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Western Dam Engineering 12 intermediate completion milestones are not met. Contractors generally understand this provision and are willing to work within it if it is reasonable. However, contractors will tend to be leery of liquidated damage provisions if they perceive that they may be unfair or rigidly enforced despite mitigating circumstances. This will inevitably drive up prices bid for the work. To provide the appearance of fairness, completion schedules should allow realistic time frames to complete tasks, and the actual dollar amount of the late penalty should be roughly equivalent to the actual damages incurred by the owner if the task/project is late in being completed. A contractor that is making a good, diligent effort to complete the project according to the schedule should not be subject to financial penalties for things beyond his control, as this will likely raise the overall price of the project. On larger, more complex jobs, or where certain elements of the construction must be completed within a specific time frame, a baseline schedule for the completion of individual project tasks (milestones) should be established. This will help ensure that the contractor completes those items on time and continues to make acceptable progress. The milestone and baseline schedule requirements should be clearly identified within the specifications, and the contractor should be required to develop and submit a detailed construction schedule for the review and approval of the engineer. The schedule should define when each of the critical construction tasks is to be initiated, what the duration of the task is, and when the task is to be completed. Use of Specification Checklists The preparation of a specifications package requires the assembly of a large volume of information and requirements into a single document, making it easy to forget or overlook something. The use of an appropriate checklist prepared in advance can help prevent this problem, by at least requiring the consideration of the items on the list. State regulatory dam safety agencies may have such a checklist suggested and available for use by the engineer. A link to Colorado’s recently completed “Project Review Guide” is provided in the reference section. Also, recent FEMA grant funding has been used to develop a dam specifications review tool, which is scheduled for release in late 2014. Further information will be provided in a future technical note issue. Provisions for Project Construction Meetings and Schedules A schedule that defines a frequency for required meetings should be laid out within the specifications. Each construction project should kick off with a Preconstruction Meeting involving the owner, engineer, contractor, key subcontractors, and regulator. The principal features of work should be reviewed and any questions regarding the Contract and work site should be addressed. If the project is particularly specialized, involves high risk activities for workers or the safety of the dam could be compromised during construction, a construction risk meeting should be a part of the Preconstruction Meeting(s). Topics in the risk meeting should include reviewing approaches to high risk components, mitigating measures, and emergency response procedures. Encourage effective communication between engineer, owner, and contractor Regular project construction meetings involving the core project team members (owner, contractor, key subcontractors, engineer) are vital to ensure that the project runs smoothly. These will typically be held as often as weekly, at or near the same time each week, so that developing or impending problems are quickly identified and addressed. Input from all participants should be encouraged. Documentation (minutes) of these meetings is important to track the timely resolution of problems. Minutes are also useful in the