Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction 2020 (M 41-10) - page 16

Page 1-22 

Bid Procedures and Conditions

1-02.15 

Pre-Award Information

Before Awarding any Contract, the Contracting Agency may require one or more of these 
items or actions of the apparent lowest responsible Bidder:
1.  A complete statement of the origin, composition, and manufacture of any or all 

materials to be used;

2.  Samples of these materials for quality and fitness tests;
3.  A progress schedule (in a form the Contracting Agency requires) showing the order 

of and time required for the various phases of the Work;

4.  A breakdown of costs assigned to any Bid item;
5.  Attendance at a conference with the Engineer or representatives of the Engineer; or
6.  Any other information or action taken that is deemed necessary to ensure that the 

Bidder is the lowest responsible Bidder.

Award and Execution of Contract 

1-03

1-03

 

Award and Execution of Contract

1-03.1 

Consideration of Bids

After opening and reading Proposals, the Contracting Agency will check them for 
correctness of extensions of the prices per unit and the total price. If a discrepancy exists 
between the price per unit and the extended amount of any Bid item, the price per unit 
will control. The total of extensions, corrected where necessary, will be used by the 
Contracting Agency for Award purposes and to fix the amount of the Contract Bond.

The right is reserved by the Contracting Agency to waive informalities in the bidding, 
accept a Proposal of the lowest responsible Bidder, reject any or all Bids, republish the call 
for Bids, revise or cancel the Work, or require the Work to be done in another way if the 
best interest of the Contracting Agency is served.

A Bidder who wishes to claim error after the Bids have been publicly opened and read as 
required by 

RCW 47.28.090

 shall promptly notify the Contracting Agency that an error 

occurred. The Bidder shall submit a notarized affidavit or declaration under penalty of 
perjury signed by the Bidder and accompanied by the work sheets used in the preparation 
of the Bid, requesting relief from the responsibilities of Award. The affidavit or declaration 
shall describe the specific error(s) and certify that the work sheets are the ones used in 
preparing the Bid.

The affidavit or declaration shall be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first business 
day after Bid opening or the claim will not be considered. The Contracting Agency will 
review the affidavit or declaration and the certified work sheets to determine the validity 
of the claimed error and if the error is of the kind for which the law allows relief from 
forfeiture of the Bid deposit. If the Contracting Agency concurs in the claim of error and 
determines that the error is of the kind which allows relief from forfeiture, the Bidder 
will be relieved of responsibility and the Bid deposit of the Bidder will be returned. If the 
Contracting Agency does not concur in the error or determines that the error is not the 
kind for which the law allows relief, the Contracting Agency may Award the Contract and 
if the Bidder refuses to execute the Contract, the Bidder’s Bid deposit shall be forfeited as 
required by 

RCW 47.28.100

.

1-03.1(1)  Identical Bid Totals

After opening Bids, if two or more lowest responsive Bid totals are exactly equal, then 
the tie-breaker will be determined by drawing as described in this section. Two or more 
slips of paper will be marked as follows: one marked “Winner” and the other(s) marked 
“unsuccessful”. The slips will be folded to make the marking unseen. The slips will be 
placed inside a box. One authorized representative of each Bidder shall draw a slip from 
the box. Bidders shall draw in alphabetic order by the name of the firm as registered with 
the Washington State Department of Licensing. The slips shall be unfolded and the firm 
with the slip marked “Winner” will be determined to be the successful Bidder and eligible 
for Award of the Contract. Only those Bidders who submitted a Bid total that is exactly 
equal to the lowest responsive Bid are eligible to draw. 

Page 1-24 

Award and Execution of Contract

1-03.2 

Award of Contract

Normally, Contract Award or Bid rejection will occur within 45 calendar days after Bid 
opening. If the lowest responsible Bidder and the Contracting Agency agree, this deadline 
may be extended. If they cannot agree on an extension by the 45 calendar day deadline, 
the Contracting Agency reserves the right to Award the Contract to the next lowest 
responsible Bidder or reject all Bids. The Contracting Agency will notify the successful 
Bidder of the Contract Award in writing.

