Code of Federal Regulations Title 23. Highways § 23.635.102 Definitions

As used in this subpart:

Administrator means the Federal Highway Administrator.

Calendar day means each day shown on the calendar but, if another definition is set forth in the State contract specifications, that definition will apply.

Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) project means a project to be delivered using a two-phase contract with a construction manager or general contractor for services during both the preconstruction and construction phases of a project.

Contract time means the number of workdays or calendar days specified in a contract for completion of the contract work. The term includes authorized time extensions.

Design-build project means a project to be developed using one or more design-build contracts.

Division Administrator means the chief FHWA official assigned to conduct business in a particular State. A State is as defined in 23 U.S.C. 101.

Force account means a basis of payment for the direct performance of highway construction work with payment based on the actual cost of labor, equipment, and materials furnished and consideration for overhead and profit.

Formal approval means approval in writing or the electronic transmission of such approval.

Incentive/disincentive for early completion as used in this subpart, describes a contract provision which compensates the contractor a certain amount of money for each day identified critical work is completed ahead of schedule and assesses a deduction for each day the contractor overruns the incentive/disincentive time. Its use is primarily intended for those critical projects where traffic inconvenience and delays are to be held to a minimum. The amounts are based upon estimates of such items as traffic safety, traffic maintenance, and road user delay costs.

Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Project means a project to be developed using one or more ID/IQ contracts.

Liquidated damages means the daily amount set forth in the contract to be deducted from the contract price to cover additional costs incurred by a State transportation department because of the contractor's failure to complete the contract work within the number of calendar days or workdays specified. The term may also mean the total of all daily amounts deducted under the terms of a particular contract.

Local public agency means any city, county, township, municipality, or other political subdivision that may be empowered to cooperate with the State transportation department in highway matters.

Major change or major extra work means a change which will significantly affect the cost of the project to the Federal Government or alter the termini, character or scope of the work.

Materially unbalanced bid means a bid which generates a reasonable doubt that award to the bidder submitting a mathematically unbalanced bid will result in the lowest ultimate cost to the Federal Government.

Mathematically unbalanced bid means a bid containing lump sum or unit bid items which do not reflect reasonable actual costs plus a reasonable proportionate share of the bidder's anticipated profit, overhead costs, and other indirect costs.

Public agency means any organization with administrative or functional responsibilities which are directly or indirectly affiliated with a governmental body of any nation, State, or local jurisdiction.

Publicly owned equipment means equipment previously purchased or otherwise acquired by the public agency involved primarily for use in its own operations.

Specialty items means work items identified in the contract which are not normally associated with highway construction and require highly specialized knowledge, abilities or equipment not ordinarily available in the type of contracting organizations qualified and expected to bid on the contract;  in general, these items are to be limited to minor components of the overall contract.

State department of transportation (State DOT) means that department, commission, board, or official of any State charged by its laws with the responsibility for highway construction. The term “State” should be considered equivalent to State DOT if the context so implies. In addition, State Highway Agency (SHA), State Transportation Agency (STA), State Transportation Department, or other similar terms should be considered equivalent to State DOT if the context so implies.

State transportation department (State DOT) means that department, commission, board, or official of any State charged by its laws with the responsibility for highway construction. The term “State” should be considered equivalent to “State transportation department” if the context so implies.

Workday means a calendar day during which construction operations could proceed for a major part of a shift, normally excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and State-recognized legal holidays.