– All work on Ministry projects shall be undertaken through a total quality management process, utilizing Ministry, Contractor and third-party resources, as necessary. The Contractor shall have a quality management program and staff in place and provide the Ministry with documented assurance that any product meets all applicable requirements of the Contract, at any hold point or witness point (as defined in SS 145.12) and prior to issuance of the Completion Certificate. The Ministry accepts the following definitions associated with Quality Management: Quality Control (QC): The process of checking specific product or service results to determine if they comply with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory product or service performance. Quality Assurance (QA): The process of evaluating overall product or service, by persons or companies independent of those doing the Work, on a regular basis to provide confidence that the product or service satisfies the relevant quality standards. The quality management program has two key components as follows: Quality Control – the Contractor’s responsibility Quality Assurance – the Ministry’s responsibility Each component of the program must address materials, processes, products, and documentation, utilizing both construction inspection measures and standard test methodologies where appropriate. The Contractor shall provide unrestricted access to all Quality Control operations and documentation produced by or on behalf of the Contractor and shall allow the Ministry full access at any time during working hours. The Ministry Representative will review the Contractor’s performance of the Work and determine the acceptability of the Work based on the Ministry’s Quality Assurance results and, where deemed appropriate by the Ministry Representative, supplemented by the Contractor’s Quality Control results. Work failing to meet the conditions of the Contract will be considered Unacceptable Work. The Ministry Representative may consider all Work from the last acceptable Quality Assurance testing as Unacceptable Work. The Contractor will not be entitled to payment for Work that lacks the appropriate Quality Control documentation, verified by the QC Manager, as required by the Contract. The Contractor shall implement a well-coordinated approach to all operations related to the Work and shall organize its team and operations in keeping with the goal of doing things right the first time.

– The Contractor shall be responsible for all Quality Control during the performance of the Work. QC work includes monitoring, inspecting and testing the means, methods, materials, workmanship, processes and products of all aspects of the Work as necessary to ensure conformance with the Contract. The Contractor shall prepare, and submit to the Ministry Representative, a Quality Control Plan (QC Plan) in accordance with the Contract provisions, including SS 101.02.03 The QC Plan shall be structured around the ISO 9001 program although ISO registration is not required, and clearly demonstrate the Contractor’s understanding and commitment to ISO’s principles of quality management: Customer focus Leadership Engagement of people Process approach Continual improvement Evidence-based decision-making Relationship Management. The QC Plan must also include sections detailing the Contractor’s methodology associated with each of the above principles. No Work shall be undertaken on any element of Work (including payment Items and incidental Work, or submittals for review) for which there are QC Plan submission requirements until the Ministry has accepted the base portion of the QC Plan and the specific details for that element of Work. Subject to the submission requirements outlined in SS 101.02.03, the QC Plan is required to cover the Work in its entirety, including without limitation all materials the Contractor and Subcontractors are supplying, and all items and phases of construction on the Project. The plan may be operated wholly or in part by a qualified Subcontractor or an independent agency/organization. However, the plan’s administration (including conformance with the plan and its modifications) and the quality of the Work remain the responsibility of the Contractor. The Contractor’s QC program and the Work shall be undertaken in accordance with the QC Plan and shall be well managed, with testing results representative of actual operations. Results will be reported accurately and in a timely manner. The Contractor shall also ensure that all workers are familiar with the Quality Management Plans, its goals, and their role under it, as well as with the Contract specifications associated with the Work they are to undertake.

