United States Government Accountability Office

GAO Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on the 

Legislative Branch, Committee on 

Appropriations, U.S. Senate 

CAPITOL VISITOR 

CENTER 

Results of Risk-based 

Analysis of Schedule and 

Cost 

Statement of Bernard L. Ungar, Director 

Terrell Dorn, Assistant Director 

Physical Infrastructure Issues 

For Release on Delivery

Expected at 10:30 a.m. EST 

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 

 

GAO-06-440T 
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: 

We are pleased to be here today to assist the Subcommittee in monitoring 

progress on the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) project. Our remarks will 

focus on (1) our assessment of the risks associated with AOC’s December 

2005 schedule, and our estimate of a time frame for opening the project to

the public; and (2) the project’s costs and funding, including the potential

impact of scheduling issues that have arisen since the Subcommittee’s 

November 16, 2005, hearing on the CVC project’s schedule and cost.1

Our remarks today are based on our review of schedules and financial 

reports for the CVC project and related records maintained by AOC and its 

construction management contractor, Gilbane Building Company; our 

observations on the progress of work at the CVC construction site; and our 

discussions with the CVC team (including AOC and its major CVC 

contractors), AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, and representatives from the 

United States Capitol Police (USCP). We also reviewed applicable 

appropriations legislation and AOC’s construction management 

contractor’s periodic schedule assessments and daily reports on the 

progress of interior wall and floor stonework. 

With the assistance of a consultant, Hulett & Associates, we assessed the 

risks associated with AOC’s December 2005 schedule for the base CVC 

project and used the results of our assessment to estimate a time frame for 

completing the base project with and without identified risks and 

uncertainties. In January 2006, we and our consultant interviewed project 

managers and team members from AOC and its major CVC contractors, 

USCP representatives, and AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal to identify the risks 

they saw in completing the remaining work and the time they considered 

necessary to finish the CVC project and open it to the public. Using the 

project’s November and December 2005 schedules (the most recent 

schedules available when we did our work), we asked the team members 

to estimate how many workdays would be needed to complete the 

remaining work. More specifically, for each major activity that the 

members had a role or expertise in, we asked them to develop three 

estimates of the activity’s duration—the least, the most likely, and the 

longest time needed to complete the activity. Using these three-point 

estimates and a simulation analysis to calculate different combinations of 

 1

See GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Schedule and Cost, GAO-06-251T 

(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 16, 2005). 

Page 1 GAO-06-440T 
the team’s estimates that factored in identified risks and uncertainties, we 

estimated the completion date for the base project at various confidence 

levels based on AOC’s December 2005 schedule. Finally, we reviewed 

AOC’s schedule for the construction of the House and Senate expansion 

spaces, but did not assess the risks associated with the work.2

In addition, we estimated the likely cost of the project at completion, 

factoring in risks and uncertainties, using information obtained from our 

interviews, contract modifications, the proposed change order log 

maintained by AOC’s construction management contractor, and the 

previously mentioned simulation analysis. We did not perform an audit; 

rather, we performed our work to assist Congress in conducting its 

oversight activities. 

In summary: 

Since the Subcommittee’s November 16 CVC hearing, AOC and the CVC 

team have moved the project’s construction forward and significantly 

revised the schedule, particularly for the base project. For example, they 

have reached agreement with AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal on the schedule

for testing the base project’s life safety systems and have enhanced the 

manner in which the project’s operations schedule is incorporated into the 

project’s master schedule. In addition, they have reviewed and revised the 

schedule, postponing the opening dates for the CVC and the House and 

Senate expansion spaces by about 2 months each. Under AOC’s revised 

schedule, the CVC would be open to the public in February 2007 with a 

temporary cap on visitor occupancy, and the expansion spaces would be 

open in April 2007. However, to allow for possible delays and start-up time 

for operations, AOC is proposing to open the CVC in April 2007 and the 

expansion spaces in May 2007, at which time the temporary cap on CVC 

occupancy would be lifted. 

We concur with AOC about the need for postponing the opening dates, but 

do not believe that AOC has scheduled enough time to complete several of

the project’s critical tasks and to address the problems, challenges, risks, 

 2

We did not assess the risks associated with the schedule for the expansion spaces because 

the CVC team took longer than expected to complete the December schedule. We did not

receive the final December schedule until January 27, 2006, and therefore did not have 

enough time to fully analyze the expansion space schedule before the Subcommittee’s 

February hearing. Furthermore, CVC project staff told us that they had not yet had an

opportunity to carefully assess the expansion space schedule. 

Page 2 GAO-06-440T 
and uncertainties that AOC and the CVC team are attempting to address. If 

they are successful in addressing these issues, we believe that the CVC can 

be opened to the public with the temporary cap on visitor occupancy in

May 2007 and that the expansion spaces can be opened beginning in midAugust to early September 2007. Congress may be able to begin occupying 

the expansion spaces earlier if AOC implements a phased opening plan it

is considering. However, if AOC experiences major problems completing 

construction, such as with installing interior stone or testing major 

building systems, the work could be finished even later than we have

estimated. 

According to our current estimate, the total estimated cost to complete the 

entire CVC project is about $555 million without an allowance for risks 

and uncertainties. This estimate exceeds our November 16, 2005, estimate 

by about $12 million because we and AOC’s construction management 

contractor are now projecting further delay-related costs. Changes in the 

project’s design and scope have also been occurring, and more are likely. 

