TRAUNER previously reviewed the contractors’ CPM schedules and evaluated time-related claims for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Based on that successful working relationship, TRAUNER was retained by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) under a five-year term contract to assist in the development and maintenance of the NCTA’s internal project schedules and to review the design-build teams’ project schedules for six planned toll roads across the state of North Carolina. To date, TRAUNER has completed three tasks. In the first task, we provided a comprehensive review and rewrite of the CPM scheduling specifications. TRAUNER also provided recommended revisions to the Change Order, Time Extension, Notice, and Damage provisions of the contracts going out to bid.

Under the second task, TRAUNER continues to develop and update the NCTA’s internal project schedules that depict each project’s full life cycle, including inception, design, planning and development, bidding, and construction. Additionally, TRAUNER is assisting with and providing training to those within the NCTA organization and other consultants in the implementation and use of Primavera 6.0.

For the third task, TRAUNER continues to review the design-build teams’ schedules during construction of what is expected to be six toll roads throughout the state. We are also assisting the NCTA in claims avoidance. TRAUNER is on-site full-time to review the design-build teams’ bids, develop and review cost-loaded schedules, review change order requests, evaluate delays, and monitor acceleration on the critical path. By performing a review of the design-build teams’ baseline schedules and monthly updates, we are able to determine what critical activities, for each individual project milestone, have been delayed. We will also look at what activities could become critical and assess how changes might impact the project. We will attend program and project meetings and provide input to all parties outlining the critical path, delays, changes, and other time-related issues. If necessary, TRAUNER is available to review the necessary project document to determine the validity of the change order requests and the adherence to the contract requirements.