1-03.3 

Execution of Contract

Within 20 calendar days after the Award date, the successful Bidder shall return the 
signed Contracting Agency-prepared Contract, an insurance certification as required by 

Section 1-07.18

, a satisfactory bond as required by law and 

Section 1-03.4

, the Transfer 

of Coverage form for the Construction Stormwater General Permit with sections I, III, 
and VIII completed when provided, and shall be registered as a contractor in the state of 
Washington.

Until the Contracting Agency executes a Contract, no Proposal shall bind the Contracting 
Agency nor shall any Work begin within the project limits or within Contracting Agency-
furnished sites. The Contractor shall bear all risks for any Work begun outside such areas 
and for any materials ordered before the Contract is executed by the Contracting Agency.

If the Bidder experiences circumstances beyond their control that prevents return of 
the Contract documents within 20 calendar days after the Award date, the Contracting 
Agency may grant up to a maximum of 20 additional calendar days for return of the 
documents, provided the Contracting Agency deems the circumstances warrant it.

1-03.4 

Contract Bond

The successful Bidder shall provide an executed Contract Bond for the full Contract 
amount. This Contract Bond shall:
1.  Be on a Contracting Agency-furnished form;
2.  Be signed by an approved Surety (or Sureties) that:

a.  Is registered with the Washington State Insurance Commissioner; and
b.  Appears on the current Authorized Insurance List in the State of Washington 

published by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner,

3.  Be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the Contract by the Contractor 

within the prescribed time;

4.  Be conditioned upon the payment of taxes, increases, and penalties incurred on the 

project under titles 50, 51, and 82 RCW; and 

Award and Execution of Contract 

1-03

5.  Guarantee that the Surety shall indemnify, defend, and protect the Contracting 

Agency against any claim of direct or indirect loss resulting from the failure:
a.  Of the Contractor (or any of the employees, Subcontractors, or lower tier 

subcontractors of the Contractor) to faithfully perform the Contract; or

b.  Of the Contractor (or the Subcontractors or lower tier subcontractors of 

the Contractor) to pay all laborers, mechanics, Subcontractors, lower tier 
subcontractors, material person, or any other person who provides supplies or 
provisions for carrying out the Work.

The Contracting Agency may require Sureties or Surety companies on the Contract Bond 
to appear and qualify themselves. Whenever the Contracting Agency deems the Surety or 
Sureties to be inadequate, it may, upon written demand, require the Contractor to furnish 
additional Surety to cover any remaining Work. Until the added Surety is furnished, 
payments on the Contract will stop.

1-03.5 

Failure to Execute Contract

Failure to return the insurance certification and bond with the signed Contract as 
required in 

Section 1-03.3

, or failure to provide Disadvantaged, Minority or Women’s 

Business Enterprise information if required in the Contract, or failure or refusal to sign 
the Contract, or failure to register as a contractor in the state of Washington, or failure 
to return the completed Transfer of Coverage for the Construction Stormwater General 
Permit to the Contracting Agency when provided shall result in forfeiture of the proposal 
bond or deposit of this Bidder. If this should occur, the Contracting Agency may then 
Award the Contract to the second lowest responsible Bidder or reject all remaining 
Bids. If the second lowest responsible Bidder fails to return the required documents as 
stated above within the time provided after Award, the Contract may then be Awarded 
successively in a like manner to the remaining lowest responsible Bidders until the above 
requirements are met or the remaining Proposals are rejected.

1-03.6 

Return of Bid Deposit

When Proposals have been examined and corrected as necessary, proposal bonds and 
deposits accompanying Proposals ineligible for further consideration will be returned. 
All other proposal bonds and deposits will be held until the Contract has been properly 
executed. When the Contract has been properly executed, all remaining deposits or 
bonds, except those subject to forfeiture, will be returned.

1-03.7 

Judicial Review

Any decision made by the Contracting Agency regarding the Award and execution of 
the Contract or Bid rejection shall be conclusive subject to the scope of judicial review 
permitted under Washington Law. Such review, if any, shall be timely filed in the Superior 
Court of Thurston County, Washington.

