1 Scope
1.1This Section establishes the administrative framework for quality assurance and quality control across the entire project and applies to all Contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers performing work under the Contract.
1.2This Section governs the qualification and engagement of independent testing and inspection agencies, the conduct of pre-construction, in-progress, and post-installation testing, the construction and review of field mockups, the incorporation of reference standards, quality-related pre-installation meetings, and the chain of responsibility for scheduling, cost, reporting, and corrective action.
NOTE Quality assurance (QA) comprises the procedural and organizational measures that ensure the construction process produces conforming work; quality control (QC) comprises the verification measures that confirm completed work meets the requirements of the Contract Documents. (1.3)
NOTE In common practice on commercial and institutional projects, the Owner provides QA oversight through an independent testing agency, and the Contractor remains responsible for QC of its own work and that of its subcontractors. (1.4)
NOTE Establishing the reporting chain, cost responsibility, and corrective-action obligations in one place prevents the change-order disputes and testing gaps that arise when these duties are assumed rather than stated. (1.5)
NOTE This Section is the general quality framework; individual technical sections cite it and add system-specific testing, mockup, and pre-installation criteria. Where a technical section is more stringent or more specific, the technical section governs for that work. (1.6)
NOTE Special inspections and tests required by the building code under IBC Chapter 17 and ASCE 7 — including structural steel, high-strength bolting, concrete, masonry, soils, and seismic-force-resisting systems — are administered under the Statement of Special Inspections and are addressed by
Special Inspections And Testing; this Section coordinates with but does not duplicate that document.
(1.7) 2 Definitions
NOTE Quality Assurance (QA): the planned and systematic actions established to provide confidence that materials and workmanship will conform to the Contract Documents, exercised primarily through independent third-party verification on behalf of the Owner. (2.1)
NOTE Quality Control (QC): the operational techniques and activities the Contractor performs to fulfill the requirements for quality, including self-inspection, in-process checks, and supplier control. (2.2)
NOTE Testing Agency (or Testing and Inspection Agency): an independent firm, accredited under ASTM E329, engaged to sample, test, and inspect materials and workmanship and to issue reports of the results. (2.3)
NOTE Owner-Furnished Testing: testing for which the Owner engages and pays the testing agency directly; the Contractor provides access, samples, and assistance at no additional cost to the Owner. (2.4)
NOTE Contractor-Furnished Testing: testing for which the Contractor engages the testing agency; the cost may be borne by the Contractor, paid directly by the Owner, or reimbursed, as stated for each test category. (2.5)
NOTE Mockup: a full-size example of an assembly, finish, or system, built to demonstrate aesthetic effect, qualities of materials, and standards of workmanship, and to serve as the acceptance benchmark for the corresponding work. (2.6)
NOTE Reference Standard: a published consensus standard (ASTM, ACI, AWS, ANSI, UL, and similar) cited in the Contract Documents to define acceptable materials, methods, or workmanship. (2.7)
NOTE Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ): the office, agency, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of the adopted codes and for approving materials, installations, and procedures. (2.8)
3 Referenced Standards
3.1Materials, agency qualifications, testing methods, and workmanship shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited in the Contract Documents.
3.2Where a referenced standard conflicts with the Contract Documents, the Contract Documents shall govern; where the Contract Documents are silent and two referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
| Standard |
Title |
| ASTM E329 |
Specification for Agencies Engaged in Construction Inspection, Testing, or Special Inspection |
| ASTM C1077 |
Practice for Agencies Testing Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and Criteria for Testing Agency Evaluation |
| ASTM D3740 |
Practice for Minimum Requirements for Agencies Engaged in Testing and Inspection of Soil and Rock |
| ASTM E543 |
Specification for Agencies Performing Nondestructive Testing |
| ASTM C1093 |
Practice for Accreditation of Testing Agencies for Masonry |
| ASTM D3666 |
Specification for Minimum Requirements for Agencies Testing and Inspecting Road and Paving Materials |
| ASTM C31 |
Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Field |
| ASTM C39 |
Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens |
| ASTM D698 |
Test Methods for Laboratory Compaction Characteristics of Soil (Standard Effort / Standard Proctor) |
| ISO/IEC 17025 |
General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories |
| ACI 301 |
Specifications for Concrete Construction |
| IBC Chapter 17 |
International Building Code — Special Inspections and Tests |
4 Submittals
4.1 Action Submittals
4.1.1The Contractor shall submit the following action items for review and acceptance before the affected work or testing begins:
- Testing agency qualifications: accreditation certificates, discipline scope, and key personnel certifications for each agency the Contractor engages.
