CPC Certified Professional Constructor cheat sheet

Project delivery methods: design-bid-build (sequential, lowest initial bid, owner holds separate contracts), design-build (single entity, faster, owner states performance criteria), and CM at-risk (CM holds trade contracts and guarantees a maximum price).

Responsibility matrix (RACI): each task has one Accountable party, one or more Responsible performers, Consulted contributors, and Informed recipients; two Accountable parties on one task is a defect.

Work breakdown structure decomposes scope into deliverable-oriented packages; the WBS dictionary defines each package's scope, acceptance criteria, and responsible party.

Change control sequence: written request, scope/impact evaluation, pricing and time adjustment, negotiation, formal execution by an authorized signatory, then distribution and incorporation into the baseline.

Owner-architect/engineer agreement (EJCDC E-500, AIA B101) defines basic services, additional services, standard of care, and instruments of service ownership; construction administration duties are enumerated there, not in the general conditions.

Baseline management: scope, schedule, and cost baselines are frozen at approval; any deviation is tracked as a variance against the approved baseline, not against the latest forecast.

Submittal register drives the review cycle; review periods (commonly 7-14 calendar days) and resubmittal cycles must be built into the schedule as float-consuming activities.

Project closeout package: as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, attic stock, final lien waivers, punch list completion, and certificate of substantial completion trigger warranty start and owner insurance transfer.

Meeting minutes become the project record only when distributed promptly and not objected to; a documented objection preserves the objecting party's position.

Cost index escalation: escalated cost = historical cost x (current index / historical index); apply per trade where indexes diverge.

Quantity takeoff is net-in-place measurement; waste, overlap, and slope factors are added as separate line items so the takeoff stays auditable.

Unit price = (material + labor + equipment + subcontract) x (1 + overhead and profit) with sales tax applied to material only, not to labor.

Labor cost = crew hours x wage rate x (1 + burden); burden (payroll taxes, insurance, fringe) typically ranges 25-40% of base wage and must never be folded silently into the wage rate.

Contingency is owner-held for scope uncertainty; escalation is time-driven; both are separate from contractor markup and are drawn down with formal authorization.

Earned value: PV (BCWS), EV (BCWP), AC (ACWP); CV = EV - AC; SV = EV - PV; CPI = EV/AC; SPI = EV/PV; EAC = BAC/CPI when the current cost efficiency is expected to persist.

TCPI = (BAC - EV) / (BAC - AC) gives the efficiency needed to finish within budget; a TCPI above 1.10 signals the budget is not credible.

Life-cycle cost = initial cost + present value of operating, maintenance, and replacement costs minus salvage value discounted to present.

Bid unbalancing: front-loading raises early-unit prices; it is detectable by comparing unit prices against the engineer's estimate and is limited by alternates and unit-price schedules.

Contract documents order of precedence (AIA A201 style): agreement, general conditions, drawings, specifications, addenda, then modifications; where drawings and specs conflict on quality, the higher standard governs.

A compensable delay is owner-caused or within owner control; a concurrent delay caused by the contractor bars or reduces time extension but generally does not defeat a compensable cost claim for owner-caused delay.

Constructive changes arise from defective specs, overzealous inspection, or owner direction without a formal modification; they are pursued through notice and claim procedures, not direct cost pass-through.

Differing site conditions: Type I (subsurface or latent physical conditions materially different from those indicated) and Type II (unknown physical conditions of an unusual nature); both require prompt written notice, typically before disturbance.

Mechanics lien deadlines and preliminary notice requirements are statutory and vary by jurisdiction; a lien waiver is only as effective as the statute and the consideration recited.

Substantial completion starts warranty periods, transfers risk of loss and insurance responsibility to the owner, and converts retainage release to a punch-list holdback.

Pay-when-paid governs timing of payment to a subcontractor; pay-if-paid makes the owner's payment a condition precedent and is unenforceable in several jurisdictions.

Statute of limitations bars an action after a fixed period; statute of repose bars claims after a fixed period from substantial completion regardless of discovery.

Standard of care for design professionals is the skill and care ordinarily used by members of the profession under similar circumstances, not a warranty of perfection.

Critical path is the longest continuous path through the network; its total float is zero (or the minimum value in the network), and any delay on it delays project completion day for day.

Total float = LS - ES = LF - EF; free float = ES(successor) - EF(activity); float ownership should be stated in the contract because it determines who absorbs delay.

CPM forward pass computes early dates (ES = max EF of predecessors; EF = ES + duration); backward pass computes late dates (LF = min LS of successors; LS = LF - duration).

Crash cost per day = (crash cost - normal cost) / (normal duration - crash duration); crash the critical activity with the lowest cost per day first.

PERT expected duration = (O + 4M + P) / 6; variance = ((P - O)/6)^2; the sum of critical-path variances gives project duration variance.

Resource leveling may extend duration by consuming float and creating a new critical path; resource smoothing operates within existing float and does not change the completion date.