– The Contractor shall provide all resources and take all actions necessary to ensure: Provision of sufficient inspection or testing staff, with adequate equipment and technical support to perform all Quality Control functions in an accurate and timely manner. That QC staff perform only inspections and tests for which they are qualified. All testing equipment is calibrated, properly maintained, and in good operating condition. All testing and inspection is performed in accordance with appropriate standards of the Contract. Submission to the Ministry Representative, within twenty-four (24) hours, of daily reports for all tests and inspections that indicate non-conformance of the material being tested. Production, within forty-eight (48) hours, of daily reports for all tests and inspections that indicate conformance of the material being tested and the availability of back-up documentation to substantiate test results when required. Organization, compilation and submission of all project QC documentation within 14 days of the last day on Site and as a condition precedent to the issuance of the Completion Certificate. The Contractor shall designate one person as the Quality Control Manager (QC Manager) who shall be responsible for the implementation of the QC Plan. The QC Manager shall be: a qualified Professional Engineer, a Certified Engineering Technician, an Applied Science Technologist, or shall have extensive relevant experience in quality management, and must demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities acceptable to the Ministry Representative. . The QC Manager shall be at “arms-length” from the productivity part of the Contractor’s organization and specifically shall not be the Project Manager or the Project Superintendent. On Minor Works contracts, this requirement will, upon request by the Contractor and where the candidate is deemed acceptable under the foregoing paragraph, generally be waived by the Ministry Representative. The Ministry recognizes the Contractor’s Project Manager and Superintendent as the personnel responsible for making the product meet the contractual requirements, but the QC Manager’s duties include being responsible to measure conformance and to ensure that quality is not compromised by production pressures. The QC Manager, or a designated replacement acceptable to the Ministry Representative empowered and able to perform all of the QC Manager’s relevant duties, shall remain on Site at all times the Contractor is performing Work which must be tested or inspected in-process, and must be readily accessible and able to return when off-Site. The QC Plan will include the following information: the name of the QC Manager and qualifications establishing a proven capability to provide the specific services required for the Project; the name of QC testing agencies and their proven capability to provide the specific services required for the Project; a listing of QC staff (including names, qualifications and relevant experience) and their assigned roles and work scheduling in performing QC duties; a list of testing equipment to be used for the Work. The QC Plan must include an organizational chart showing details of the flow of information, “hold” points, rectification of deficiencies and other relationships and responsibilities necessary to assure Project quality requirements are met. The QC Plan should describe how the QC staff are allocated to Project requirements, the tasks assigned to each, and how their work will be coordinated. The QC Plan must include a commitment to have every submission to the Ministry seeking review or approval to be accompanied by a QC Checksheet, showing that: (a) the contents of the submission have been reviewed by QC staff and signed off by the QC Manager; and (b) the submission, including any associated information, is (i) fully compliant with all requirements of the Contract, or (ii) identifies any non-conformances and (A) provides an internal NCR, complete with proposed corrective action, or (B) requests a variance from the Contract provisions including any proposed revised standards to be applicable to the Work and any compensation offered to the Ministry should the variance be approved. Without limitation, the Contractor’s QC Manager shall: implement the Contractor’s QC Plan; be responsible for measuring conformance with all aspects of the contract quality; stop work when materials, product, processes or submittals are deficient; develop inspection and testing plans for each element of Work; develop acceptance/non-acceptance reports and quality control checklists for each element of Work in sufficient detail to gauge conformance with all significant contractual requirements; undertake quality review activities on the Work and Quality Control activities delegated to any Subcontractors to ensure that their work is compliant with all terms of the Contract. ensure the requirements for quality management (including an overview of how the QC Plan operates, the worker’s role in it, contractual specifications for the Work, and work procedures) are known to, understood by, and adhered to by all workers on the Site; ensure that all QC checklists are signed-off by competent and responsible parties as close to the actual work as appropriate to the nature of the Work (e.g. by the actual worker or a foreperson for most work; by a Professional Engineer for false work erection; etc.) review, sign, and be responsible for all reports (materials and testing results); consult with field inspectors regarding materials and testing issues; receive notification by inspectors regarding deficiencies and ensure re-testing or rejection; provide monthly summary reports on testing and inspection results. Weekly summary reports may be required if the Ministry Representative finds the Contractor’s QC to be lacking. initiate the non-conformance process when materials or product do not meet the required specifications and, inform the Ministry Representative of such nonconformance; consult with the Contractor Representative and initiate corrective action on non-conformance; respond to each Non-Conformance Report (NCR) issued by the Ministry Representative within the time specified in the NCR; schedule testing and inspection services in coordination with the Contractor’s superintendent and forepersons; monitor QC testing and inspection procedures including those of the Subcontractors; work directly with the Ministry Representative on matters related to QC; ensure required approvals and permits from the Ministry Representative and others are obtained as and when required; verify that all testing equipment is properly maintained and kept in good working order; keep an organized filing system to ensure that quality records are easily accessible so that auditors can obtain necessary information; review issued for construction drawings, calculations, and shop drawings and ensure that all concerned Contractor staff have current versions of documents applicable to their part of the Work; notify the Ministry Representative of any changes in survey layout, location, line, grade, etc., for approval; notify the company principles of any issues that compromise the integrity or function of the Quality Management System, and provide an auditable trail for survey computations to the Ministry Representative.

