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6 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Construction inspectors (CI) are the frontline workforce ensuring the work on transportation infrastructure projects meets the design and contract requirements, and the finished product meets or exceeds the quality standards. Quality work during construction helps increase the lifespan of transportation assets, which increases the value for both transportation agencies and the taxpayersâ investment. However, there is a growing concern in the transportation construction industry about the inspection process due to the declining availability of well-trained and experienced CIs. The current challenge of declining availability in CIs for transportation infrastructure emulates a much larger issue of shortages of construction workers in general across the industry. The retirement of the generation that built the U.S. interstate system was followed by periods of recessions where pressures on state governments forced state transportation agencies (STAs) to cut budgets and reduce their in-house workforce. The result is that many STA employees possess less experience today while managing more complex transportation infrastructure construction projects. The traditional approach of developing CIs through intense and lengthy mentoring by experienced inspectors is challenging to accomplish, given the current fiscal resources of STAs and industry workforce shortages. CIs today require faster training, and the expected learning curve is much steeper than in years past. There are not enough positions or people, nor is it economical to rely only on the on-the-job training model. STAs are being forced to leverage the training that already exists (e.g., AASHTO Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council), take advantage of innovative training delivery methods (e.g., virtual, self-paced), and coordinate with regional and national certification programs (e.g., American Concrete Institute). This is a national issue, and creating guidance to help transportation agencies design efficient and effective training and certification programs for CIs will fill a void and spawn professional development programs nationwide. A training program aims to provide the appropriate education and opportunity to improve individual skills at the right time and to the right people. The resulting Guide from this research provides a CI development roadmap that can be easily consumed and adopted by transportation agencies. 1.1 Research Problem Since the end of the Great Recession, nearly all sectors of the U.S. construction industry have identified significant workforce shortages, training challenges, and the need to attract new and diverse talent (AGC, 2018). One of those areas experiencing workforce shortages and professional development challenges is CIs. The employment of CIs is projected to increase at a rate of 7% faster than other careers between 2018 and 2028 (U.S. BLS, 2021) and an increase in the construction inspection and testing workload has already been noted in many states (Warne, 2003; Cain et al., 2017). However, STAs have not seen a sufficient increase in qualified inspection personnel to manage the additional workload, and the experience level of inspectors has declined over the past several years due to the retirement and downsizing of transportation agencies (Wight et al., 2017; Jagars-Cohen et al., 2009). To address CI development, STAs needs to understand CI core competencies (e.g., KSAs) to afford guidance for creating and selecting appropriate CI training programs. It is also paramount that possible career paths to becoming a CI are defined for those pursuing this career. Beyond the immediate need for employment shortages, to maintain
7 institutional knowledge and meet succession planning objectives, employers of CIs must provide resources for retention and professional development, which lead to career opportunities for their CIs. Changes in the transportation construction industry have led to CI competencies becoming more dynamic (Wight et al., 2017). These industry changes, coupled with the shifting career goals of potential employees, have presented challenges in recruiting and developing new talent. In addition, the increased implementation of various alternative contracting methods and the seemingly exponential increase of new technologies and their implementation have increased the required scope of CI knowledge (Harper et al., 2018). Changes in the employment attitude and desires of the potential workforce have led to challenges in recruiting talent to the construction industry. Attrition and retirements have significantly reduced institutional knowledge and the subsequent lack of knowledge transfer to entry-level CIs [8]. In response to these challenges, STAs have relied more heavily on third-party vendors and consultants to obtain CIs, which has impacted the consistency of CIs training and competencies. While this trend was identified in the early 2000s, (Colorado DOT, 2007), and as of 2014, 92% of construction consultant services were dedicated to construction monitoring and inspection purposes at 44 STAs (Torres et al., 2015), and by 2019 all STAs use consultants for inspection purposes in some manner. Given these changes, core competencies are different for current CIs entering the transportation sector than in the past. Therefore, there is a need to review existing practice and establish guidelines that will allow STAs to select, align, create and tailor core competency training, education, certification, and career development to meet the evolving and expanding needs of CIs. 1.2 Research Objectives This research aims to guide transportation agencies and their industry partners in establishing and maintaining a CI training and certification program for transportation infrastructure construction that is responsive to the changes affecting the CI workforce and their development. To ensure the research satisfies the need for CI guidance, the research objectives are: 1. Identify and analyze gaps and needs for CIs in: ⢠core competencies ⢠formal education, and ⢠informal education 2. Investigate and develop training strategies to meet the needs of the transportation infrastructure CI workforce; 3. Investigate and develop strategies for certification programs that are transferable across multiple STAs; 4. Identify professional development opportunities for CIs to further their core knowledge and to change CI requirements; 5. Determine strategies for recruiting and retaining the future CI workforce; and 6. Investigate technology-specific core competency requirements (e.g., KSAs) for CIs. The research team further explored the objectives by focusing on answering the following questions: 1) What CI core competencies capture the KSAs required to effectively perform construction inspections for transportation infrastructure?