- Quality control plan: the Contractor's QC organization, self-inspection procedures, and the responsible QC manager.
- Mockup schedule and proposed locations for each Section requiring a field mockup.
- Pre-installation meeting schedule identifying the Sections that trigger a mandatory meeting and the proposed dates.
☑ Testing agency qualifications and accreditation
☑ Contractor quality control plan
☑ Mockup schedule and locations
☐ Pre-installation meeting schedule
4.2.1The Contractor shall submit the following informational items as the work proceeds:
- Test and inspection reports for each test performed, transmitted per the routing required by this Section.
- Mockup acceptance records, including the dated written acceptance of each approved mockup.
- Pre-installation meeting minutes for each required meeting.
- Manufacturer's field representative reports for each assembly requiring on-site manufacturer attendance.
- Written responses to failing test reports and records of corrective work and re-testing.
☑ Test and inspection reports
☑ Mockup acceptance records
☑ Pre-installation meeting minutes
☐ Manufacturer's field representative reports
☑ Corrective-action and re-test records
5 Testing and Inspection Agencies
5.1 Agency Qualifications
NOTE A testing agency that is qualified under ASTM E329 for one discipline is not thereby qualified for another; concrete, soils, masonry, NDT, and paving each have their own discipline-specific accreditation standard. Listing ASTM E329 alone lets a Contractor engage a lab that is accredited in general but unqualified for the specific work. (5.1.1)
5.1.2Each testing agency shall hold the discipline-specific accreditation standard matching each material it tests on the project.
5.1.3Each testing agency shall hold current accreditation by A2LA or IAS under ASTM E329 for each discipline it will test on the project.
5.1.4Accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025 shall be accepted as equivalent where it covers the specific test methods to be performed.
5.1.5An agency performing concrete and aggregate testing shall additionally be qualified under ASTM C1077, and its technical direction shall be by a registered professional engineer.
5.1.6An agency performing soil and rock testing shall additionally be qualified under ASTM D3740.
5.1.7An agency performing masonry testing shall additionally be qualified under ASTM C1093.
5.1.8An agency performing nondestructive testing shall additionally be qualified under ASTM E543 for each NDT method used.
5.1.9An agency performing road and paving material testing shall additionally be qualified under ASTM D3666 where civil site work is in scope.
5.1.10Each agency shall submit its accreditation certificate dated within 12 months of the project start, together with the resumes and current technician certifications of the personnel assigned to the project.
5.1.11Field technicians performing concrete tests shall hold a current ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I certification.
NOTE On federal projects, NVLAP accreditation under the applicable laboratory accreditation program shall be accepted where required by the contracting agency. (5.1.12)
○ A2LA
○ IAS
● A2LA or IAS (either acceptable)
○ NVLAP (federal projects)
☑ ASTM C1077 (concrete and aggregate)
☑ ASTM D3740 (soil and rock)
☐ ASTM C1093 (masonry)
☐ ASTM E543 (nondestructive testing)
☐ ASTM D3666 (road and paving materials)
5.2 Engagement and Cost Responsibility
NOTE The single most common source of testing disputes is silence about who engages and pays the agency for each test category. When a Contractor furnishes testing under a contract that did not say so, or expects the Owner to schedule a test the contract never assigned to the Owner, the result is a change-order claim or a coverage gap. The engagement model must therefore be stated explicitly per category. (5.2.1)
5.2.2The Contractor shall not bury or proceed past work requiring inspection or testing until the responsible agency has performed and documented that inspection or test.
5.2.3Where testing is Owner-furnished, the Owner shall engage and pay the testing agency directly.
5.2.4Where testing is Owner-furnished, the Contractor shall provide safe access, ladders or lifts as required, samples, and the incidental labor needed to present and expose the work for the test, at no additional cost to the Owner.
5.2.5Where testing is Contractor-furnished, the Contractor shall engage an accredited agency and shall submit the agency's qualifications for the Engineer of Record's acceptance before testing begins.