Page 1-26 

Scope of the Work

1-04 

Scope of the Work

1-04.1 

Intent of the Contract

The intent of the Contract is to prescribe a complete Work. Omissions from the Contract 
of details of Work that are necessary to carry out the intent of the Contract shall not 
relieve the Contractor from performing the omitted Work.

1-04.1(1)  Bid Items Included in the Proposal

The Contractor shall provide all labor, materials, tools, equipment, transportation, 
supplies, and incidentals required to complete all Work for the items included in the 
Proposal.

1-04.1(2)  Bid Items Not Included in the Proposal

When the Contract specifies Work that has no Bid item, and the Work is not specified 
as being included with or incidental to other Bid items, an equitable adjustment will be 
made in accordance with 

Section 1-04.4

 unless that Work is customarily considered as 

incidental to other items.

1-04.2 

Coordination of Contract Documents, Plans, Special Provisions, 

Specifications, and Addenda

The complete Contract includes these parts: the Contract Form, Bidder’s completed 
Proposal Form, Contract Plans, Contract Provisions, Standard Specifications, 

Standard 

Plans

, Addenda, various certifications and affidavits, supplemental agreements, change 

orders, and subsurface boring logs (if any). These parts complement each other in 
describing a complete Work. Any requirement in one part binds as if stated in all parts. 
The Contractor shall provide any Work or materials clearly implied in the Contract even if 
the Contract does not mention it specifically.

Any inconsistency in the parts of the Contract shall be resolved by following this order of 
precedence (e.g., 1 presiding over 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7; 2 presiding over 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7; and 
so forth):
1. Addenda,
2.  Proposal Form,
3.  Special Provisions,
4.  Contract Plans,
5.  Amendments to the Standard Specifications,
6.  Standard Specifications, and
7. 

Standard Plans

.

On the Contract Plans, Working Drawings, and 

Standard Plans

, figured dimensions shall 

take precedence over scaled dimensions.

Scope of the Work 

1-04

This order of precedence shall not apply when Work is required by one part of the 
Contract but omitted from another part or parts of the Contract. The Work required in 
one part must be furnished even if not mentioned in other parts of the Contract.

Whenever reference is made in these Specifications or the Special Provisions to codes, 
rules, specifications, and standards, the reference shall be construed to mean the code, 
rule, specification, or standard that is in effect on the Bid advertisement date, unless 
otherwise stated or as required by law.

If any part of the Contract requires Work that does not include a description for how the 
Work is to be performed, the Work shall be performed in accordance with standard trade 
practice(s). For purposes of the Contract, a standard trade practice is one having such 
regularity of observance in the trade as to justify an expectation that it will be observed 
by the Contractor in doing the Work.

In case of any ambiguity or dispute over interpreting the Contract, the Engineer’s decision 
will be final as provided in 

Section 1-05.1

.

1-04.3 

Reference Information

Reference Information provided to the Contractor is not part of the Contract. The 
Contracting Agency does not guarantee the accuracy of the Reference Information and 
is not responsible for the content of the Reference Information in any manner. Any use 
of Reference Information by the Contractor is done solely at the Contractor’s risk. If a 
document that is provided as reference information contains material also included as 
a part of the Contract, that portion of the document shall be considered a part of the 
Contract and not as Reference Information.

1-04.4 Changes

The Engineer reserves the right to make, at any time during the Work, such changes in 
quantities and such alterations in the Work as are necessary to satisfactorily complete 
the project. Such changes in quantities and alterations shall not invalidate the Contract 
nor release the Surety, and the Contractor agrees to perform the Work as altered. Among 
others, these changes and alterations may include:
1.  Deleting any part of the Work.
2.  Increasing or decreasing quantities.
3.  Altering Specifications, designs, or both.
4.  Altering the way the Work is to be done.
5.  Adding new Work.
6.  Altering facilities, equipment, materials, services, or sites, provided by the 

Contracting Agency.

7.  Ordering the Contractor to speed up or delay the Work.

Page 1-28 

Scope of the Work

The Engineer will issue a written change order for any change unless the remainder of this 
section provides otherwise.