8 2) What are the formal/informal education requirements for CIs in transportation infrastructure? 3) How is CI training delivered, and what educational modalities will work for the education and training of CIs in different regions of the US? 4) What effective strategies exist for CI certifications which evaluate required core competencies? 5) What existing continuing education and recertification strategies exist for CIs? 6) How are existing CI training programs augmented, updated, or revised? 7) How are transportation agencies recruiting, retaining, and developing construction inspectors? 1.3 Research Framework The research framework shown in Figure 1-1 maps the research tasks, outputs, and deliverables. A two-phase approach helped the research team deliver the Guide and associated deliverables. Phase I includes data and information collection (Task 1 â 3), and Phase II covers the development of the CI Guide (Task 4 â 7). Phase II tasks also encompassed the initial dissemination of the results via the final deliverables. The combined effect of these deliverables provides STAs with the roadmap to develop and sustain a CI workforce for transportation highway construction projects. Details of each research task follow in the sections below.
9 Task 1a: Current and Existing Data Analysis, and Gap Identification Task 1b: Rapid CI Data Review Task 2a: Execute Data and Information Collection Plan Task 2b: Analyze Data and Information Collected Phase I Phase II Task 1 Task 1c: Kick-off Meeting PANEL REVIEW Task 2 Task 3 Task 3a: Develop Interim Report, Guidebook Outline and Vetting Plan Task 3b: Interim Report PANEL REVIEW Task 4 Task 4a: Draft Initial CI Guidebook using Feedback from Interim Report Task 4b: Web Conference PANEL REVIEW Task 5 Task 5a and 5b: Conduct Vetting Activities Task 5c: Summary of Vetting FeedbackTask 6 Task 6a: Develop Final Draft of the CI Guidebook Task 6b: Develop Research Report and Technical Memorandum Task 7 Task 7a: Revise and Submit Final Deliverables Task 7b: Disseminate Results of the Project Guides, Manuals, Checklists Academic Articles and Others FHWA & DOT Documents Gap Identification Figure 1-1. Research framework
10 1.4 Task Descriptions Task 1: Create Data and Information Collection Plan for NCHRP Panel Review Task 1a: Current and Existing Data Synthesis, Analysis, and Gap Identification The research team has investigated an extensive literature database and data addressing workforce development, education and training, and construction inspections. Task 1b: Rapid CI Data Review: Gap Analysis, Literature Review, Contextualized Interviews Under Task 1b, the research team crafted and conducted an accelerated data collection protocol to inform the gaps identified in Task 1a. In addition, the research team completed a desk scan of STA documents and reports, existing CI training and certification programs and materials, and current CI job postings and descriptions. Task 1c: Conduct Kick-Off Web Conference with NCHRP Panel The research team discussed the Data and Information Collection Plan with the NCHRP panel before its execution. Task 2: Collect and Analyze Data and Information Task 2a: Execute Data and Information Collection Plan The objective of Task 2a was to implement the revised Data and Information Collection Plan to gather data and information on the practices for CI education, training, and certification for transportation infrastructure, as well as the benefits, drawbacks, challenges, and lessons learned in the education, training, and certification needs for CIs. Task 2b: Analyze Data and Information Collected As the data and information were collected in Task 2a, the team conducted in-depth data analyses. The purpose of the analyses in Task 2b was to develop CI guidance information used for Guide development in Phase II. Task 3: Produce Phase I Deliverables for Review Task 3a: Develop Interim Report, Guide Outline, and Vetting Plan Based on the data collected and analyzed from work completed in Tasks 1 and 2, the research team developed the interim report. The interim report includes a detailed workplan for