Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Executive Summary

The Construction (CON) Phase of the project formally begins after construction plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) are submitted and authorization is granted. This phase concludes when all construction work is completed and the resulting asset is accepted by the Federal Highway Administration (if Federal funds are used) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Operations.

This phase includes the work required to advertise and award the contract, set up construction management systems and processes, mobilize for construction, execute and control the construction, complete contract work, and close out the project.

The phase is closed when all construction work and as-builts are completed, the final change order is processed, final payment is made and the records are stored. There is no further closeout work done beyond the CON Phase.

Objective(s)

The primary objectives of the CON Phase are to execute a contract and build the project using the contract documents developed during the Final Design (FD) Phase. The project should be delivered within the approved schedule, authorized budget, and with minimal changes. Projects are to be completed in according to the quality standards described in contract documents. The work is to be accomplished without safety incident or negative environmental impact and with minimal traffic impact.

Funding

Funding for the CON Phase may involve state and/or federal funding sources. It requires funding authorizations for construction, material inspection and related costs. Depending on the project’s specific scope, funding authorizations may be needed for the construction contract, construction inspection, construction engineering, construction management and construction schedule management. Funds are also set up for contingencies.

Key Stakeholders

Completing the construction of transportation projects requires coordination with numerous internal and external stakeholders.  Major internal stakeholders include the Division of Construction Services and Materials, the Division of Project Management, the Division of Accounting and Auditing and, depending on project requirements, Subject Matter Experts (SME) in design, risk management, environmental and landscape architecture offices as well as government and community relations personnel.

Outside agencies may include the construction contractor, state and federal transportation agencies, state and federal environmental resource agencies, offices and organizations affiliated with any counties and municipalities affected by the project, the motoring public, pedestrians, and any affected residences and businesses. 

Early in the CON Phase, a pre-construction meeting is held to bring key stakeholders together to present the overall project plan and begin to address any issues and concerns. These key stakeholders include the Division of Construction Services and Materials, the contractor, and the municipalities and counties.

Some typical Project Stakeholders during the CON Phase include, but are not limited to, the following:

Phase Initiation

To initiate the CON Phase, funding must be authorized.

Following the authorization of funds the following activities start the CON Phase:

• Advertise contract
• Receive bids
• Award contract

Major Tasks

The major tasks associated with the CON Phase are summarized below:

• Advertise contract
• Receive bids
• Award contract
• Review and update Risk Register
• Complete construction start-up
• Complete mobilization (set-up contractor’s field office, equipment, workforce, etc.)
• Execute construction operations
• Implement construction changes (as required)
• Complete construction (including final inspection and acceptance)
• Maintain project communication
• Closeout project

Efforts to monitor and control the project’s development during the CON Phase include:

• Perform construction inspections
• Monitor construction schedule
• Execute construction changes

Products

The major deliverables produced during the CON Phase include:

• Advertisement
• Bids
• Awarded contract
• Pre-construction meeting minutes
• Construction management systems and processes
• Final constructed project
• As-builts
• Change orders
• Claims (if applicable)
• Closeout documents

Phase Closing

The following items must be completed to close out the project and leave the CON Phase:

• Complete final inspections
• Obtain NJDOT Operations acceptance
• Obtain FHWA acceptance (on federally funded projects)
• Complete as-builts
• Process final change order
• Make final payment
• Store records

Some files are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (available at our Adobe Access Page).

Flow Charts

• Construction Phase Top Down Flowchart (pdf 39k)
• Risk Management in Construction (pdf 52k)
• Utility Agreement Construction Change Order Procedure (pdf 45k)
• Utility Agreement Construction Closeout Procedure (pdf 68k)

Diagrams

• Construction Network Diagram (pdf 101k)

Guidance

• Construction Activity Descriptions (pdf 367k)
• Construction Guideline (pdf 324k)
• Risk Management Guideline (pdf 514k)