5.2.6Where the agency is selected from an Owner-approved list, the Contractor shall obtain the Owner's written acceptance of the selected agency before commencement.
NOTE The cost of corrective work and of the confirming re-inspection and re-testing is governed by the Non-Conforming Work and Corrective Action section of this standard, which assigns those costs unconditionally to the Contractor regardless of the engagement model for the original test. (5.2.7)
● Owner-furnished (Owner engages and pays agency)
○ Contractor-furnished, Owner-paid
○ Contractor-furnished, Contractor-paid
● Owner-furnished (Owner engages and pays agency)
○ Contractor-furnished, Owner-paid
○ Contractor-furnished, Contractor-paid
○ Owner-furnished (Owner engages and pays agency)
○ Contractor-furnished, Owner-paid
● Contractor-furnished, Contractor-paid
○ Contractor's choice, qualifications submitted for acceptance
● Selected from Owner-approved list
○ Owner designates the agency
5.3 Scheduling and Notification
NOTE When the specification does not say who schedules the agency, the duty defaults nowhere — the Contractor frequently asserts it is the Owner's, which produces testing gaps when the Owner's representative is not on site. Assigning the scheduling duty to the Contractor, who controls the means and sequence of the work, closes that gap. (5.3.1)
5.3.2The Contractor shall coordinate and schedule all required inspections and tests with the testing agency and the Owner's representative.
5.3.3The Contractor shall give the testing agency and the Owner's representative not less than the advance notice stated below before each required inspection or test, so that the work is observed before it is concealed.
5.3.4The Contractor shall not proceed with work that conceals a required inspection until that inspection has been performed or expressly waived in writing.
6 Authority and Responsibility of the Testing Agency
NOTE On most institutional projects the testing agency reports to the Owner so that the verification of work is independent of the party that performed it; a report that flows only to the Contractor can be filtered before the Owner sees a non-conformance. The reporting chain must be stated, not assumed. (6.1)
6.2The testing agency shall report the results of all tests and inspections in writing.
6.3The testing agency shall transmit each report to the Owner's representative, the Engineer of Record, the Contractor, and the AHJ where required, on the schedule established in this Section.
6.4The testing agency shall notify the Owner's representative and the Engineer of Record of any non-conforming work it discovers within one business day of discovery, separately from and in advance of the routine test report.
NOTE The testing agency is not authorized to release, revoke, alter, or waive any requirement of the Contract Documents, nor to approve or accept any portion of the work, nor to direct the means and methods of construction. (6.5)
NOTE The testing agency shall not perform any duties of the Contractor's quality control function; agency verification does not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for the quality of its work. (6.6)
● Agency reports to Owner's representative; copies to Contractor and EOR
○ Agency reports to Contractor; copies to Owner and EOR
○ Agency reports concurrently to Owner, EOR, and Contractor
17
Default: 3 business days
7 Reference Standards and Their Incorporation
NOTE A "Reference Standard" in a project manual is one of the published consensus standards (ASTM, ACI, AWS, and others) cited to define acceptable materials and workmanship; the Reference Standards provision establishes how those standards bind the work and how conflicts are resolved. (7.1)
NOTE Specifying the "current edition" of a referenced standard without a date anchor allows a mid-project revision to change pass/fail criteria after materials are already ordered. Anchoring the edition to a fixed point — most commonly the date of Bid — protects the procurement that was priced against the documents in force. (7.2)
7.3Where a reference standard is cited without a specific edition, the edition in effect on the date of Bid shall apply.
7.4Where the Contract Documents conflict with a referenced standard, the Contract Documents shall govern.
7.5Where the Contract Documents and a referenced standard impose different requirements and neither expressly governs, the more stringent requirement shall apply unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
NOTE A reference to a standard incorporates only those provisions of the standard that apply directly to the specified material, product, or workmanship, and does not assign to any party any administrative or contractual duty that the standard may describe. (7.6)
● Edition in effect on the date of Bid
○ Latest adopted edition at time of installation
○ Fixed edition year stated per standard
8 Field Mockups
8.1 Purpose and General Requirements
NOTE A mockup is a full-size example built to demonstrate the aesthetic effect, material qualities, and workmanship standard for a portion of the work, and it becomes the benchmark against which the corresponding finished work is judged. (8.1.1)
NOTE This Section establishes the general mockup framework; individual technical sections identify which assemblies require mockups and add system-specific size, performance, and review criteria. The general framework shall not over-prescribe details that conflict with a technical section. (8.1.2)
8.1.3The Contractor shall construct each required mockup using the same materials, products, and methods proposed for the corresponding work.