If the alterations or changes in quantities significantly change the character of the 
Work under the Contract, whether or not changed by any such different quantities or 
alterations, an adjustment, excluding loss of anticipated profits, will be made to the 
Contract. The basis for the adjustment shall be agreed upon prior to the performance 
of the Work. If a basis cannot be agreed upon, then an adjustment will be made either 
for or against the Contractor in such amount as the Engineer may determine to be fair 
and equitable. If the alterations or changes in quantities do not significantly change the 
character of the Work to be performed under the Contract, the altered Work will be paid 
for as provided elsewhere in the Contract. The term significant change shall be construed 
to apply only to the following circumstances:
A.  When the character of the Work as altered differs materially in kind or nature from 

that involved or included in the original proposed construction; or

B.  When an item of Work, as defined elsewhere in the Contract, is increased in excess 

of 125 percent or decreased below 75 percent of the original Contract quantity. For 
the purpose of this Section, an item of Work will be defined as any item that qualifies 
for adjustment under the provisions of 

Section 1-04.6

.

For item 1, an equitable adjustment for deleted Work will be made as provided in 

Section 1-09.5

.

For item 2, if the actual quantity of any item, exclusive of added or deleted amounts 
included in agreed change orders, increases or decreases by more than 25 percent from 
the original Plan quantity, the unit Contract prices for that item may be adjusted in 
accordance with 

Section 1-04.6

.

For any changes except item 1 (deleted Work) or item 2 (increasing or decreasing 
quantities), the Engineer will determine if the change should be paid for at unit 
Contract price(s). If the Engineer determines that the change increased or decreased 
the Contractor’s costs or time to do any of the Work including unchanged Work, the 
Engineer will make an equitable adjustment to the Contract. The equitable adjustment 
will be by agreement with the Contractor. However, if the parties are unable to agree, 
the Engineer will determine the amount of the equitable adjustment in accordance with 

Section 1-09.4

 and adjust the time as the Engineer deems appropriate. Extensions of time 

will be evaluated in accordance with 

Section 1-08.8

. The Engineer’s decision concerning 

equitable adjustment and extension of time shall be final as provided in 

Section 1-05.1

.

The Contractor shall proceed with the Work upon receiving:
1.  A written change order approved by the Engineer, or
2.  An oral order from the Engineer before actually receiving the written change order.

Within 14 calendar days of delivery of the change order the contractor shall endorse 
and return the change order, request an extension of time for endorsement or respond 
in accordance with 

Section 1-04.5

. The Contracting Agency may unilaterally process 

the change order if the Contractor fails to comply with these requirements. Changes 

Scope of the Work 

1-04

normally noted on field stakes or variations from estimated quantities, except as provided 
in subparagraph A or B above, will not require a written change order. These changes 
shall be made at the unit prices that apply. The Contractor shall respond immediately to 
changes shown on field stakes without waiting for further notice.

The Contractor shall obtain written consent of the Surety or Sureties if the Engineer 
requests such consent.

1-04.4(1)  Minor Changes

Payments or credits for changes amounting to $25,000 or less may be made under the 
Bid item “Minor Change”. At the discretion of the Contracting Agency, this procedure 
for Minor Changes may be used in lieu of the more formal procedure as outlined in 

Section 1-04.4

, Changes.

The Contractor will be provided a copy of the completed order for Minor Change. The 
agreement for the Minor Change will be documented by signature of the Contractor, or 
notation of verbal agreement. If the Contractor is in disagreement with anything required 
by the order for Minor Change, the Contractor may protest the order as provided in 

Section 1-04.5

.

Payments or credits will be determined in accordance with 

Section 1-09.4

. For the 

purpose of providing a common Proposal for all Bidders, the Contracting Agency has 
entered an amount for “Minor Change” in the Proposal to become a part of the total Bid 
by the Contractor.

1-04.4(2)  Value Engineering Change Proposal (VECP)

1-04.4(2)A General

A VECP is a Contractor proposed change to the Contract Provisions which will accomplish 
the projects functional requirements in a manner that is equal to or better than the 
requirements in the Contract. The VECP may be: (1) at a less cost or time, or (2) either no 
cost savings or a minor increase in cost with a reduction in Contract time. The net savings 
or added costs to the Contract Work are shared by the Contractor and Contracting 
Agency.

