Investigation of Soil and Sub-Surface Conditions C-8 January, 1996

C-8 January, 1996
Investigation of Soil and Sub-Surface Conditions

The Joint Committee recommends that, prior to bidding, Owners obtain the services of a geotechnical engineer to investigate subsurface conditions. The extent of the investigation should assure that the geo-technical data and bearing capacity tests necessary to make foundation recommendations are secured.

The full geo-technical report including data pertinent to the sub-surface conditions and foundation design recommendations should be made available to Bidders. Further, we recommend that the contract documents require monitoring and testing by a geotechnical engineer during construction to confirm suitable bearing conditions and compliance with the recommendations. And, in addition, if the recommendations of the geo-technical engineer requires the evaluation of qualitative rather than quantitative performance criteria to determine compliance, we recommend that the construction monitoring and testing services be contracted directly with the owner.

COMMENT: It is possible for a project to be completed without conducting a subsurface investigation. It is however, considered good and prudent practice to review subsurface conditions to insure that proper bearing capacity can be developed to carry the anticipated loads of the structure, as well as the suitability of the material upon which the structure will bear. Neither the Architect nor the Contractor has the expertise to evaluate subsurface conditions and, therefore, they rely on the recommendations of the geo-technical engineer. A contract with the Owner establishes an independent, non-conflicting evaluation of the sufficiency and quality of the work completed by the Contractor.

By making the geo-technical report available to the Contractor during bidding, the Contractor can develop reliable costs based upon conditions that will be encountered during construction. If such information is not available, the Contractor may qualify or adjust their bid to reflect the added risk associated with respect to the unknown sub-surface conditions.

Revised January 1996
Revised April 1987
Approved September 1981
Revised February 1976
Revised November 1971

Approved May 4, 1970