project

PROJECT CATEGORIES

Projects undertaken by VDOT vary in size, complexity, and risk; therefore, a one-size fits all approach

to project management is unsuitable. Hence, a project ranking system has been defined to group

projects by category based primarily on level of complexity and risk. The categorization of projects

allows for a statewide consistent approach to scheduling and to ensure that the appropriate

scheduling provision is applied. This is necessary to ensure that the appropriate level of scheduling

efforts needed to establish and maintain schedule control on the project is applied.

Project Category – Level of Complexity and Risk

The VDOT project ranking system consists of six categories representing varying levels of complexity

and risk ranging from very low to very high. Category M is the lowest, which represents typical

maintenance projects and schedule type work. Categories I through V represent typical construction

projects ranging from simple to very complex. Characteristics of each project category are described

as follows:

¾ Raised pavement marker installation, lens replacement;

¾ Pavement marking schedules;

¾ Minor Bridge repair (District wide, minor miscellaneous);

¾ Rumble strip installation;

¾ Slope slide repair, scour repair;

¾ Ground mounted sign maintenance/replacement;

¾ Incidental concrete repair;

¾ Pipe culvert rehabilitation;

¾ Bridge cleaning;

¾ Retaining wall/ Sound wall repair;

¾ Signal maintenance & repair (District wide).

C. Category M Scheduling Requirements – Category M scheduling requirements are based

on the basic scheduling information necessary for the Department to coordinate all work

required to complete the Contract and to communicate with the public. The schedule

information will also be used to plan for and manage the Department’s cash flow, resources,

and traffic. The Category M Schedule of Operations submission requirements are as follows:

i) An Initial Plan of Operations in the form of a written narrative to provide a

description of the overall plan and intended sequence of progress.

ii) An Initial Schedule of Operations showing in a tabular format, the period of time

within which work at each location, route, or segment of Work as delineated in the

contract will be accomplished. A bar-chart or CPM schedule may be substituted, at

the contractor’s option.

iii) Every week, on a day agreed to by the Contractor and the Engineer, the Contractor

is required to provide a Two-week Look-ahead (TWLA) schedule to show the detailed

schedule of work planned for the following two weeks. The TWLA schedule may be

provided in a tabular or bar-chart format.

v) Minimal traffic impact or limitations to the Work; and

vi) Does not include utility adjustments or relocations; and

vii) Contract does not contain any Special Provisions for special time-related conditions,

such as Interim Contract Milestones, A+B Bidding, Insensitive/Disincentive, or Lane

Rental; and

viii) Project has no major materials delivery restrictions, environmental impacts, delayed

right-of-way acquisitions or access, or other similar constraints and restrictions.

On a case by case basis, certain single-season simple and low risk projects with estimated

contract value greater than $1M that generally meet the criteria listed above may qualify as

Category I, as determined by the Area Construction Engineer (ACE);

On a case by case basis, certain Federal Oversight (FO) maintenance projects or time

sensitive maintenance projects with traffic impact may qualify as Category I, as determined

by the ACE. Such projects may include concrete pavement repairs or overlay work on major

corridors or certain relatively complex time sensitive maintenance projects that are involved

with major construction or improvement projects. In such cases, the ACE should consult with

the State Construction Scheduler for concurrence.

B. Examples of Category I Projects – The following are typical Category I projects:

¾ Retaining wall installation or extensive repair;

¾ Minor bridge substructure repairs (with traffic impact);

¾ Bridge painting (multiple locations or with traffic impact);

¾ Minor urban reconstruction & improvement (could include curb & gutter and

sidewalks; new or extended turn lanes);

¾ Surface reclamation, sub-grade stabilization & overlays;

¾ Bridge steel repair (with traffic impact);

¾ Signal installation – Site specific (w/o intersection improvements, no regional on-call

installations);

¾ Overhead sign installation & lighting installations (multiple locations & or significant

amount of lighting);

¾ Simple concrete pavement repair and/or asphalt overlay (major corridor, minimum

traffic impact).

C. Category I Scheduling Requirements – Category I scheduling requirements are based

on the basic scheduling information needed to communicate the Contractor’s work plan and

to assess progress of the Work. The schedule information will also be used to plan for and

manage the Department’s resources, expenditures, traffic, as well as to communicate with

the general public. The Category I Progress Schedule submission requirements are as

follows:

i) A written Baseline Progress Schedule Narrative describing the contractors initial

proposed sequence and work plan.

ii) A Baseline Progress Schedule showing in a tabular format, the times within which the

individual activities that make up the project will be accomplished. A bar-chart or

CPM schedule may be substituted, at the contractor’s option.

iii) A Progress Earnings Schedule (Form C-13C) to show the planned progress for each

month in terms of percent complete. Percent complete is based on cumulative

anticipated earnings relative to the total contract value.

iv) A two-week look-ahead schedule due every week to show the detail schedule for

work planned for the following two weeks.

v) A revision of the Baseline Progress Schedule is required when the schedule has been

significantly impacted by a change in the Work or condition or the contractor has

deviated significantly from his baseline plan or schedule.