8.1.4The Contractor shall not proceed with the corresponding work until the mockup has been accepted in writing.
8.1.5Accepted mockups shall establish the standard by which the corresponding work will be judged; work that does not match the accepted mockup shall be subject to rejection.
☑ Unit masonry
☑ Exterior wall assembly / air and water barrier
☐ Curtain wall and glazing
☐ Tile and stone finishes
☐ Architectural concrete
☐ Interior finish assemblies
☐ Roofing assembly
8.2 Mockup Location, Size, and Type
NOTE A mockup may be built in its permanent location and retained as part of the finished work, or built as a standalone sample and demolished after acceptance, or built and tested off-site before field installation begins; the choice depends on the assembly. (8.2.1)
NOTE Omitting whether an accepted mockup may remain in the finished work or must be demolished generates an RFI on nearly every project with a masonry or tile mockup; the disposition shall be stated for each mockup. (8.2.2)
8.2.3A mockup built in its permanent location and accepted may, where so designated, be incorporated into the finished work and shall not be demolished.
8.2.4A standalone mockup shall be demolished and removed after the corresponding work is accepted, unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
8.2.5A preconstruction laboratory mockup of a performance assembly, such as a curtain wall tested for air and water infiltration and structural performance, shall be built and tested off-site before field installation begins where required by the technical section.
● In-place, retained and incorporated into finished work
○ Standalone, demolished after acceptance
○ Preconstruction laboratory mockup (off-site, tested)
410
Default: 4 ft (each side, square panel)
8.3 Mockup Review and Retention
NOTE Retaining a mockup only at the Owner's discretion leads to premature demolition before all comparable work is installed and can be compared; tying retention to a defined milestone fixes the benchmark in place until it has served its purpose. (8.3.2)
8.3.3The Contractor shall notify the Architect when each mockup is ready for review.
8.3.4The Architect shall review and either accept the mockup or return comments within the review period stated below.
8.3.6Accepted mockups shall be protected and retained through Substantial Completion unless the Engineer of Record grants earlier release in writing.
310
Default: 5 business days
● Through Substantial Completion
○ Until corresponding work is complete and accepted
○ Until Engineer of Record grants written release
9 Pre-Installation Meetings
NOTE A quality-related pre-installation meeting confirms, before work starts, that the conditions, materials, sequence, and responsibilities for a critical assembly are understood by everyone who will execute it. A verbal-only meeting produces no enforceable record of agreed deviations or confirmations, so minutes are required in writing. (9.1)
NOTE A required meeting that is not held before the affected work begins serves no purpose; the meeting shall be scheduled with enough lead time to resolve open items before installation. (9.2)
9.3The Contractor shall convene a pre-installation meeting before the start of each Section for which a meeting is required.
9.4The Contractor's superintendent, the responsible subcontractor's foreman, and, where required by the technical section, the manufacturer's field representative shall attend each pre-installation meeting.
9.5The party chairing the meeting shall record and issue written minutes documenting the attendees, the items reviewed, and any agreed deviations or open items.
☐ Unit masonry
☑ Air and water barrier / exterior wall
☐ Curtain wall and glazing
☑ Roofing
☑ Waterproofing
☐ Tile and stone
☐ Resilient and resinous flooring
721
Default: 7 calendar days
310
Default: 5 business days
10 Manufacturer's Field Services
NOTE Some assemblies are sensitive enough at installation or startup that the manufacturer's own representative must observe or direct the work for the warranty to hold. Where this is required in this Section but omitted from the technical section, Contractors argue the requirement does not apply to their scope; the requirement shall be repeated in the governing technical section. (10.1)
10.2Where required by a technical section, the Contractor shall arrange for a factory-trained or factory-authorized manufacturer's field representative to be present for installation, startup, or inspection of the affected assembly.
10.3The manufacturer's field representative shall submit a written report of each site visit documenting the conditions observed and any deficiencies noted.
