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