Construction Manual Volume 1 Contract …

1 Construction Manual Volume 1 Contract administration Volume 1 Project Incident and complaints ver. (Aug 2010) Chapter 14 Project Incidents and complaints 1-1401 Reporting complaints and Damage or Injury Claims complaints or claims for personal injury or damage to property because of project details or the operations of the contractor may be received by the Inspector, Project Engineer, the District Office, or the main office of the Bureau.

2 When complaints or claims are received, the following steps must be taken to minimize future involvement of the Department and to improve public relations. If the complaint or claim is made by telephone or in person, the complainant should be advised to submit the complaint or claim in writing. The Inspector must document all pertinent information in the project records. The individual taking the complaint or claim should get complete details and notify the District or another office (Maintenance, Permits, etc.)

3 , if appropriate. The individual should send a follow-up transmittal of the written details immediately. For complaints or claims involving Construction work, the Project Engineer should be notified of the incident immediately. complaints or claims for apparent damage to private property may be satisfied by an explanation of the final product or an explanation of already planned corrective work. Early correction of an unsatisfactory condition may avert future complaints .

4 If the complainant persists on subjects beyond the scope of the Construction work, advise the individual to submit the claim in writing. The written complaint or claim should be acknowledged. The District should investigate the claim and file a report of the findings in the project records. Photographs should be taken whenever possible to show physical features. Copies of all claim correspondence and the results of any claim investigations should be forwarded to the Director of Documents Processing. The file on the complaint or claim should be kept open, and timely checks should be made to ensure that the complaint or claim is not being ignored.

5 1-1402 Telephone complaints Telephone complaints usually involve inconvenience, displeasure, concern, or the like, but not property damage or bodily injuries. When you receive a telephone complaint you should be courteous and document the call and all pertinent information paying particular attention to the location and exact nature of the complaint. Don t make any promise that you can t personally guarantee. Don t transfer the call to another office or unit without confirming someone is there and able to assist the complainant.

6 And don t ignore the complainant. Advise the complainant their complaint will be investigated and someone will get back to them. If they want a follow-up call provide the individual with your name and telephone number or the name and telephone number of the individual who will be investigating the complaint. If you don t know who will be responding, offer to call the complainant back when Construction Manual Volume 1 Contract administration you find out. Make sure that you follow through on what you promise and advise your supervisor of the nature of the complaint you received and action taken or being taken.

7 The proper handling of complaints will save us time and provide a positive image of the Department. 1-1403 Property Owner complaints All complaints from property owners that are received by project personnel must be investigated by the Project Engineer and Chief Inspector and discussed with the property owner for resolution at the project level. Any additional work necessary to satisfy the property owner must be cleared with the Office of Rights-of-Way to ensure that the property owner has not already been compensated for the additional work.

8 The right-of-way agreements list the items in the settlement, including any damages for which the property owner was compensated. If the property owner is not satisfied and desires to pursue the complaint, the Project Engineer should instruct the property owner to send a letter to the District Engineer, with information substantiating the complaint. The District Engineer and Assistant District Engineer review the complaint, investigate it, and meet with the property owner, if necessary. Then they reply by letter to the complainant with the Department's position.

9 1-1404 Improprieties Allegations of improprieties by State staff or contractor and subcontractor personnel must be taken seriously. Any field employee who receives an allegation of impropriety from a citizen should follow the procedures listed below. Obtain and record as much information as possible from the person making the allegation. Be objective in compiling the information. Do not argue that the incident could not have occurred. Ask for the complainant's name, address and telephone number where the person can be contacted by Department security personnel.

10 Inform the complainant that the information will be held in confidence. Immediately inform the Transportation Construction Administrator or the Construction Division Chief of the allegation. Do not attempt to conduct an investigation unless directed to do so. The Office of Construction will notify Management Services of the allegation and will notify the District of any actions to be taken. If the complainant does not wish to be identified, provide the person with the telephone number of the Office of Management Services.