A. Criteria for Category II Projects – Category II projects must generally meet the following

criteria:

i) Contract duration of one construction season or less (may be two construction

seasons, but involve simple linear or repetitive operations); or

ii) Estimated contract value generally less than $3 million; and

iii) Limited number of straightforward contiguous or linear operations; and

iv) Low to medium traffic impact; and

v) Typical conditions and limitations to the work; and

vi) May include minimal utility adjustments; and

vii) Contract does not contain Special Provisions for special time-related conditions, such

as Contract interim milestones, Incentives/Disincentives, A+B bidding, or Lane

Rental, etc.; and

viii) Project has no major materials delivery restrictions, environmental impacts, right-ofway

acquisitions, or other similar constraints and restrictions.

On a case by case basis, certain slightly complex and low to medium risk projects with

estimated contract value over $3M that generally meet the criteria listed above may qualify

as Category II, as determined by the ACE.

On a case by case basis, certain high-volume Federal Oversight (FO) maintenance projects or

relatively complex maintenance projects that involve multiple items of work, multiple

schedule constraints, or significant traffic impact may qualify as Category II, as determined

by the ACE. Such projects may include concrete pavement repairs or overlay work on major

corridors or certain relatively complex time sensitive maintenance projects that are involved

with major construction or improvement projects. In such cases, the ACE should consult with

the State Construction Scheduler for concurrence.

B. Examples of Category II Projects –

The following are typical Category II projects: ¾ Urban grade, drain, & pave projects of low to medium complexity, ¾ Rural new construction or reconstruction grade separation roadway and bridge projects (low to medium size and complexity), ¾ Complex reconstruction and improvements, including widening and multiple turn lanes that may include utility adjustments and ¾ Major bridge substructure repairs (with low to medium traffic impact).

¾ Bridge deck replacements, such as multi-span or over railroads;

¾ Major bridge deck repair & concrete overlay (multi-span or over railroads);

¾ Intersection improvements with lighting and/or signal installation;

¾ Bridge & drainage structure replacements (frequently single span with limited

approach work);

¾ Major drainage improvements;

¾ Complex concrete pavement repair and/or asphalt overlay (major corridor, significant

traffic impact);

¾ Multi-season bridge painting (with low to medium traffic impact).

C. Scheduling Requirements for Category II – As the amount of work, project duration, or

level of complexity and associated risks increases, a scheduling tool that can graphically

depict the sequence and timing of the activities in a time-scale format is required to

effectively communicate the Contractor’s plan of operations and the intended sequence of

progress. The Category II Progress Schedule submission requirements are as follows:

i) A written Baseline Progress Schedule Narrative describing the contractors initial

proposed sequence and work plan.

ii) A Baseline Progress Schedule showing in a bar-chart format, the times within which

the individual activities that make up the project will be accomplished. A CPM

schedule may be substituted, at the contractor’s option.

iii) A Progress Earnings Schedule (Form C-13C) to show the planned progress for each

month in terms of percent complete. Percent complete is based on cumulative

anticipated earnings relative to the total contract value.

iv) A monthly update of the Progress Schedule and Progress Earnings Schedule is

required to show the actual progress and the current plan to complete the remaining

work.

v) A revision of the Baseline Progress Schedule is required when the schedule has been

significantly impacted by a change in the Work or condition or the contractor has

deviated significantly from his baseline plan or schedule.

A. Criteria for Category III Projects – Category III projects must generally meet the

following criteria:

i) Med-size projects with contract duration generally spanning 2-3 construction

seasons; or

ii) Estimated contract value generally between $3M and $10M; and

iii) Limited number of concurrent work-paths; and

iv) Medium limitations to the work and traffic impact; and

v) Limited number of utility adjustments; and

vi) Contract does not contain Special Provisions for special time-related conditions, such

as Contract interim milestones, Incentives/Disincentives, A+B bidding, or Lane

Rental, etc.; and

vii) Project has no major materials delivery restrictions, environmental impacts, right-ofway

acquisitions, or other similar constraints and restrictions.

On a case by case basis, certain moderately complex and medium risk projects with

estimated contract value over $10M that generally meet the criteria listed above may qualify

as Category III, as determined by the ACE.