– Each QC Plan submission to the Ministry shall be accompanied by a QC checklist prepared by the Contractor demonstrating that the submission has been checked for compliance with contractual requirements. (a) Full Submission Unless otherwise specified in the Special Provisions, the Contractor’s QC plan shall provide details of the means, methods, and frequencies of Quality Control measures for all elements of Work (whether payment Items or incidental) in the Contract. (b) Partial Submission On projects considered by the Ministry to be of low complexity and/or risk, and only where explicitly invoked by the Special Provisions, the Ministry will accept a partial QC Plan submission. Notwithstanding any such reduced submission requirements, the Contractor remains responsible for QC for all aspects of the Work. The Contractor’s partial QC Plan submission to the Ministry Representative is only required to address the details of the following types of Work: Traffic Management Survey/layout Materials incorporated into the Work (concrete barrier, culverts, filter cloth, lock-blocks, etc.) Compaction (subgrade, embankments, granular aggregates, culvert backfill, etc.) Aggregate gradation Plus any other elements identified in the Special Provisions as a submission requirement. The Contractor shall initiate such other Quality Control procedures as are necessary for ensuring the production of a quality product and may include them in the Quality Control Plan submission. (c) For Both Full and Partial Submissions The initial QC Plan shall be submitted to the Ministry Representative a minimum of seven (7) days in advance of the Project pre-construction meeting or fourteen (14) days in advance of undertaking any Work on Site, whichever is earlier, and must provide details of all elements of Work anticipated to be undertaken within the Contractor’s first thirty (30) days on Site. This initial submission must provide complete detail of the QC methodology to be employed with respect to the following elements, regardless of when those tasks are anticipated to commence: All elements listed in SS 101.02.02 Traffic Management Site Safety Detailed submissions for the balance of the Work must be received: (i) a minimum of fourteen (14) days prior to the anticipated first day of Work on each element covered by the submission; and (ii) not later than 60 days after the earlier of the pre construction meeting and the date the Contractor first occupied the Site. The initial submission, as well as any subsequent submission or revision, must be accompanied by the Contractor’s QC checklist for Quality Management, verifying that the submission meets all relevant contractual requirements. Improved procedures may be introduced after the start of work as necessary as amendments to the Quality Control Plan. All amendments require the written acceptance of the Ministry Representative. The type and frequency of QC tests shall be established by the Contractor and shall be in conformance with the requirements of the Contract, including the minimum frequencies specified in the Special Provisions and/or Standard Specifications (for those listed items applicable to the Work), and the current acceptable practice of the industry. When materials or equipment are specified by standard or performance specifications the Contractor shall obtain from suppliers or manufacturers independent test reports, or test certificates stating that the materials or equipment meet or exceed specified requirements. The Contractor shall provide back-up documentation of actual testing results upon request by the Ministry Representative.

– The Ministry may prepare and implement a Quality Assurance Plan, based in part on the effectiveness and reliability of the Contractor’s Quality Control Plan. The Ministry may also undertake random and systematic inspections of the Work and of the Contractor’s QC documentation. The purpose of the QA Plan and inspectional activities is to ensure that payment is made only for acceptable works in place and may be based on a limited amount of sampling and testing. The Ministry Representative will monitor the Contractor’s operations and the Quality Control program to assure that standards are being met and to assess what payments have been earned under the terms of the Contract. Any instances of Unacceptable Work discovered may result in a Non-Conformance Report being issued to the Contractor. The QA program activities will not relieve the Contractor of Quality Control responsibilities under the terms of the Contract. The frequency of QA inspection and testing will generally be approximately zero to ten percent (0 – 10%) of the frequencies undertaken by the Contractor in its QC Plan and will initially be set at a level commensurate with the Ministry Representative’s confidence in the anticipated effectiveness of the Contractor’s QC program. The Ministry Representative may increase or decrease the frequency of QA inspection and testing during the course of the Work, based in part on the actual effectiveness of the Contractor’s QC Plan. The Ministry’s Quality Assurance may also include random and/or targeted quality audits.

– The Ministry may have one or more independent auditors on the Project, supplementing the work of the Ministry QA staff. When utilized, the auditor(s) will report to the Ministry Representative and provide a systematic and independent assessment of whether or not the materials and Project activities and related results comply with the Contract, the Contractor’s QC Plan, and the Ministry’s QA Plan. These independent auditors may be Ministry employees but will be assigned from resources which have not otherwise been involved with the Work. The objective of the independent Quality Auditing is to have an impartial opinion on both QC and QA activities and be proactive in avoiding or reducing quality related issues by requiring the process of conformance verification to be systematic. The auditor(s) will be allowed unrestricted access to the Site and all activities therein, to all testing and documentation of the work done by the Ministry, Contractor and their agents and suppliers.

The Contractor shall and the Ministry may review the Work to determine conformance with the contractual requirements. Non-conformances found shall be dealt with as follows. 101.05.01 Contractor’s Internal NCR – Should the Contractor’s QC reporting indicate that the Work is not in conformance, the QC Manager shall issue an internal NonConformance Report (NCR) to the Contractor, with a copy to the Ministry, including a response time. The Contractor shall then respond to the QC Manager, with a copy to the Ministry Representative, with respect to the NCR, within the specified time, with proposed resolutions and corrective actions. The Contractor and/or the QC Manager may consult with the Ministry Representative on the resolutions but is not required to do so. Payment for a Quality Management will not be affected by internal NCRs, as long as the issue is diligently pursued and resolved. Payment for the Work itself may be withheld until the NCR issue is resolved.

