March/April 2021 - 85

FEATURE

ARTICLE

Panel Discussions on Geotechnical
Baseline Reports and
Their Importance

Transmission line project in Texas (credit: Kiewit)

Underground construction, by its
nature, involves unknown risks due to
challenges in having enough borings,
laboratory tests or geophysical data
available to properly define subsurface
conditions. To help the construction
industry manage this daily challenge,
DFI has been informing members and
addressing ways to bring a shared
approach to risk management. This risk
can be substantially increased in
design-build projects. A contract
management method that includes
geotechnical baseline reports (GBRs)
was proposed by co-author and past
DFI president, Jim Morrison, P.E., in
2008; the method was outlined by a DFI
risk management panel at the 42nd DFI

AUTHORS

Annual Meeting in New Orleans in
2017. In his Jan/Feb 2018 article in Deep
Foundations, Victor Donald, P.E., defined
the risk issue from the view of contractors, the owner and the geotechnical engineer. As occurred with the
tunneling industry, the concept of
incorporating the GBR into an integrated contract approach to risk
management was proposed.
A GBR has many advantages when
properly developed and applied: It
provides a clear, concise framework for
fairly, equitably allocating and managing risk between the owner and
contractor. A GBR identifies key groundrelated risks through statements of
anticipated ground conditions and their

expected influence on construction.
These contractual parameters that are
measurable and relevant provide a basis
for addressing conditions outside the
baseline, and guide bidders on what to
expect and to rely on in preparing bids. A
GBR should be well integrated with all
contractual elements to help avoid and
resolve disputes while minimizing
schedule delays and cost escalations.
Other contractual elements that aid
in risk management include: a differing
site conditions clause that defines and
allows an adjustment to compensation
based on a change in conditions; payment provisions that align with the GBR
assumptions on construction means
and methods.

Jim Morrison, P.E., P.Eng., Randy Essex, P.E., G.E., Conrad Felice, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng., D. GE, Steve Saye, P.E., Scott Wimmer, Rick Kalson,
Esq., and Jeramy Decker, Ph.D., P.E., P.Eng.
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * MAR/APR 2021 * 85



March/April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2021

TOC
March/April 2021 - Intro
March/April 2021 - 1
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March/April 2021 - TOC
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