The preconstruction meeting is to be scheduled prior to the construction start date identified in the Notice To Proceed. The Construction Administrator will send notification of the preconstruction meeting to the Contractor, Architect and other attendees (refer sample letter).

The Preconstruction Packages include: Preconstruction Meeting Agenda, the Contractor’s Payment Request form 702.12, the Preconstruction Sign-In Sheet will be prepared for distribution to the Design Architect, the Project Manager/Inspector and the Contractor at the Preconstruction Meeting. Four contract set labels should also be prepared for attachment to two sets of contract drawings and specifications (including all addenda). The Contractor and the Construction Administrator shall sign these labels and affix them to the drawings and specifications, thereby making those signed sets the “official” contract documents.

When inviting the Project Architect/Engineer to the Preconstruction meeting, request that he or she bring five or six sets of half-size plans to the meeting. Remind Architect/Engineer to include any full-sized plans that may have been issued by addendum. The half-sized plans can be used for the signature set, and the signature set shall be maintained with the official contract files.

The Construction Administrator is to conduct the preconstruction meeting following the standard preconstruction meeting agenda. The Construction Administrator should fully understand every item on the agenda and take as much time as appropriate to achieve understanding by the primary parties. The agenda usually touches on every topic necessary in this type of meeting to get familiar with the roles of the parties, the paperwork, and other key procedures such as access, safety, submittals, change orders, and payment. The Construction Administrator should maintain a positive tone and encourage the principles of partnering by all parties for the mutual success of the project.

The precon meeting agenda includes a presentation regarding prevailing wage requirement and the submittals of certified payroll records for the project, along with other relevant information and processes. Use the form number CSU.LC-00A: Checklist of Labor Law Requirements, which was created for use on projects for which the DIR monitors labor compliance. This form contains a certification piece which all contractors at the preconstruction meeting must sign, and campus must retain in files.

References:

SUAM section 9791 CM Procedures Manual, Section 15, Preconstruction Meeting

Forms/Templates:

• Preconstruction Meeting: Preconstruction Mtg Letter,
• Preconstruction Sign-In Sheet,
• Preconstruction Mtg Agenda,
• Checklist of Labor Law Requirements,
• Preconstruction Mtg Package Contents,
• Contract Set Labels

Escrow Agmt Overview: To ensure performance under a contract, the Trustees shall retain no less than five (5%) percent of the contract price (including change orders), until final completion and acceptance of the project by the Trustees (Public Contract Code, Section 10851). The Trustees may hold the retention in the following three ways:

1. The Trustees shall process the Contractor’s partial payment requests, retaining not less than five (5%) percent of each partial payment request, and hold the retention funds in the contract account. After the project is 100% complete, and if there are no stop notices, labor commissioner withholds or claims against the Contractor or the project, the Trustees may process the final retention payment request to the Contractor.
2. The Trustees may allow the Contractor to establish an escrow account. When there is an escrow agreement, the Trustees will process all partial payment requests, and process retention payments to the Contractor, but only after confirming that the Contractor has deposited sufficient securities with the State Treasurer’s Office (STO). Rarely, the Trustees may opt not to authorize an escrow agreement if specific reasons exist related to a contractor’s performance or if there are unique circumstances with a project. Reasons such as staff workload are not valid reasons to disallow a contractor to utilize an escrow agreement.
3. The Trustees may combine the above two options. This may occur near the completion of a project, and the Trustees may establish a cut-off point when the Contractor is not required to deposit additional securities with the STO. Instead, the Trustees will process the remaining partial payment requests to the Contractor, and hold the retention funds from those partial payment requests in the contract account. Thus, the Trustees have in retention in the form of securities deposited at the STO up to the cut-off point, and also hold five (5%) percent retention in the contract account for retention on all payments processed thereafter. Both accounts shall equal no less than five (5%) percent of the entire contract.

Parties in the Escrow Agreement Process: A three-party agreement is drawn up between the Trustees of the California State University as the Trustee, the Contractor, and the STO as the Escrow Agent. All parties must hold a fully executed agreement (this includes an escrow agreement, surety, power of attorney and all- purpose acknowledgement), all with original signatures.

• Escrow Agent: the State Treasurer, who signs all agreements and retention payments for STO.
• Escrow Agent Representative: staff member(s) at the STO authorized to perform the following:
  • set up the escrow account, process deposits, withdrawals and retention payments,
  • assess fees, and close the account. Trustees’ Construction Administrator: a CSU employee, usually not the Trustees’ Escrow Representative, authorized to perform the following:
  • send the agreement to the Contractor, if requested by the Contractor,
  • review the agreement when returned from the Contractor,
  • assign a number to the agreement,
  • forward the agreement to Trustees’ Escrow Representative for further processing,
  • receive and verify that partial payment requests and retention payment requests match and are correct,
  • verify that securities on deposit with STO are sufficient to process retention payment,
  • sign and process retention payments through to the STO for authorization to release,
  • set up log of partial payment requests and retention payment requests.
• Trustees’ Escrow Representative: a CSU employee, usually not the Trustees’ Construction Administrator, authorized to perform the following:
  • receive and review the escrow agreement from the Construction Administrator,
    
  • secure signature by Trustees’ executive and forward the agreement to STO
    
  • authorize the STO to process securities,
    
  • log all securities transactions,
    
  • assess Trustees’ fees,
    
  • close the account.

References:

• SUAM sections 9804 and 9805 CM Procedures Manual, Section 20,
• The Escrow Agreement Process Public Contract Code Sections 10851-10852 Government Code Section 16431

Forms/Templates:

• Procedures for Placing of Securities in lieu of Contract Retentions (form 704.00),
• Escrow Agreement (form 704.01), Escrow Fee Schedule (form 704.02),
• New Account Request Form (form 704.03),
• Trustees" Authorized Signature Letter to STO (form 704.04),
• Trustees" Contact Sheet (form 704.05), Request for Securities Transaction (form 704.06)
• Request for Payment of Retention to Contractor (form 702.21R).