U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS WASHINGTON 25, D.C. September 25, 1961 CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM TO: Assistant Commissioners, Regional and FROM: 26-32 لگا S. Black, General Counsel SUBJECT: Types of survey work covered by the Davis-Bacon Act and This is in further clarification of the requirements of the opinion of the Solicitor of the United States Department of Labor described in our Circular Memorandum dated July 10, 1961, relative to the above-mentioned subject. It is our understanding from an informal discussion with an official of the Department of Labor that the matter of coverage of survey crews and the determination of the prevailing wages in various localities for survey crews are presenting problems which are being given further consideration in the Department of Labor. Pending our receipt of further advice from the Department of Labor, you are authorized to proceed on the following basis with respect to the application of prevailing wage requirements to survey work under contracts which are subject to the Davis-Bacon Act and Section 113 of Title 23, United States Code, that is, (1) State contracts for the initial construction of the Interstate System of highways or (2) direct Federal construction contracts: A. Basically, in order for survey work to be subject to For example, survey work which is undertaken immediately prior to or during construction and which is performed as an aid to the crafts which are engaged in the actual physical construction of the project is covered work. This includes only that survoy work which is normally performed by the construction contractor as his means of facilitating, or controlling, the work for which the construction contractor is normally made responsible under the construction contract. If the survey work is for the above defined purpose, it is covered construction work even though it is performed under a separate contract as a State, or Government, furnished porvico to the construction contractor. Wage rates for survey crow classifications will be requested for all such contracts. In the event that wage rates and classifications for survey crews are not included, prior to scheduled bid opening, in the wage determinations issued by the Department of Labor, it will not be necessary to delay the bid opening or the award of the contract, or to subsequently include such classifications or wage rates in such contract. B. Survey work is not covered work if it (1) is performed by State or Government personnel or (2) is placed under separate contract for the purpose of (a) providing the State, or Government, with data for design work preliminary to preparation of contract requirements, (b) identifying reference points (defining the location of the work required of the construction contractor) or (c) supplying data for the use of the State in determining whether the contractor is complying with the requirements of the contract, which might be referred to as inspection surveying. Accordingly, survey work of the type referred to in this paragraph B is not to be regarded as "construction work" which is subject to prevailing wage requirements within the opinion of the Solicitor of Labor. In summary: (1) Wage rates for survey crews will be requested for construction contracts (a) which may involve survey work by the construction contractor or (b) which are for the primary purpose of furnishing the construction contractor with survey work which is an aid to crafts engaged in the actual physical construction of the project. (2) Wage rates furnished for survey crews (3) Hage rates need not be requested for, or used in, State or Government contracts which are for preliminary design, specification layout, or inspection functions, as distinguished from providing an engineering aid to the construction contractor in performing his work. At the left is the transit, the universal instrument of the survey crew. It is used principally for measuring horizontal and vertical angles and for prolonging straight lines. The transit has a telescope which may be revolved about either a horizontal or vertical axis, and, usually, a magnetic needle. It is mounted on a tripod. At the right is the level, used to transfer or determine elevations. The level consists of a telescope to which is attached a spirit level tube, all revolving about a vertical axis and mounted on a tripod. Other instruments that may be used on special surveys include the theodolite, the subtense bar, and the tacheometer. Equipment the rodman and chainman must use and become thoroughly familiar with. In the picture, starting at the left, are: 1. The Philadelphia Rod, normally used in bridge building. 2. The right-angle prism used to project lines at right angles to line of survey. 3. The 50-foot tape, used for measuring short distances. 5. Plumb bob, used in chaining. 6. Level rod target, for high accuracy and long sight distance. 7. Chaining pins, for temporarily marking locations. 8. Chain or tape, used for measuring. 9. Hatchet, used in setting guard stakes (a sledge is used in setting grade stakes). 10. Range pole, for sighting in angular or linear measurements. 11. Tacks, for marking surveying points. 12. Flagging, to indicate stake locations. 13. Lenker self-reading rod used on surveys of ordinary pre cision. Taking a sight. The instrument man has set up the transit over a point previously established. To do this, he has set the tripod with the plumbbob hanging as nearly over the tack in the stake as possible, and then shifted the transit head to exact position over the tack. Normally, this task takes an experienced instrument man about 3 minutes. Then the transit telescope is focused and sighted on the range pole which is held by the rodman directly over the reference point in a vertical position. |