The Contractor may submit a VECP for changing the Plans, Specifications, or other 
requirements of the Contract. The Engineer’s decision to accept or reject all or part of the 
proposal is final and not subject to arbitration under the arbitration clause or otherwise 
subject to litigation.

The VECP shall meet all of the following:
1.  Not adversely affect the long term life cycle costs.
2.  Not adversely impact the ability to perform maintenance.
3.  Provide the required safety and appearance.
4.  Provide substitution for deleted or reduced Condition of Award Work, Apprentice 

Utilization and Training.

Page 1-30 

Scope of the Work

VECPs that provide a time reduction shall meet the following requirements:
1.  Time saving is a direct result of the VECP.
2.  Liquidated damages penalties are not used to calculate savings.
3.  Administrative/overhead cost savings experienced by either the Contractor or 

Contracting Agency as a result of time reduction accrue to each party and are not 
used to calculate savings.

1-04.4(2)B 

VECP Savings

1-04.4(2)B1 

Proposal Savings

The incentive payment to the Contractor shall be one-half of the net savings of the 
proposal calculated as follows:
1.  (gross cost of deleted work) – (gross cost of added work) = (gross savings)
2.  (gross savings) – (Contractor’s engineering costs) – (Contracting Agency’s costs) = 

(net savings)

3.  (net savings) / 2 = (incentive pay)

The Contracting Agency’s costs shall be the actual consultant costs billed to the 
Contracting Agency and in-house costs. Costs for personnel assigned to the Engineer’s 
office shall not be included.

1-04.4(2)B2 

Added Costs to Achieve Time Savings

The cost to achieve the time savings shall be calculated as follows:
1.  (cost of added work) + (Contractor’s engineering costs - Contracting Agency’s 

engineering costs) = (cost to achieve time savings)

2.  (cost to achieve time savings) / 2 = (Contracting Agency’s share of added cost)

If the timesaving proposal also involves deleting work and, as a result, creates a savings 
for the Contracting Agency, then the Contractor shall also receive one-half of the savings 
realized through the deletion.

1-04.4(2)C 

VECP Approval

1-04.4(2)C1 

Concept Approval

The Contractor shall submit a written proposal to the Engineer for consideration. The 
proposal shall contain the following information:
1.  An explanation outlining the benefit provided by the change(s).
2.  A narrative description of the proposed change(s). If applicable, the discussion 

shall include a demonstration of functional equivalency or a description of how the 
proposal meets the original contract scope of work.

Scope of the Work 

1-04

3.  A cost discussion estimating any net savings. Savings estimates will generally follow 

the outline below under the section, “Proposal Savings”.

4.  A statement providing the Contracting Agency with the right to use all or any part of 

the proposal on future projects without future obligation or compensation.

5.  A statement acknowledging and agreeing that the Engineer’s decision to accept 

or reject all or part of the proposal is final and not subject to arbitration under the 
arbitration clause or otherwise be subject to claims or disputes.

6.  A statement giving the dates the Engineer must make a decision to accept or reject 

the conceptual proposal, the date that approval to proceed must be received, and 
the date the work must begin in order to not delay the contract. If the Contracting 
Agency does not approve the VECP by the date specified by the Contractor in their 
proposal the VECP will be deemed rejected.

7.  The submittal will include an analysis on other Work that may have costs that 

changed as a result of the VECP. Traffic control and erosion control shall both be 
included in addition to any other impacted Work.

After review of the proposal, the Engineer will respond in writing with acceptance or 
rejection of the concept. This acceptance shall not be construed as authority to proceed 
with any change contract work. Concept approval allows the Contractor to proceed with 
the Work needed to develop final plans and other information to receive formal approval 
and to support preparation of a change order.

1-04.4(2)C2 

Formal Approval

The Contractor’s submittal to the Engineer for formal approval shall include the following:
1.  Deleted Work – Include the calculated quantities of unit price Work to be deleted. 

Include the proposed partial prices for portions of lump sum Work deleted. For 
deletion of force account items include the time and material estimates.

2.  Added Work – Include the calculated quantities of unit price Work to be added, 

either by original unit Contract prices or by new, negotiated unit prices. For new 
items of Work include the quantities and proposed prices.

