Project Management & Public Works Planning Flashcards

A municipality experiences repeated cost overruns on capital projects. Which project management practice would MOST directly address systematic underestimation of project costs during planning?

Answer: Implementing reference class forecasting using historical data from similar projects

Reference class forecasting uses empirical data from comparable past projects to calibrate cost estimates and counteract optimism bias in planning.

In public works project scheduling, the difference between 'free float' and 'total float' is that:

Answer: Free float measures delay without affecting successor activities; total float measures delay without affecting project completion

Free float is how long an activity can slip without delaying its immediate successors, while total float is how long it can slip without delaying the project end date.

A municipal engineer is preparing a project delivery recommendation for a complex water treatment plant upgrade. Which delivery method best allows the owner to maintain design control while transferring some cost risk?

Answer: Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)

CMAR with a GMP allows the owner to retain design authority while the construction manager provides a price guarantee, capping the owner's construction cost exposure.

Under typical municipal procurement rules, a 'responsive' bid is one that:

Answer: Conforms to all material requirements of the bid solicitation

A responsive bid complies with all material terms and conditions of the IFB, including required forms, bonding, and technical specifications.

When managing a federally funded public works project, the agency's project manager discovers the contractor has not complied with required Buy America provisions. The MOST appropriate immediate action is:

Answer: Issue a stop-work order and notify the federal funding agency

Buy America noncompliance on federally funded projects can jeopardize grant funds; the agency must stop the affected work and notify the federal agency promptly.

Which document formally authorizes a project manager to apply organizational resources to project activities?

Answer: Project charter

The project charter is the formal document signed by the sponsor that authorizes the project and empowers the project manager to use organizational resources.

A public agency is evaluating proposals under a best-value procurement. Scoring weights are 60% technical and 40% cost. Firm A scores 90 technical / $5M price; Firm B scores 80 technical / $4M price. What is Firm A's composite score if scores are normalized to 100?

Answer: Firm A: 54 + 32 = 86; Firm B: 48 + 40 = 88 — Firm B wins narrowly

Normalizing cost so the lowest price earns 100 (Firm B=100, Firm A=80): Firm A = 0.60×90 + 0.40×80 = 54+32=86; Firm B = 0.60×80 + 0.40×100 = 48+40=88.