Bridges To the Future
Location: Backseat of “The Queen-sized Family Truckster” – Eastern Shore of Maryland
Date: Summer Vacation - 1980 something
Scenario: 3 teenagers, 2 adults and a 90 pound German Shepherd headed to the Beach
We were nearing the halfway point of our annual pilgrimage to the beach as we began our ascent of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We had been on the road for an hour or so and the stress level was nearing its’ zenith. My father had already thrown out the “don’t make me stop this car” threat as my older sister continued to punch me and my little brother whined about how much space the dog was taking up in the “wayback” of the station wagon. We drove everywhere we went back then, and this was shaping up to be a typical road trip for the Reichert family. The trip itself warranted another vacation just to recover!
I noticed my mother “white knuckling” and breathing heavily. My father had not yet made his regular pronouncement he made EVERY time we crossed a bridge: “Hey, did you all know this bridge was built by the low bidder?” Then he would laugh. We didn’t really care and thought of it as another annoying quirk of our father. A week of “fun in the sun” awaited us, so all we were concerned with was how big the waves were and how much longer the drive was going to take. But, apparently our mother did not see the humor in it, and was so used to hearing it she started reacting without him even saying it.
Why did my mother react this way? Well, as the wife of a Civil Engineer, she was generally aware of how the process worked: Engineer designs project; job goes out to bid; contractors compete to see who is awarded the project. Typically, this would be the low bidder. Multiple contractors bidding the EXACT same work, trying to win the project by charging the least.
Let’s face it, we live in a competitive world. Sometimes cheaper can be just as good, sometimes better. Other times it is not. My grandfather told me when I was buying my first stereo to look at the quality and how well the equipment is made, not necessarily the price. He went on to explain that oftentimes the cheaper equipment does not last as long and you end up spending more to replace it. If he was still around he would be happy to see that I still use the speakers from that stereo to this day. And, no, they were not the cheapest. What an introduction to life-cycle cost analysis!
Engineers are obligated to consider the safety and wellbeing of the public in the practice of engineering design, as well as the sustainability and performance of said design. Thus it is incumbent upon us to look at more than just the current price of a product or service. Our specifications should be written such that inadequate materials or processes cannot be used as “alternates” merely to lower overall bid costs and win the contract. We should consider lifetime cost when analyzing bids, not merely upfront cost. They are not always the same.
Ronald Reagan said: “Trust But Verify”. Engineers should be able to trust the sources of their information, data, specifications, etc. IT IS OUR DUTY to verify that what we put on our projects addresses the safety and wellbeing of the public, and the long term sustainability of our infrastructure.
TRUST BUT VERIFY
SPECIFICATIONS MATTER
Please consider our veterans and first responders when deciding which charities to support. Here are some ideas:
https://ptsdusa.org/camp-hope/
https://www.facebook.com/AHerospromiseofficial/
Ron Reichert attended Drexel University where he earned a BS in Civil Engineering. He has been heavily involved with ASCE committees and events at the local, state and national level, and is the VP Technical Elect of the Texas Section. Ron has over 20 years of experience in specification and selection of infrastructure materials.
Nice article Ron - always knew you were a wordsmith but how's the jump shot these days :)
AR Manager/Liens
4 年Low bidder! ??