On a case by case basis, certain high-volume Federal Oversight (FO) maintenance projects or

relatively complex maintenance projects that involve multiple items of work, multiple

schedule constraints, and/or significant traffic impact may qualify as Category III, as

determined by the ACE. Such projects may include major concrete pavement repairs or

overlay work on major corridors or certain relatively complex time sensitive maintenance

projects that are involved with major construction or improvement projects. In such cases,

the ACE should consult with the State Construction Scheduler for concurrence.

B. Examples of Category III Projects –

The following are typical Category III projects: ¾ Intersection improvements, including widening and multiple turn lanes with utilities, lighting and/or signal installation (with medium complexity and traffic impact), ¾ New roadway/bridge construction or extension projects (medium size, complexity, and traffic impact), ¾ Bridge deck replacements (multi-span, medium traffic impact) and ¾ Bridge reconstruction/widening projects (medium size, complexity, and trafficimpact).

C. Scheduling Requirements for Category III – As the number of operations or level of

complexity and associated risks grow a scheduling tool that allows for adequate planning and

scheduling of multiple concurrent activities with considerations for associated project

constraints is needed to execute and control the Work. Such scheduling method will require

that sufficient details and activity relationships are added to establish inter-dependencies

between related activities to form network paths, with which the activities are scheduled.

This is necessary to aid the project staff in efficiently planning and managing the Work and

available resources. It is also necessary that the project critical path and the minimum time

needed to complete the project are established. The Category III Progress Schedule

submission requirements are as follows:

i) A Preliminary Progress Schedule to provide a start-up schedule to execute and

monitor the Work for the first sixty (60) calendar days.

ii) A written Baseline Progress Schedule Narrative describing the contractors initial

proposed sequence and work plan.

iii) A Baseline Progress Schedule showing in a CPM format, the times within which the

individual activities that make up the project will be accomplished.

iv) A Baseline Progress Earnings Schedule (Form C-13C) to show the planned progress

for each month in terms of percent complete. Percent complete is based on

anticipated earnings relative to the total contract value.

v) A monthly update of the Progress Schedule and Progress Earnings Schedule is

required to show the actual progress and the current plan to complete the remaining

work.

vi) A revision of the Baseline Progress Schedule is required when the schedule has been

significantly impacted by a change in the Work or condition or the contractor has

deviated significantly from his baseline plan or schedule.

relative complexity that include provisions for special time-related constraints or conditions as

described below.

A. Criteria for Category IV Projects – Category IV projects must generally meet the

following criteria:

i) Medium to large size projects with contract duration generally spanning 3 or more

construction seasons; or

ii) Estimated contract value generally between $10M and $75M; or

iii) Contract contain Special Provisions for special time-related conditions, such as

Contract interim milestones, Incentives/Disincentives, A+B bidding, or Lane Rental,

etc.; and

iv) Multiple concurrent work-paths; and

v) Complex construction staging, phasing, or MOT issues; and

vi) Complex constructability issues; and

vii) Substantial traffic impact and limitations to the work; or

viii) May include major utility relocation/adjustments; and

ix) Project has no major materials delivery restrictions, environmental impacts, right-ofway

acquisitions, or other similar constraints and restrictions.

On a case by case basis, certain relatively complex and high risk projects with estimated

contract value less than $10M that generally meet the criteria listed above may qualify as

Category IV, as determined by the ACE. In such cases, the ACE should consult with the State

Construction Scheduler for concurrence.

On a case by case basis, certain relatively complex and high risk projects with estimated

contract value over $75M that generally meet the criteria listed above may qualify as

Category IV, as determined by the ACE.

B. Examples of Category IV Projects projects: ¾ Major urban intersection improvements, including widening and multiple turn lanes with utilities, lighting and/or signal installation (medium to large size, complex, and significant traffic impact), ¾ Rural/Urban new construction or reconstruction grade separation roadway and bridge projects (medium to large size, complex, major corridor), ¾ Major bridge deck replacements (substructure repairs, multi-span, multi-lane, major corridor, with significant traffic impact) and ¾ Major bridge & drainage structure replacements (multi-span with extensive approach work).

¾ Major widening projects (medium to large size and complexity, major corridor, with

significant traffic impact).

