It is inevitable that every ï¬rm will have to verify its work at some point in time. No matter how the process gets started, each contractor and supplier should be prepared to methodically respond in a timely manner. This article will offer some important concepts and suggestions for creating your own œdisaster plan. It would be foolish to think that such a plan will never be needed. The only thing more foolish is not to have created a plan in advance.
Step One: Recognition and
Timely Response
Once a report is received, action should be taken to deï¬ne and acknowledge the concern. Request clariï¬cation of the concern and its source: Is it coming from the owner, architect, engineer, consultant, general contractor, or construction manager? Is the concern a serious issue? Some-times a casual comment develops into a major problem (a cut on a ï¬nger turns into an amputated arm in the rumor mill). Let all concerned parties know your position immediately. If an investi-gation is required, request a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the problem and the investi-gation process. This gets you on the record as being responsive and begins to give you some control of the process.
Step Two: Fact Finding
Let™s use a simple example of how important it is to collect facts before diving into an inves-tigation. A number of years ago, while working for a ready mixed concrete supplier, I was called by a customer who was constructing a high-rise condominium project and told that we had low compressive strengths for concrete used for a slab pour from the previous month. This was a very large project that was closely monitored by our Technical Services Department. We had not even a hint of any low compressive strengths on any phase of the project prior to receiving this report.