106-1 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The contract provides Specifications for all materials that will be incorporated into a project. This article stipulates that all materials used in the work are to be new and unused unless indicated otherwise. The "
Minimum Sampling Guide" found in HiCAMS, indicates who is to do the sampling and testing of each material incorporated into the project.
Reference should be made to publications by the
Materials & Tests Unit for the procedures to be followed in sampling and testing of these materials.
(B) DOMESTIC STEEL
The specifications require steel and iron products that are permanently incorporated in a project, to be produced in the United States. However, a minimal amount of foreign steel and iron products are also permitted to be used in the project. The “minimal amount” is based on the combined cost of the foreign material utilized in a project. The combined costs of the foreign steel cannot exceed
0.1% of the contract bid amount or
$2,500.00, whichever is greater. The Resident Engineer should ensure that the total cost of multiple items of foreign steel do not exceed the above thresholds. The contractor should provide invoices to show the actual, invoiced cost of the foreign steel or iron products. If the contractor does not provide invoices for the foreign steel, the bid amount of the item will be used to calculate the cost. If the foreign steel component is part of a lump sum item, only the actual, invoiced cost of the component will count against the allowable threshold. If invoices are not provided for the component which is part of a lump sum item, the entire amount of the lump sum item will count against the allowable threshold.
In addition, the contractor and/or subcontractor is responsible for providing documentation to certify the steel permanently incorporated in a project is produced in the United States and verify his effort to purchase domestic steel by dong the following:
- Furnish to the Engineer a notarized certification, certifying the steel product meets the Domestic Steel requirements.
- Maintain a separate file for steel products incorporated in any project to verify the effort the contractor put forth to purchase domestic steel.
The minimal amount of foreign steel cannot include high strength fasteners.
106-2 SAMPLES, TESTS, AND CITED SPECIFICATIONS
The Engineer is responsible for performing sampling and testing at the frequency listed in
Minimum Sampling Guide. Additional tests may be performed as the Engineer deems necessary.
106-4 DELIVERY AND HANDLING OF MATERIALS
All materials are to be handled so that they will meet the Specifications when incorporated into the project.
Materials that have been inspected and approved should be rejected by the project personnel when they are judged as not meeting the contract requirements at the time of installation. The appropriate
Section Materials Specialist is available to help make decisions of acceptability of materials which may be in question. For example, reinforced concrete pipe that has been stamped approved may be damaged during delivery and subject to rejection.
106-5 STORAGE OF MATERIALS
The Engineer has the authority to control the storage of material within the right of way of the project. On projects where traffic is maintained, the Engineer should ensure that no material is stored adjacent to the travel way to cause any hazard to the traveling public. The Engineer should also ensure that no materials are stored in environmentally sensitive areas. Materials such as bagged cement, seed, etc., should be stored in such a manner as to prevent deterioration. If the Engineer or his representative suspects deterioration of a material, the
Section Materials Specialist should be consulted prior to the material being incorporated into the project.
106-6 INSPECTION AT SOURCE
The inspection of materials at the source will be performed by the
Materials & Tests Unit or by their representatives. Upon receipt of the
Materials Received Report, the Materials & Tests Unit will forward the appropriate test results to the Engineer. When the pretested material is stamped approved in accordance with the list of approved stamps published by the Materials and Tests Unit, tagged with metallic non-colored M&T tags, tagged with F&R tags, or is liquid asphalt, it may be incorporated into the project upon receipt except that the germination of seed shall be verified. When the pretested material is tagged with red M&T tags, the material is
not to be incorporated into the project until test reports have been received by the Engineer or until he has received verbal approval from the Materials and Tests Unit that the material meets the contract requirements.
The Materials and Tests Unit will determine if and when the Contractor is to be billed for testing of materials which were ordered by the Contractor but were not incorporated into the project.
Materials tested at the source of supply are subject to testing and rejection after being delivered to the project. An example of this is liquid asphalt which may become contaminated in transport tankers or in the Contractor's storage. Another example is concrete pipe, prestressed concrete items, etc., which could be damaged in handling and not be within the Specifications on the project.
106-7 SCALES AND PUBLIC WEIGHMASTER
Upon delivery of the material to the project, the truck driver will give one legible weigh ticket to the Technician. The Technician should check the weigh ticket to ascertain that all required information has been provided. The Technician shall sign the certificate to certify delivery, list the time of delivery, and list the location of delivery (station, etc.). These weigh tickets will be forwarded to the Engineer no later than the following day and retained as a part of the project records.
The Technician should periodically reweigh trucks delivering material to the project for which payment is to be made on the basis of weight. The trucks should be weighed on approved platform scales. Random loads of material should be discretely selected by Department personnel on a periodic basis and reweighed to check the weighing devices to verify their correctness and to check and verify the weight certificate issued by the
Public Weighmaster. A check of the weighing device would be performed on different scales; whereas, the check to verify the weight certificate issued by the Public Weighmaster could be made on the same weighing device if platform scales were utilized. The allowable difference between the weights being compared should not exceed
0.4% of the weight. This weight comparison should be shown on the individual ticket along with the signature of the Department's employee who observed the reweighing.
In the event this check reveals a discrepancy between the recorded and observed weights, Department personnel will investigate and attempt to determine the reason for the variance. The reason should be noted on the ticket and the ticket corrected if the cause for the variance is determined.
Whether tickets are stamped or printed with the Weighmaster’s certification number, the certification expiration date should be reflected on the ticket.
Technology has developed and the methods of producing the required information on weigh tickets have evolved. In general, all the information on the weight ticket can now be computer generated; which includes the Weighmaster’s stamp and signature. If the stamp is computer generated, the Weighmaster’s certification number and the certification expiration date shall be reflected on the ticket. If a ticket is printed with the Weighmaster’s signature, then an electronic signature is acceptable, which may occur where the Weighmaster is in one building and the weight ticket is printed somewhere else, such as a gatehouse. In this case, a signature is made on a device and then transmitted to the printer. A stored electronic signature that anyone would have access to is not acceptable. If there are questions about whether the electronic weighmaster system is acceptable, the Materials and Tests Section Materials Specialists should be contacted.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
