/General Contractor method.
(e) (1) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (d) is inoperative on July 1 of the year following the submission of the final report upon completion of the fourth project of the department that uses the Construction Manager/General Contractor method.
6702.
 As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
(a) “Construction manager” means a partnership, corporation, or other legal entity that is able to provide appropriately licensed contracting and engineering services as needed pursuant to a Construction Manager/General Contractor method contract.
(b) “Construction Manager/General Contractor method” means a project delivery method in which a construction manager is procured to provide preconstruction services during the design phase of the project and construction services during the construction phase of the project. The contract for construction services may be entered into at the same time as the contract for preconstruction services, or at a later time. The execution of the design and the construction of the project may be in sequential phases or concurrent phases.
(c) “Department” means the Department of Transportation as established under Part 5 (commencing with Section 14000) of Division 3 of the Government Code.
(d) “Preconstruction services” means advice during the design phase including, but not limited to, scheduling, pricing, and phasing to assist the department to design a more constructible project.
(e) “Project” means the construction of a highway, bridge, or tunnel.
6703.
 Construction Manager/General Contractor method projects shall progress as follows:
(a) (1) The department shall establish a procedure for the evaluation and selection of a construction manager through a request for qualifications (RFQ). The RFQ shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(A) If the entity is a partnership, limited partnership, or other association, a list of all of the partners, general partners, or association members known at the time of the bid submission who will participate in the Construction Manager/General Contractor method contract, including, but not limited to, subcontractors.
(B) Evidence that the members of the entity have completed, or demonstrated the experience, competency, capability, and capacity to complete projects of similar size, scope, or complexity, and that proposed key personnel have sufficient experience and training to competently manage and complete the construction of the project, as well as a financial statement that assures the department that the entity has the capacity to complete the project, construction expertise, and an acceptable safety record.
(C) The licenses, registration, and credentials required to construct the project, including information on the revocation or suspension of any license, registration, or credential.
(D) Evidence that establishes that the entity has the capacity to obtain all required payment and performance bonding, liability insurance, and errors and omissions insurance.
(E) Any prior serious or willful violation of the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, contained in Part 1 (commencing with Section 6300) of Division 5 of the Labor Code, or the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-596), settled against any member of the entity, and information concerning workers’ compensation experience history and worker safety program.
(F) Information concerning any debarment, disqualification, or removal from a federal, state, or local government public works project. Any instance in which an entity, its owners, officers, or managing employees submitted a bid on a public works project and were found to be nonresponsive, or were found by an awarding body not to be a responsible bidder.
(G) Any instance in which the entity, or its owners, officers, or managing employees, defaulted on a construction contract.
(H) Any violations of the Contractors’ State License Law (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code), excluding alleged violations of federal or state law including the payment of wages, benefits, apprenticeship requirements, or personal income tax withholding, or of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (26 U.S.C. Sec. 3101, et seq.) withholding requirements settled against any member of the entity.
(I) Information concerning the bankruptcy or receivership of any member of the entity, including information concerning any work completed by a surety.
(J) Information concerning all settled adverse claims, disputes, or lawsuits between the owner of a public works project and any member of the entity during the five years preceding submission of a bid pursuant to this section, in which the claim, settlement, or judgment exceeds fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). Information shall also be provided concerning any work completed by a surety during this period.
(K) In the case of a partnership or other association that is not a legal entity, a copy of the agreement creating the partnership or association and specifying that all partners or association members agree to be fully liable for the performance under the contract.
(L) For the purposes of this paragraph, a construction manager’s safety record shall be deemed acceptable if his or her experience modification rate for the most recent three-year period is an average of 1.00 or less, and his or her average total recordable injury/illness rate and average lost work rate for the most recent three-year period does not exceed the applicable statistical standards for its business category or if he or she is a party to an alternative dispute resolution system as provided for in Section 3201.5 of the Labor Code.
(2) The information required pursuant to this subdivision shall be verified under oath by the entity and its members in the manner in which civil pleadings in civil actions are verified. Information that is not a public record pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code) shall not be open to public inspection.
(b) For each RFQ, the department shall generate a final list of qualified persons or firms that participated in the RFQ prior to entering into negotiations on the contract or contracts to which the RFQ applies.
(c) (1) For each contract included in the RFQ, the department shall enter into separate negotiations for the contract with the highest qualified person or firm on the final list for that contract. However, if the RFQ is for multiple contracts and specifies that all of the multiple contracts will be awarded to a single construction manager, there may be a single negotiation for all of the multiple contracts. The negotiations shall include consideration of compensation and other contract terms that the department determines to be fair and reasonable to the department. In making this decision, the department shall take into account the estimated value, the scope, the complexity, and the nature of the professional services or construction services to be rendered. If the department is not able to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the highest qualified person or firm on the final list, regarding compensation and on other contract terms the department determines to be fair and reasonable, the department shall formally terminate negotiations with that person or firm. The department may undertake negotiations with the next most qualified person or firm on the final list in sequence until an agreement is reached or a determination is made to reject all persons or firms on the final list.
(2) If a contract for construction services is entered into pursuant to this chapter and includes preconstruction services by the construction manager, the department shall enter into a written contract with the construction manager for preconstruction services under which contract the department shall pay the construction manager a fee for preconstruction services in an amount agreed upon by the department and the construction manager. The preconstruction services contract may include fees for services to be performed during the contract period provided, however, the department shall not request or obtain a fixed price or a guaranteed maximum price for the construction contract from the construction manager or enter into a construction contract with the construction manager until after the department has entered into a services contract. A preconstruction services contract shall provide for the subsequent negotiation for construction of all or any discreet phase or phases of the project.
(3) A contract for construction services shall be awarded after the plans have been sufficiently developed and either a fixed price or a guaranteed maximum price has been successfully negotiated. In the event that a fixed price or a guaranteed maximum price is not negotiated, the department shall not award the contract for construction services.
(4) The department is not required to award the construction services contract.
(5) Construction shall not commence on any phase, package, or element until the department and construction manager agree in writing on either a fixed price that the department will pay for the construction to be commenced or a guaranteed maximum price for the construction to be commenced and construction schedule for the project. The construction manager shall perform not less than 30 percent of the work covered by the fixed price or guaranteed maximum price agreement reached. Work that is not performed directly by the construction manager shall be bid to subcontractors pursuant to Section 6705.
6704.
 (a) Any construction manager that is selected to construct a project pursuant to this chapter shall possess or obtain sufficient bonding to cover the contract amount for construction services and risk and liability insurance as the department may require.
(b) Any payment or performance bond written for the purposes of this chapter shall be written using a bond form developed by the department.
6705.
 All subcontractors bidding on contracts pursuant to this chapter shall be afforded the protections contained in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 4100) of Part 1. The construction manager shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide public notice of the availability of work to be subcontracted in accordance with the publication requirements applicable to the competitive bidding process of the department.
(b) Provide a fixed date and time on which the subcontracted work will be awarded in accordance with the procedure established pursuant to this chapter
(c) Comply with any subcontracting procedures adopted by the department that were included in the department’s RFQ. If the department has adopted procedures to prequalify public works contractors, the construction manager may use the procedures to prequalify subcontractors.
6706.
 The department may retain the services of a design professional or construction project manager, or both, throughout the course of the project in order to ensure compliance with this chapter.
6707.
 Contracts awarded pursuant to this chapter shall be valid until the project is completed.
6708.
 Nothing in this chapter is intended to affect, expand, alter, or limit any rights or remedies otherwise available at law.
SEC. 2.
 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.