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Important Information About Your Geotechnical Engineering Subsurface problems are a principal cause of construction delays, cost overruns, claims, and disputes. The following information is provided to help you manage your risks. Geotechnical Services Are Performed for • elevation,configuration, location,orientation,or weight of the Specific Purposes, Persons, and Projects proposed structure, Geotechnical engineers structure their services to meet the specific needs of • composition of the design team,or their clients.A geotechnical engineering study conducted for a civil engi- • project ownership. neer may not fulfill the needs of a construction contractor or even another civil engineer.Because each geotechnical engineering study is unique,each As a general rule,always inform your geotechnical engineer of project geotechnical engineering report is unique,prepared solely for the client.No changes—even minor ones—and request an assessment of their impact. one except you should rely on your geotechnical engineering report without Geotechnical engineers cannot accept responsibility or liability for problems first conferring with the geotechnical engineer who prepared it.And no one that occur because their reports do not consider developments of which —not even you—should apply the report for any purpose or project they were not informed except the one originally contemplated. Subsurface Conditions Can Change Read the Full Report A geotechnical engineering report is based on conditions that existed at Serious problems have occurred because those relying on a geotechnical the time the study was performed.Do not rely on a geotechnical engineer- engineering report did not read it all. Do not rely on an executive summary. ing report whose adequacy may have been affected by:the passage of Do not read selected elements only. time;by man-made events,such as construction on or adjacent to the site; or by natural events,such as floods,earthquakes,or groundwater fluctua- A Geotechnical Engineering Report Is Based on tions.Always contact the geotechnical engineer before applying the report A Unique Set of Project-Specific Factors to determine if it is still reliable.A minor amount of additional testing or Geotechnical engineers consider a number of unique,project-specific fac- analysis could prevent major problems. tors when establishing the scope of a study.Typical factors include:the client's goals,objectives,and risk management preferences;the general Most Geotechnical Findings Are Professional nature of the structure involved, its size,and configuration;the location of Opinions the structure on the site;and other planned or existing site improvements, Site exploration identifies subsurface conditions only at those points where such as access roads,parking lots,and underground utilities. Unless the subsurface tests are conducted or samples are taken.Geotechnical engi- geotechnical engineer who conducted the study specifically indicates oth- neers review field and laboratory data and then apply their professional erwise,do not rely on a geotechnical engineering report that was: judgment to render an opinion about subsurface conditions throughout the • not prepared for you, site.Actual subsurface conditions may differ—sometimes significantly— • not prepared for your project, from those indicated in your report.Retaining the geotechnical engineer • not prepared for the specific site explored,or who developed your report to provide construction observation is the • completed before important project changes were made. most effective method of managing the risks associated with unanticipated conditions. Typical changes that can erode the reliability of an existing geotechnical engineering report include those that affect: A Report's Recommendations Are Not Final • the function of the proposed structure,as when it's changed from a Do not overrely on the construction recommendations included in your parking garage to an office building,or from a light industrial plant report. Those recommendations are not final,because geotechnical engi- to a refrigerated warehouse, neers develop them principally from judgment and opinion.Geotechnical engineers can finalize their recommendations only by observing actual •