C. Scheduling Requirements for Category IV – As the size, complexity, and associated

risks grow, a scheduling tool that allows for adequate planning and scheduling of multiple

concurrent operations is needed to execute and control the Work. For such projects, a tool

that allows for an accurate assessment of the reasonableness of the schedule and current

status of the activities and the project based on costs is also needed to control the project

and to manage schedule-related risks on the project. The Category IV scheduling and

Progress Schedule submission requirements are based on the Category III requirements with

additional requirements as described below:

i) A Preliminary Progress Schedule to provide a start-up schedule to execute and

monitor the Work for the first ninety (90) calendar days.

ii) A written Baseline Progress Schedule Narrative describing the contractors initial

proposed sequence and work plan.

iii) A cost-loaded Baseline Progress Schedule showing in a CPM format, the times within

which the individual activities that make up the project will be accomplished. The

cost-loaded schedule will be used to generate the time-distributed cost data on

which the Progress Earnings Schedule is based.

iv) A Baseline Progress Earnings Schedule (Form C-13CPM) based on time-distributed

cost data generated from the cost-loaded schedule to show the planned progress for

each month in terms of percent complete. Percent complete is based on anticipated

earnings relative to the total contract value.

v) A 30-day look-ahead schedule to depict work planned for the next period.

vi) A monthly update of the Progress Schedule is required to show the actual progress

and the current plan to complete the remaining work.

vii) A revision of the Baseline Progress Schedule is required when the schedule has been

significantly impacted by a change in the Work or condition or the contractor has

deviated significantly from his baseline plan or schedule.

A. Criteria for Category V Projects – Category V projects must generally meet the following

criteria:

i) Very large projects with contract duration generally spanning 3 or more construction

seasons; or

ii) Estimated contract value generally greater than $75M; and

iii) Contract contain Special Provisions for special time-related conditions, such as

Contract interim milestones, Incentives/Disincentives, A+B bidding, or Lane Rental,

etc.; and

iv) Considerable number of concurrent work-paths; and

v) Complex construction staging, phasing, or MOT issues; and

vi) Complex constructability issues; and

vii) Substantial traffic impact and limitations to the work; and

viii) Substantial number of right-of-way acquisitions and/or relocations; or

ix) Major material delivery restrictions; or

x) Significant utility relocation/adjustments; or

xi) Major environmental or community impact.

On a case by case basis, certain relatively complex and very high risk projects with estimated contract value less than $75M that generally meet the above listed criteria may qualify as Category V.

 as determined by the ACE. In such cases, the ACE should consult with the State

Construction Scheduler for concurrence.

B. Examples of Category V Projects –

On a case by case basis, certain relatively complex and very high risk projects with estimated contract value less than $75M that generally meet the above listed criteria may qualify as Category V.

The following are typical Category V projects: ¾ Major rural/urban new construction or reconstruction grade separation roadway and bridge projects (large size, complex, major corridor, significant traffic impact), ¾ Major widening projects (large size, complex, major corridor, significant traffic impact), ¾ Major interchange projects (large size, complex, major corridor, significant traffic

impact), ¾ Major bridge deck replacement projects (large size or multiple bridges, complex,major corridor, significant traffic impact).

¾ Individual Category III or IV level projects that are included in multiple-contract

mega-projects like Woodrow Wilson, Springfield Interchange, etc.).

C. Scheduling Requirements for Category V – As the size, complexity, and associated risks

grow, a scheduling tool that will allow for adequate planning and scheduling of multiple

concurrent operations, projects, manpower, equipment, and expenditures is required to

accomplish the Work. Such scheduling tool should also allow for an accurate assessment of

the status of the individual activities and the project; as well as progress of selected major

operations that will have the greatest influence on the schedule.

The Category V scheduling and Progress Schedule submission requirements are based on the

Category IV requirements with additional requirements as described below:

i) A qualified and dedicated project scheduler/coordinator to coordinate all scheduling

meetings and issues.

ii) Contractor’s working on a Category V project will be required to develop and

maintain their schedules in a collaborative environment within the VDOT scheduling

database.

iii) A written Baseline Progress Schedule Narrative describing the contractors initial

proposed sequence and work plan.

iv) A Preliminary Progress Schedule to provide a start-up schedule to execute and

monitor the Work for the one hundred and twenty (120) calendar days.

v) A cost-loaded and resource-loaded Baseline Progress Schedule showing in a CPM

format, the times within which the individual activities that make up the project will

be accomplished. The cost-loaded schedule will be used to generate the timedistributed

cost data on which the Progress Earnings Schedule is based.

vi) A Baseline Progress Earnings Schedule (Form C-13CPM) based on time-distributed

cost data generated from the cost-loaded schedule to show the planned progress for

each month in terms of percent complete. Percent complete is based on anticipated

earnings relative to the total contract value.

vii) A Commodity Progress Report (Form C-13COM) to show the anticipated progress of

selected items of work, whose rate of progress will have the greatest influence on

the schedule.

viii) A weekly four-week look-ahead schedule detailing work planned for the next four

weeks.

ix) A monthly update of the Progress Schedule is required to show the actual progress

and the current plan to complete the remaining work.

x) A revision of the Baseline Progress Schedule is required when the schedule has been

significantly impacted by a change in the Work or condition or the contractor has

deviated significantly from his baseline plan or schedule.