conducting the Phase II tasks (Tasks 4 â 7), and provides the plan for executing the vetting process for Guide development (Task 5a). Task 3b: NCHRP Panel Review of Interim Report, Guide Outline, and Vetting Plan The research team presented the results of Tasks 1 through 3 and described the proposed tasks to develop the final deliverables. In addition, an updated Phase II work plan and description of the process employed to vet the Guide with STA and industry professionals were presented. Task 4: Create Initial CI Training and Certification Program Development Guide Task 4a: Draft Guide using Annotated Outline and Feedback from NCHRP Panel After approval of the Interim Report and Phase II Workplan, the research team drafted the initial Guide based on the feedback and comments from the NCHRP panel on the interim report, which includes an annotated outline of the proposed Guide.
11 Task 4b: Conduct Web Conference with NCHRP Panel â Review Initial Draft CI Guide The research team hosted a web conference with the NCHRP panel to review the draft and the comments from the NCHRP panel. The research team then incorporated the feedback and comments into a revised second draft of the Guide for validating and vetting the content with STA and construction industry professionals in Task 5. Task 5: Vet Guide Draft with Construction Industry Professionals Task 5a: Conduct Vetting Workshop The objective of this task was to perform a vetting process of the draft Guide with STA personnel and industry professionals. Task 5b: Summarize and Incorporate Feedback from Vetting Activities Under this task, the research team incorporated the feedback from the vetting workshop and the NCHRP panel on the vetting workshop summary into the Guide to develop the final draft of the Guide. Task 6: Create Final Deliverables Task 6a: Develop Final Draft of the Guide Using the information collected and analyzed from Task 5a and Task 5b, the research team refined the initial Guide into a final draft ready for full review by the NCHRP panel and staff. Task 6b: Develop Research Report and Technical Memorandum The research report documented the research effort, findings, results, and conclusions. The technical memorandum contained details on how STAs can implement the results and findings from this project. Task 7: Publish Deliverables and Disseminate Results Task 7a: Revise and Submit Final Deliverables After the NCHRP panel reviewed the Guide draft, the research team incorporated feedback into refined final versions of all deliverables. Task 7b: Disseminate Results of the Project After the project, the results needed to be disseminated to the appropriate audiences to encourage the use of the Guide. 1.5 Report Format This report is composed of eight chapters. The first chapter introduces the subject area and covers the scope and objectives. Chapter 2 provides a literature review methodology to support understanding existing inspection staffing and the most relevant issues to construction inspections. Further, this chapter briefly discusses the state-of-practice survey methodology to examine current STA inspection staffing strategies. Chapter 2 also presents focus group and interview methodology. Chapter 3 summarizes key findings related to core competencies, including the roles of construction inspectors, inspectorsâ core competencies, and core competencies associated with different inspection position levels. Chapter 4 presents a summary of education and training focusing on education requirements for construction inspectors, training methods, training programs, and challenges in training construction inspectors. Chapter 5 summarizes the qualifications and certifications for construction inspectors. Chapter 6 discusses construction inspector career development, including recruitment and retention strategies. Chapter 7 presents
12 the development process of the Guide, including the outline, structure, and Guide testing. Finally, Chapter 8 briefly summarizes the information presented in previous chapters and offers conclusions and suggestions for Guide implementation and keys to success.