3.  Contractor’s Engineering Costs – Submit the labor costs for the engineering to 

develop the proposal; costs for Contractor employees utilized in contract operations 
on a regular basis shall not be included.

4.  Schedule Analysis – If the VECP is related to time savings, the Contractor shall 

submit a partial progress schedule showing the changed Work. The submittal shall 
also include a discussion comparing the partial progress schedule with the approved 
progress schedule for the project.

5.  Working Drawings – Type 3 Working Drawings shall be submitted; those drawings 

which require engineering shall be a Type 3E.

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Scope of the Work

Formal approval of the proposal will be documented by issuance of a change order. The 
VECP change order will contain the following statements which the Contractor agrees to 
by signing the change order:
1.  The Contractor accepts design risk of all features, both temporary and permanent, of 

the changed Work.

2.  The Contractor accepts risk of constructability of the changed Work.
3.  The Contractor provides the Contracting Agency with the right to use all or any part 

of the proposal on future projects without further obligation or compensation.

VECP change orders will contain separate pay items for the items that are applicable to 
the Proposal. These are as follows:
1.  Deleted Work.
2.  Added Work.
3.  The Contractor’s engineering costs, reimbursed at 100 percent of the Contractor’s 

cost.

4.  Incentive payment to the Contractor.

When added Work costs exceed Deleted Work costs, but time savings make a viable 
proposal, then items 3 and 4 above are replaced with the following:
3.  The Contracting Agency’s share of added cost to achieve time savings.
4.  The Contractor’s share of savings from deleted Work.

1-04.4(2)C3 

Authority to Proceed with Changed Work

The authority for the Contractor to proceed with the VECP Work will be provided by one 
of the following options:
1.  Execution of the VECP change order, or
2.  At the Contractor’s request the Contracting Agency may provide approval by letter 

from the Engineer for the Work to proceed prior to execution of a change order. All 
of the risk for proceeding with the VECP shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. 
Additionally, the following criteria are required to have been met:
a.  Concept approval has been granted by the Contracting Agency.
b.  All design reviews and approvals have been completed, including plans and 

specifications.

c.  The Contractor has guaranteed, in writing, the minimum savings to the 

Contracting Agency.

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1-04

1-04.5 

Procedure and Protest by the Contractor

The Contractor accepts all requirements of a change order by: (1) endorsing it, (2) writing 
a separate acceptance, (3) not responding within the allotted time as outlined in 

Section 

1-04.4

, or (4) not protesting in the way this section provides. A change order that is not 

protested as provided in this section shall be full payment and final settlement of all 
claims for Contract time and for all costs of any kind, including costs of delays, related 
to any Work either covered or affected by the change. By not protesting as this section 
provides, the Contractor also waives any additional entitlement and accepts from the 
Engineer any written or oral order (including directions, instructions, interpretations, and 
determinations).

If in disagreement with anything required in a change order, another written order, or 
an oral order from the Engineer, including any direction, instruction, interpretation, or 
determination by the Engineer, the Contractor shall:
1.  Immediately give a signed written notice of protest to the Engineer or the Engineer’s 

field Inspectors before doing the Work;

2.  Supplement the written protest within 14 calendar days with a written statement 

and supporting documents providing the following:
a.  The date and nature of the protested order, direction, instruction, interpretation 

or determination;

b.  A full discussion of the circumstances which caused the protest, including 

names of persons involved, time, duration and nature of the Work involved, and 
a review of the Plans and Contract Provisions referenced to support the protest;

c.  The estimated dollar cost, if any, of the protested Work and a detailed 

breakdown showing how that estimate was determined; 

d.  An analysis of the progress schedule showing the schedule change or disruption 

if the Contractor is asserting a schedule change or disruption; and

e.  If the protest is continuing, the information required above shall be 

supplemented upon request by the Engineer until the protest is resolved.

Throughout any protested Work, the Contractor shall keep complete records of extra 
costs and time incurred. The Contractor shall permit the Engineer access to these and any 
other records related to the protested Work as determined by the Engineer.

