108.05 Progress Schedule

Progress Schedule

The Standard Specifications for Construction subsection 108.05 contains the contract provisions for a progress schedule.

Scheduling requirements are included in the contract for several reasons:

• Ensures that the Contractor has a detailed plan for completing the project in accordance with contract time requirements.
• Provides a means of monitoring project progress.
• Aids the Engineer in the management of inspection and other staff activities such as shop drawing and other reviews.
• Aids the Engineer in coordinating and understanding the Contractor's work with other projects working within or near the contract limits.
• Provides a means to report progress to the travelling public, local communities, government officials, and other stakeholders.
• Is required to analyze the impact of changed conditions, delays, extra work, and contract modifications on any contract completion dates.
• Is required to resolve construction disputes and/or claims concerning contract time.

The progress schedule can, and should, be a valuable project management tool for both the Contractor and the Engineer throughout the life of the contract.

Format of Progress Schedule

Per subsection 108.05.A.2, the progress schedule can be submitted in various formats using several platforms. It is preferential to use whatever native platform and format that the Contractor uses for scheduling (spreadsheet, bar chart, Gannt chart, MS Project, P6, etc.) as long as the submittal meets the requirements of the specification. This can assist with promoting transparency and collaboration, limiting conversion and duplication efforts, and allows both the Contractor and Engineer to be referencing the same schedule details. However, understand that additional scrutiny and review may be needed if the Contractor is using a scheduling software program as settings, constraints, logic, etc. may not always be apparent and they can have the ability to affect the perception of the critical path, float, etc.

Additional documentation, narratives, and supplemental files may be necessary to comply with the scheduling specifications and can be attached to the schedule.

The Progress Schedule form (2012 Standard Specifications for Construction use Form 1130, 2020 Standard Specifications for Construction use Form 1130A) is intended to be used absent of any other schedule or when the Contractor’s native scheduling mechanisms do not meet specifications. If filled out correctly and completely, the Progress Schedule form will satisfy all the contractual requirements of the schedule specifications.

Schedule Review

The Engineer’s review of a schedule is not strictly limited to the items associated with specification compliance. In addition, the Engineer should review the schedule for the following:

• Is the schedule sufficiently detailed so that progress can be monitored? Does the work plan make sense? Are there obvious errors in the sequence of work? If something doesn't make sense, the Contractor should be asked to explain the intent.
• Does it align with maintaining traffic and staging requirements? Are non-work periods considered like holidays, shutdowns, noise ordinances, etc.?
• Does the critical path and/or controlling operations make sense? Does the logic connecting these activities seem sound? A thorough review of these activities and sequencing should be completed to understand the potential delays and issues that could impact the overall schedule and project completion.
• Are the Contractors' activity durations reasonable? Do the production rates make sense? If an activity duration or production rate seems questionable, the Contractor should be asked to explain. These inquiries ensure that the schedule accurately reflects the work plan and to avoid schedule errors that could potentially cause a problem later.
• Ensure that the schedule considers review and approval of major contract required submittals, either by the Engineer and/or other agencies. Activities that are beyond the Contractors' control should be carefully reviewed.
• Does the schedule consider weather and seasonal limitations? If winter work is shown, can it realistically be completed? Lost days due to normal weather conditions should be included and factored into the durations and activities.
• Does the Contractor have enough resources (sufficient staff and equipment) to perform the activities as scheduled? are two activities scheduled simultaneously that require the same piece of equipment (pavers, cranes, etc.)?
• Confirm that material procurement is considered in the schedule, particularly for major materials with long lead times such as structural steel or bridge beams. Further guidance can be found here: 102.02 Contents of Proposal - Progress Clause.
• Ensure that any third-party contract work is considered in the schedule, such as work performed by utility companies, maintenance operations , local agencies, railroad agencies, etc. Any impact of this work on the Contractor's activities should be reflected in the schedule.
• Check to see that all time related contract requirements and completion dates from the Progress Clause are shown or reflected in the schedule.
• Note: If a Contract Time Determination (CTD) schedule was developed for the project, it may provide some additional insight and points of reference which could assist in reviewing the items noted above. However, any direct comparison between the CTD and the Progress Schedule is for information only and must not be the basis of specification compliance.

The purpose of the review is to ensure that the schedule meets the scheduling requirements and that all time related contract requirements are included. A detailed review of the initial schedule can mitigate delays and will make it easier to address any time related issues.

Schedule Approval

The Engineer will review and approve schedules that meet contract requirements. The schedule can only be rejected if it does not meet the scheduling specifications, or it does not align with other contract requirements i.e. maintaining traffic provisions, staging requirements, completion dates, etc. While inquiries into production rates, activity durations, and other general constructability concerns may help to refine the schedule during the review process, they do not warrant rejection on their own. Continuous requests, discussions, and updates should occur in order to track and avoid potential issues over the life of the contract.

Approval can be designated through direct documented correspondence with the Contractor, otherwise electronic signatures or PDF stamps may be used on the submittal files to indicate approval If no response is provided back to the Contractor within 7 calendar days, then the schedule will be considered approved.

Updates and Modifications

Updates and modifications to the Progress Schedule must occur as described in subsection 108.05.A.3 of the Standard Specifications.

Typically, the progress schedule should be discussed and referenced as part of routine progress meetings. If the current schedule is no longer considered an accurate, valuable, relevant project management tool then it must be updated. It is highly recommended to update the schedule on a monthly basis so that it can continue to assist the project team (Engineer and Contractor) and be a valuable tool in making project management and administrative decisions.

LAP Project Considerations

The project engineer running the job is to review and approve progress schedules. Depending upon local agency and region practices, include appropriate personnel representing the local agency and MDOT in the review process and/or notify once the schedule is approved. This may include the Local Public Agency Responsible Charge (LRC), MDOT LAP Responsible Charge (MRC), and/or Designated Representative (DR).