Inspection and Other Strategies for Assuring Quality in Government Construction (1991)
Chapter: ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
being experienced, and earlier studies show that the scale of the problem is not new.8
ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
While the committee focused on government—particularly at the federal level—such cases illustrate that both private and public sectors share the problem of assuring construction quality. The committee's deliberations thus considered both sectors, and this report is meant to have a broad bearing on the construction industry as a whole.
The following pages summarize the committee's discussions of construction quality and current practices for its assurance, highlighting the role of inspection. Chapter 2 presents the underlying principles and definitions the committee adopted for their discussions. Chapter 3 describes inspection strategies of various federal agencies and the private sector, highlighting some of the latter that are likely, in the committee's assessment, to be particularly effective for assuring quality in federal construction. Chapter 4 considers the limitations of inspection and presents selected alternative strategies to enhance inspection for assuring quality. Chapter 5 summarizes the committee's specific recommendations for achieving government construction quality. Appendices present supplemental information on topics introduced in these chapters.
Quality in construction occurs through a complex interaction of many participants in the facilities development process. The committee's recommendations are aimed primarily at agency managers, but address design and construction professionals, educators, and policy makers as well. The committee agreed that quality in construction is assured only when there is a commitment to quality throughout planning, design, and con-