The Engineer will evaluate all protests provided the procedures in this section are 
followed. If the Engineer determines that a protest is valid, the Engineer will adjust 
payment for Work or time by an equitable adjustment in accordance with 

Section 1-09.4

. 

Extensions of time will be evaluated in accordance with 

Section 1-08.8

. No adjustment 

will be made for an invalid protest.

If the Engineer determines that the protest is invalid, that determination and the reasons 
for it will be provided in writing to the Contractor. The determination will be provided 
within 14 calendar days after receipt of the Contractor’s supplemental written statement 

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Scope of the Work

(including any additional information requested by the Engineer to support a continuing 
protest) described in item 2 above.

If the Contractor does not accept the Engineer’s determination then the Contractor 
shall pursue the dispute and claims procedures set forth in 

Section 1-09.11

. In spite 

of any protest or dispute, the Contractor shall proceed promptly with the Work as the 
Engineer orders.

By failing to follow the procedures of Sections 

1-04.5

 and 

1-09.11

, the Contractor 

completely waives any claims for protested Work.

1-04.6 

Variation in Estimated Quantities

Payment to the Contractor will be made only for the actual quantities of Work performed 
and accepted in conformance with the Contract. When the accepted quantity of Work 
performed under a unit item varies from the original Proposal quantity, payment will be 
at the unit Contract price for all Work unless the total accepted quantity of any Contract 
item, adjusted to exclude added or deleted amounts included in change orders accepted 
by both parties, increases or decreases by more than 25 percent from the original 
Proposal quantity. In that case, payment for Contract Work may be adjusted as described 
herein.

The adjusted final quantity shall be determined by starting with the final accepted 
quantity measured after all Work under an item has been completed. From this amount, 
subtract any quantities included in additive change orders accepted by both parties. Then, 
to the resulting amount, add any quantities included in deductive change orders accepted 
by both parties. The final result of this calculation shall become the adjusted final quantity 
and the basis for comparison to the original Proposal quantity.
1.  Increased Quantities – Either party to the Contract will be entitled to renegotiate 

the price for that portion of the adjusted final quantity in excess of 1.25 times 
the original Proposal quantity. The price for excessive increased quantities will be 
determined by agreement of the parties, or, where the parties cannot agree, the 
price will be determined by the Engineer based upon the actual costs to perform the 
Work, including reasonable markup for overhead and profit.

2.  Decreased Quantities – Either party to the Contract will be entitled to an equitable 

adjustment if the adjusted final quantity of Work performed is less than 75 percent 
of the original Bid quantity. The equitable adjustment shall be based upon and 
limited to three factors:
a.  Any increase or decrease in unit costs of labor, materials or equipment, utilized 

for Work actually performed, resulting solely from the reduction in quantity;

b.  Changes in production rates or methods of performing Work actually done 

to the extent that the nature of the Work actually performed differs from the 
nature of the Work included in the original plan; and

c.  An adjustment for the anticipated contribution to unavoidable fixed cost and 

overhead from the units representing the difference between the adjusted final 
quantity and 75 percent of the original Plan quantity.

Scope of the Work 

1-04

The following limitations shall apply to renegotiated prices for increases and/or equitable 
adjustments for decreases:
1.  The equipment rates shall be actual cost but shall not exceed the rates set forth in 

the AGC/WSDOT Equipment Rental Agreement (referred to in 

Section 1-09.6

) that 

is in effect at the time the Work is performed.

2.  No payment will be made for extended or unabsorbed home office overhead and 

field overhead expenses to the extent that there is an unbalanced allocation of such 
expenses among the Contract Bid items.

3.  No payment for consequential damages or loss of anticipated profits will be allowed 

because of any variance in quantities from those originally shown in the Proposal 
form, Contract Provisions, and Contract Plans.

4.  The total payment (including the adjustment amount and unit prices for Work 

performed) for any item that experiences an equitable adjustment for decreased 
quantity shall not exceed 75 percent of the amount originally Bid for the item.

If the adjusted final quantity of any item does not vary from the quantity shown in the 
Proposal by more than 25 percent, then the Contractor and the Contracting Agency agree 
that all Work under that item will be performed at the original Contract unit price.