● Required for installation and startup of designated assemblies
○ Required for startup only
○ Required for inspection of completed work only
○ Not required (per technical section)
11 Quality Control by the Contractor
NOTE The Contractor's QC function is distinct from the Owner's QA verification: QC is what the Contractor does to build conforming work in the first place, while QA is the independent check that the work is in fact conforming. Both are required, and neither substitutes for the other. (11.1)
11.2The Contractor shall implement a quality control plan that defines the QC organization, the self-inspection procedures for each major Section, and the responsible QC manager.
11.3The Contractor shall perform in-process QC inspections at the preparatory, initial, and follow-up stages of each major work activity.
11.4The Contractor shall control the quality of supplied materials by verifying that delivered products match the accepted submittals before incorporation into the work.
11.5The Contractor shall maintain records of its QC inspections and make them available to the Owner's representative on request.
☑ Preparatory (before work starts)
☑ Initial (start of each activity)
☑ Follow-up (during ongoing work)
☐ Completion (before requesting QA verification)
12 Concrete and Aggregate Testing
NOTE Concrete is the most frequently tested material on commercial projects, and its sampling frequency and specimen handling are governed by consensus practice (ASTM C31, C39, and C1077). The values below are the common-case defaults; the structural drawings or concrete specification may impose more frequent sampling. (12.1)
12.2Field test specimens shall be made and cured in accordance with ASTM C31, and compressive strength shall be determined in accordance with ASTM C39.
12.3Concrete strength test specimens shall be sampled at the frequency stated below.
12.4Concrete strength test specimens shall be sampled not less than once for each day's placement of each mix design.
12.5Slump, air content, and concrete temperature shall be measured for each strength-test sample.
12.6Concrete materials and proportioning shall conform to ACI 301 and the project concrete specification.
50150
Default: 100 CY per sample set
● ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I
○ ACI Grade I plus Strength Testing Technician
○ State DOT certification (transportation projects)
13 Soil Compaction and Earthwork Testing
NOTE Compacted fill is verified against a percentage of a laboratory-determined maximum dry density (Standard Proctor, ASTM D698). Required density and test frequency vary by where the fill sits: general fill is held to a lower percentage than structural fill or subgrade beneath slabs on grade. The defaults below are the common case; the geotechnical report governs where it is more stringent. (13.1)
13.2In-place density of compacted fill shall be tested at the frequency and to the percentage of maximum dry density stated below, determined against the Standard Proctor maximum dry density per ASTM D698.
13.3Each lift of structural fill shall be tested before the next lift is placed.
13.4Fill that fails to achieve the required density shall be reworked, moisture-conditioned, and recompacted, and shall be retested at the Contractor's cost.
9098
Default: 95 % of Standard Proctor maximum dry density
95100
Default: 95 % of Standard Proctor maximum dry density
20005000
Default: 2500 SF per test per lift
NOTE Without a stated re-test cost rule, the Owner ends up funding the re-testing of work that failed because of the Contractor's own error; assigning the cost of re-testing and corrective work to the Contractor restores the correct incentive. (14.1)
NOTE Without a defined escalation path and a stop-work trigger, an unresolved non-conformance can be covered up before anyone with authority is notified; the corrective-action chain must end at the Engineer of Record. (14.2)
14.3The Contractor shall respond in writing to each failing test or inspection report within the response time stated below.
14.4The Contractor shall correct non-conforming work, and shall demonstrate the correction by re-inspection or re-testing, within the time directed by the Engineer of Record.
14.5The Contractor shall bear the cost of all corrective work and of the re-inspection and re-testing required to confirm that the corrected work conforms.
14.6The Contractor shall not conceal non-conforming work.
14.7Where a non-conformance is not resolved, the Contractor shall notify the Engineer of Record and shall stop affected work until direction is given.
15
Default: 3 business days
1445
Default: 30 calendar days
15 Coordination with Special Inspections
NOTE Where a project carries both a general testing agency under this Section and a special inspector under IBC Chapter 17, overlapping language about inspector qualifications and reporting chains creates confusion about which party owns a given inspection. This Section defers to the Statement of Special Inspections for all code-mandated special inspections. (15.1)
15.2Code-mandated special inspections and the qualifications of the special inspector shall be governed by Special Inspections And Testing and the Statement of Special Inspections, and shall not be duplicated by this Section. 15.3Where a material is subject to both a special inspection and a general test under this Section, the Contractor shall coordinate the two so that each is performed once and reported to its required recipient.