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University Inspection Procedures

Preconstruction Conference

Facilities Services will have appropriate representatives at preconstruction conferences who can address the Facilities inspection process. One invitation is sent to the Director of Building Services and he will appoint the representatives to attend the conference. Where pre-installation conferences are held later in the project for specific areas of work the appropriate facilities inspectors will be invited also.

Routine Periodic Inspections

Facilities will assign appropriate representatives from all Building Services shops to inspect the project through the period of construction. UNC Construction Management will provide Monthly Progress Reports to Facilities Services for each project. Updates of the contractor’s project schedules will also be provided for use by inspectors. These reports provide a general overview of progress for the projects. However, the inspectors will have to schedule their time on daily basis based on their personal observation of progress.

Formal Inspection Request

The UNC Construction Manager will send formal invitations to Facilities Services for each above ceiling and pre-final inspection one week in advance. The UNC Construction Manager will provide the Construction Management Inspections Coordinator of start dates of rough in activities in walls, chases and ceilings one week in advance of the actual start date. The Construction Manager will also provide the Inspections Coordinator the contractor’s project schedule information of these activities as soon as the project schedule is available and all monthly updates.

The UNC Construction Management Inspections Coordinator will notify Facilities Services one week in advanced of the start date milestones of major rough in activities in walls, chases and ceilings of building projects which will be start of Facilities’ routine inspections for these work related items. He will also notify Facilities of the start of equipment installation in mechanical rooms. It will be the responsibility of the Facilities Services inspectors to schedule their inspection activities after they have been notified of these milestone dates. An advanced schedule of these activities based on the contractor’s monthly schedule updates will be provided to Facilities also and will be maintained by the Construction Management Inspections Coordinator.

Life Safety Inspection Procedures

UNC Construction Management will have one staff person who will routinely inspect the Life Safety work on projects periodically throughout the life of the project.

Fire alarm and sprinkler testing and acceptance will be as specified in the contract documents which includes 100% testing of the systems by the contractor. When the Contractor’s inspection and certification is complete and the Designer/UNC has reviewed and approved the database and building as built fire alarm system prints a 100% test of the system will be performed by the Designer with the assistance of the UNC Electronics Shop. All punch list items from this testing discovered by the owner or Designer will be compiled by the Designer and sent to the contractor for correction so there will be only one punch list of contract or code required corrections.

The final inspection of the project with the State Construction Office will not occur until all life safety punch list items are complete unless specifically approved by the Designer. No punch list will be forwarded to State agencies, Designers, contractors or other agency outside of the Facilities Services organization by anyone other than the assigned UNC Construction Manager.

Punch List Documentation

All punch list items from the shops will be forwarded within two days of the inspection to the Director of Building Services for distribution to the assigned Construction Manager. The Facilities punch list document format will include a space for a response from Construction Management and be in electronic format. Construction Management will forward the punch list to the Designer with directions to return a response to each comment within ten days of receipt. Optionally, the UNC Construction Manager may provide the response. The response will indicate action to be taken to correct each item. The responses will be forwarded to the Office of Building Services within two weeks of original receipt. If a punch list item is not required in the contract it shall be so noted in the response and the Construction Manager will facilitate an appropriate action with the assigned Planning Manager and Facilities Services if requested by Facilities. All UNC punch list items will be verified complete by the Designer before project close out. For clarity punch list items are only items not in compliance with the construction contract and not.

No punch list will be forwarded to agencies outside the Facilities Services organization by anyone other than the assigned UNC Construction Manager.

General Rules for UNC Construction Inspectors

The Designer is per contract with State of North Carolina the representative of the owner. Contractors are required by contract not to take directions from anyone other than the Designer. All communications from the UNC personnel during the construction process is through the UNC Construction Manager to the Designer.

  • UNC inspectors will check in at the contractors field office at each site visit before entering the construction area.
  • Contractors are mandated by OSHA to comply with applicable safety regulations and they will have a safety officer on site. Hard hats and other
    appropriate safety requirements are required by all visitors to the site including owner representatives, inspectors, etc.
  • UNC inspectors will not give directions to the contractors or designers.

Project Close Out and Final Payment

Before project close out and release of final payment to the contractors the UNC Construction Manager will review the punch list status with the Designer and Facilities Services representatives to confirm that all punch list items have been resolved. Any contract required corrections that are not completed will be enforced through Article 28 (See Article 25.c.2).