A time-scaled logic diagram makes float visible as horizontal gaps; a bar chart without logic cannot demonstrate delay entitlement.

Schedule update vs. revision: an update records actuals and re-forecasts remaining work with the same logic; a revision changes logic, durations, or scope and requires contractual authorization.

Linear scheduling (time-location) suits repetitive work; the controlling slope is the slowest crew rate, and buffer between activities prevents crew interference.

Hierarchy of controls, most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment.

OSHA fall protection trigger for construction is 6 feet (1.8 m) for general surfaces, 10 feet for scaffolds, and 15 feet for steel erection; fall protection must be in place before exposure.

Competent person: capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and authorized to take prompt corrective measures; required for excavations, scaffolds, and fall protection planning.

Excavation: protective system required at 5 feet depth (or when a competent person identifies a hazard); spoil and equipment kept at least 2 feet from the edge; ladder within 25 feet of lateral travel.

Risk score = probability x impact; response strategies are avoid, transfer (insurance, bonds), mitigate, and accept; residual risk must be documented after controls.

Recordable injury thresholds under OSHA: death within 30 days, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye must be reported within 24 hours; fatalities within 8 hours.

Incident investigation should determine root cause (management system, planning, training) rather than assign individual blame; near-miss reporting is a leading indicator.

Emergency action plan elements: escape routes, headcount procedure, rescue and medical duties, and named persons authorized to order evacuation.

Hazard analysis tools: job hazard analysis for task-level risk, and pre-task planning meetings held at the work face before each shift.

Three-phase quality control: preparatory (review requirements, submittals, mockups), initial (first work in place inspected against criteria), and follow-up (ongoing periodic inspection).

Inspection and test plan (ITP) lists the activity, the attribute tested, the acceptance criterion, the method, the frequency, and whether the hold point requires the owner's representative to witness.

Hold point: work cannot proceed until the designated inspection is performed and released; witness point requires notification but does not stop work.

Quality costs: prevention and appraisal are costs of conformance; internal and external failures are costs of nonconformance; increasing prevention usually reduces failure cost.

A mockup establishes the visual and workmanship benchmark; once approved it becomes the acceptance standard for that work, and deviations are measurable against it.

Testing standards must be cited by designation and year (for example, concrete cylinder testing frequency of one set per 50 cubic yards or per day of placement) in the specifications, not left to field discretion.

Nonconformance report documents the condition, disposition (rework, repair, use-as-is, reject), the approving authority, and the verification of closure.

Statistical process control: control charts distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause (assignable) variation; only special causes justify adjusting the process.

Commissioning verifies that systems perform per the owner's project requirements and includes functional performance testing before acceptance.

Site layout decisions follow material flow: minimize travel distance, place cranes to cover the maximum pick area, and separate pedestrian routes from equipment routes.

Crane capacity falls as radius and boom length increase; the load chart governs, and capacity at the working radius minus the rigging weight is the allowable load.

Concrete placement: free fall limited to about 5 feet without a tremie or drop pipe; consolidation by vibrator at regular spacing; curing compound or moist curing begins before surface drying.

Soil compaction is verified by field density test expressed as a percentage of maximum dry density from a standard or modified Proctor test, at a moisture content near optimum.

Temporary utilities, site drainage, and dewatering must be designed before excavation; groundwater lowering can cause settlement of adjacent structures.

Daily reports record weather (with temperature and precipitation affecting productivity claims), manpower by trade, equipment on site, deliveries, visitors, and delays.

Laydown and staging area sizing depends on delivery frequency, bulk versus sequenced materials, and security requirements for high-value items.

Site security and access control: single controlled gate, visitor log, badge system, and after-hours lockup reduce theft and unauthorized entry.

Field documentation for delay claims: daily reports, photographs with dates, delivery tickets, and correspondence establishing notice.

Certification holders must not misrepresent qualifications, must not practice outside competence without disclosure, and must not accept compensation from more than one party for the same service without full disclosure and consent.

Conflict of interest exists when a professional or immediate family member has a financial interest in a supplier, subcontractor, or competing firm on the project; disclosure in writing is required, and in some cases the professional must withdraw.

Confidentiality: proprietary bid information, personnel records, and client business data must not be disclosed without authorization except where required by law or to prevent a threat to public safety.

Gifts and gratuities: anything of value offered to influence a decision must be declined or disclosed per the employer's policy; the test is whether a reasonable observer would question impartiality.

Bribes and kickbacks are illegal as well as unethical; facilitation payments and undisclosed finder's fees are treated as improper inducements.

Public safety over client interest: a professional who discovers a condition endangering life or health must report it to the responsible authority even if the client objects.

Signing and sealing: only the professional in responsible charge may seal documents, and documents must not be sealed outside the professional's area of competence.

Whistleblower protections and duty to report: internal reporting first, then the regulatory authority; retaliation against a reporting employee is prohibited.

Advertising and bidding ethics: no false or misleading statements about qualifications, no suppression of unfavorable facts, and no bid shopping or bid peddling after award.