scope:

SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT

This guideline document is intended to serve as a guide for preparers and users of GBRs so that they understand and appreciate: (1) the importance of the contents of the GBR in the allocation of financial risk; and (2) the need to plan for how the contractor will be paid for the work performed, both prior to contract award and during construction when unanticipated conditions are encountered. The benefits of implementing these guidelines should result in

• Owners selecting consultants to prepare and review GBRs based on demonstrated qualifications and experience in the preparation and review of contract GBRs and in their administration during disputes;

• Preparation of clear, measurable, and observable baselines;

• GBRs becoming more standard and consistent with respect to format and content;

• Owners having a better understanding of how the financial risks for subsurface conditions have been allocated and how their risks can be managed in a more proactive manner;

• Bidders having a better basis for assessing their risks and pricing the work;

• Fewer disagreements among the parties and the consultants regarding the anticipated surface and subsurface conditions; and

• Clearly defined bases for dispute adjudicators to determine if an alleged DSC has, in fact, been encountered.

Guidelines provided in this document address

• Types of information to be included in a GBR,

• Types of information that should not be included in a GBR but are more appropriately addressed elsewhere in the contract documents or in design-phase memoranda,

• Importance of coordinating the consistency of the GBR with other contract documents,

• Wording suggestions in preparing baseline statements,

• How GBRs can be applied to a range of projects involving subsurface excavation,

• How the GBR development process for DBB delivery must change when considering a delivery option with a DB component, and

• Key roles and responsibilities of the parties and others in the preparation and application of GBRs.