Should the Ministry’s QA reporting indicate that the Work is not in conformance, or that the Contractor has failed to address an internal NCR within a reasonable period of time, the Ministry Representative may issue to the Contractor a NCR, including a response time. Where appropriate, the Ministry may issue two NCR’s related to a single issue – one for the product itself, and the other for the Contractor’s failure to perform Quality Management. The Contractor shall then respond to that NCR, within the specified time, with proposed resolutions and corrective actions. The Ministry Representative will accept or reject the proposed resolution and corrective action proposal. Assurance testing and inspection will be performed to determine if the corrective action has provided an acceptable product. Acceptance and rejection will continue until the Ministry Representative determines that a quality product has been achieved. A portion of the payment for a Quality Management may be withheld until the NCR issue is resolved or, in accordance with SS 101.07, may be withheld permanently. Payment for the Work itself may be withheld until the NCR issue is resolved.

Should the QA review indicate that the Work is not in conformance, but the variance is deemed minor by the Ministry Representative, the Ministry Representative may issue an Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) report. The Contractor is encouraged to review the findings and undertake such modifications to the QC Plan and the work procedures as necessary to address the issue. An OFI will not affect payment for Quality Management or for the Work itself.

Should the Ministry Representative determine that the non-conformance is significant, the Ministry Representative may issue a Stop Work Order.

If the Contractor disputes the validity of any testing or inspection finding in an NCR, the Contractor may file an appeal with the Ministry Representative. An appeal under this SS 101.06 is available only for issues of assessing compliance of a material, product or process against the requirements of the Contract, and not any decision the Ministry may make regarding rectification of the non-compliance. The Ministry Representative and the Contractor Representative will use all reasonable efforts to refine the area of dispute and to resolve the determination of conformance with the Contract. If the Ministry Representative and the Contractor Representative cannot come to a mutually agreeable resolution, the Work that is the subject of the NonConformance Report shall be re-evaluated by an independent third-party, selected by the Ministry Representative in consultation with the Contractor. If the appeal is of test results, the work in question shall be retested at a test frequency equivalent to twice that specified in the Contract or to such other frequency as may be mutually agreed between the Ministry Representative and the Contractor. If the appeal relates to an inspection, the work in question shall be fully re-evaluated for strict compliance with all applicable terms of the Contract. The specific retest or reinspection locations shall be determined by the Ministry Representative, in consultation with the Contractor and the independent third-party. If the appeal confirms the non-conformance determination, all appeal testing and inspection costs will be borne by the Contractor. If the appeal shows that the Work did in fact meet the requirements of the Contract, all appeal testing and inspection costs will be borne by the Ministry.

The Lump Sum Price bid for Quality Management shall be full compensation for all costs resulting from the Quality Management requirements set out in the Contract. Payment will be made on a monthly basis prorated for the percentage of the total Work completed as determined by the Ministry Representative, subject to the Contractor being totally compliant with the requirements of this Section and with its own Quality Control Plan. The Ministry Representative, in consultation with the Ministry construction manager following the issuance of a Ministry-issued NCR pursuant to SS 101.05.02 may deduct an amount from any monthly payment so computed, for any quality management work required but not satisfactorily undertaken during that month. The Ministry Representative may also reduce the total Lump Sum payable by the value of any quality management work required but not satisfactorily undertaken during the Term of the Contract. The foregoing determinations will be made in the sole discretion of the Ministry Representative. When the value bid for the Quality Management Item is insufficient to cover the payment reductions, the Ministry Representative may recover the reductions as a back charge against a Site Modifications Item or any other Item in the Contract. Inspection or testing by the Ministry Representative will be at the Ministry’s cost. However, re-inspection or re-testing by the Ministry for repaired or replaced Work items that originally did not meet contract requirements shall be at the Contractor’s cost. Work that is deemed Unacceptable Work will not be eligible for payment. The Completion Certificate will not be issued if there are any unresolved Non-Conformance Reports.

– The Contractor shall produce evidence that the plant is currently fully certified by the CWB to the requirements of CSA W47.1, Division 1 or Division 2 prior to beginning Work. The Fabricator shall also produce evidence of at least three years of satisfactory experience in the fabrication of bridge structural steelwork. The Contractor shall employ or retain a registered professional engineer experienced in steel bridge fabrication, to provide guidance throughout the work. A qualified welding supervisor shall be employed on each shift where welding is done on the work. Prior to fabrication, the Contractor shall submit to the Ministry the names of the welding engineer, the engineer experienced in steel bridge fabrication, and the welding supervisors who are to be employed on the Work.

– The Ministry Representative has the authority to accept or reject the Contractor’s Work in accordance with the conditions set out in the Contract. Until the Work meets the requirements of the Contract and has been accepted by the Ministry Representative, the Ministry is not obligated to make payment for Work done by the Contractor. The Ministry Representative shall take all necessary measurements and calculations to determine the final quantities for final payment.