When ordered by the Engineer, the Contractor shall proceed with the Work pending 
determination of the cost or time adjustment for the variation in quantities.

The Contractor and the Contracting Agency agree that there will be no cost adjustment 
for decreases if the Contracting Agency has entered the amount for the item in the 
Proposal form only to provide a common Proposal for Bidders.

1-04.7 

Differing Site Conditions (Changed Conditions)

During the progress of the Work, if preexisting subsurface or latent physical conditions 
are encountered at the site, differing materially from those indicated in the Contract, or 
if preexisting unknown physical conditions of an unusual nature, differing materially from 
those ordinarily encountered and generally recognized as inherent in the Work provided 
for in the Contract, are encountered at the site, the party discovering such conditions 
shall promptly notify the other party in writing of the specific differing site conditions 
before they are disturbed and before the affected Work is performed.

Upon written notification, the Engineer will investigate the conditions and if he/she 
determines that the conditions materially differ and cause an increase or decrease in the 
cost or time required for the performance of any Work under the Contract, an adjustment, 
excluding loss of anticipated profits, will be made and the Contract modified in writing 
accordingly. The Engineer will notify the Contractor of his/her determination whether or 
not an adjustment of the Contract is warranted.

No Contract adjustment which results in a benefit to the Contractor will be allowed 
unless the Contractor has provided the required written notice.

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Scope of the Work

The equitable adjustment will be by agreement with the Contractor. However, if the 
parties are unable to agree, the Engineer will determine the amount of the equitable 
adjustment in accordance with 

Section 1-09.4

. Extensions of time will be evaluated in 

accordance with 

Section 1-08.8

.

If the Engineer determines that different site conditions do not exist and no adjustment in 
costs or time is warranted, such determination shall be final as provided in 

Section 1-05.1

.

If there is a decrease in the costs or time required to perform the Work, failure of the 
Contractor to notify the Engineer of the differing site conditions shall not affect the 
Contracting Agency’s right to make an adjustment in the costs or time.

No claim by the Contractor shall be allowed unless the Contractor has followed the 
procedures provided in Sections

 1-04.5

 and 

1-09.11

.

1-04.8 

Progress Estimates and Payments

Engineer-issued progress estimates or payments for any part of the Work shall not be 
used as evidence of performance or quantities. Progress estimates serve only as basis 
for partial payments. The Engineer may revise progress estimates any time before final 
acceptance. If the Engineer deems it proper to do so, changes may be made in progress 
estimates and in the final estimate. 

1-04.9 

Use of Buildings or Structures

The Engineer will decide whether any building or Structure on the Right of Way may 
remain during the Work and whether the Contractor may use such a building or Structure.

1-04.10 

Use of Materials Found on the Project

With the Engineer’s written approval, the Contractor may use on the project: stone, 
gravel, sand, other materials from on-site excavation, or timbers removed in the course 
of the Work. Approval will not be granted if:
1.  The excavated materials or timber fail to meet Contract requirements;
2.  The excavated materials or timber are required for other use under the Contract;
3.  The excavated materials are required for use as Selected Materials under 

Section 2-03.3(10)

; or

4.  Such use is not in the best interests of the Contracting Agency as determined by the 

Engineer, whose decision shall be final as provided in 

Section 1-05.1

.

Any material disturbed by, but not used in, the Work shall be disposed of as 
provided elsewhere in the Contract or as ordered by the Engineer in accordance with 

Section 1-04.4

.

Scope of the Work 

1-04

1-04.11 

Final Cleanup

The Contractor shall perform final cleanup as provided in this section to the Engineer’s 
satisfaction. The Engineer will not establish the Physical Completion Date until this is 
done. The Highway Right of Way, material sites, and all ground the Contractor occupied 
to do the Work shall be left neat and presentable. The Contractor shall:
1.  Remove all rubbish, surplus materials, discarded materials, falsework, camp buildings, 

temporary structures, equipment, and debris; and

2.  Deposit in embankments, or remove from the project, all unneeded, oversized rock 

left from grading, surfacing, or paving.

The Contractor shall not remove warning, regulatory, or guide signs unless the Engineer 
approves.