For example, the project’s fire protection system has been evolving, and 

the system is now expected to cost more than previously estimated. To 

date, about $528 million has been provided for CVC construction. Thus, we 

now estimate that another $25.6 million will be needed to complete 

construction without an allowance for risks and uncertainties and taking 

into account funding from existing appropriations that AOC is planning to

use. With an allowance for risks and uncertainties, we now estimate that 

the project could cost as much as about $584 million at completion, or 

about $25 million more than we estimated in November 2005. Estimated 

costs for the tunnel connecting the CVC with the Library of Congress are 

still within, but are now approaching, the $10 million statutorily mandated 

limit. 

AOC and the CVC team have continued to refine the project’s schedule 

since the November hearing and have made substantive progress in 

addressing the issues that we and the Subcommittee have raised, 

particularly concerning the base project’s schedule. For example, the CVC

team reviewed the sequence and duration of the activities scheduled for 

interior stonework, finish work, and work associated with the base 

project’s fire protection system, including the acceptance testing to be 

done by AOC’s Fire Marshal Division. To reflect the results of its review, 

the team revised the project’s December 2005 and January 2006 schedules,

AOC Has Moved 

Construction 

Forward, Revised the 

Project’s Schedule, 

and Postponed 

Opening Dates

Page 3 GAO-06-440T 
and in collaboration with the team that is planning for CVC operations, 

enhanced the manner in which the operations activities are incorporated

into the project’s master schedule.3

 AOC and its contractors’ staff who are 

involved in planning for CVC operations agree that the January 2006 

schedule identifies the related construction and operations activities. The 

CVC team has not yet fully reassessed the schedule for the expansion 

spaces and has not yet reached agreement with the Chief Fire Marshal on 

the requirements for acceptance testing of those spaces. Finally, the CVC 

team has continued to meet weekly to identify risks facing the project and 

to discuss mitigation strategies and actions. As of February 1, 2006, the 

team had identified 62 risks and developed mitigation strategies for all but 

1, which had just been identified. The plans vary in their level of detail and

stage of implementation.

According to AOC’s December 2005 and January 2006 schedules, the CVC 

base project will be ready to open to the public with a temporary 

certificate of occupancy on February 13, 2007, and the House and Senate

expansion spaces will be ready on April 24, 2007. To allow for possible 

delays and start-up time for operations, AOC has proposed an April 2007 

opening date for the base project and a May 2007 occupancy date for the 

expansion spaces. By the April opening date for the base project, AOC 

believes, all construction work in the CVC and East Front will be 

completed, but the CVC’s occupancy at any one time will be temporarily 

limited to 3,500, compared with about 4,200, the normal anticipated 

occupancy level. This temporary limit will be necessary because the 

“horizontal exits,” or passages, through the expansion spaces, which the 

life safety code requires for exiting the base CVC project, will not be 

available until later. These horizontal exits cannot be used until the fire 

alarm system in the expansion spaces has been fully tested and 

accepted—work that is not slated to be completed until after the base CVC 

is scheduled to open. Some additional work will likely be required to 

provide temporary emergency exit routes from the CVC, but the CVC team 

does not believe that this work or its costs should be substantial. 

Mr. Chairman, a brief explanation of AOC’s rationale for proposing a CVC 

opening with a temporary cap on visitor occupancy may be helpful at this

point. The current project schedule calls for completing the construction 

 3

The January 2006 project schedule reflects revisions in various activities, but the 

completion dates for the CVC and expansion spaces did not change from the December

2005 project schedule. 

Page 4 GAO-06-440T 
of both the CVC and the expansion spaces before December 31, 2006, but

would delay the start of acceptance testing the portions of the fire alarm 

system in the expansion spaces until such testing for the base CVC project 

is completed in February 2007. AOC is planning this approach because it 

believes that starting the acceptance testing for the expansion spaces 

earlier would prolong the completion of the acceptance testing in the base 

project and thereby delay the base project’s opening to the public. More 

specifically, the fire protection devices for the atriums, which are a part of 

the horizontal exits ultimately required by code for full occupancy of the

base project, would undergo acceptance testing with the expansion 

spaces, rather than with the base CVC project. To accommodate this 

change, AOC shifted the finish work in the atriums from the base CVC 

schedule to the expansion space schedule, and is planning to conduct the 

acceptance testing for the atriums and the expansion spaces at the same 

time, after the acceptance testing for the base CVC project is done. Until 

the acceptance testing for the expansion spaces has been completed, 

AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal has said that the expansion spaces, including the

exits through the atriums, cannot be used as emergency exit routes, and 

therefore AOC must take measures to provide temporary emergency exit

routes from the base CVC project and reduce the number of occupants 

who can be in the base project until the exit routes are available. 

Our work to date in monitoring the CVC project and the results of our 

recently completed risk assessment of the project’s schedule point to later 

opening dates than the schedule indicates. Although the schedule for the 

base project goes a long way toward responding to our concerns about the 

amount of time previously provided for a number of activities and extends 

their duration, CVC team managers and members we interviewed believe

that certain work will take longer to complete than the revised schedule 

allows. For example, they believe that interior stonework and finish work 

for the base project and the East Front are likely to take longer. According 

to our risk analysis, which reflects the CVC team’s input and assumes that 

AOC will successfully address the challenges it faces, the CVC is more 

likely to be ready for opening with a temporary certificate of occupancy 

between late April and mid-May 2007 than in February, as indicated in

AOC’s current schedule. AOC is now proposing an April 2007 opening date

to provide time for possible construction slippages and operations 

preparation. The additional time AOC says is necessary for operations 

preparation after construction completion would mean that the CVC 

would be ready for opening with a temporary cap on visitor occupancy by

about the end of May 2007, according to our analysis. Similarly, our 

analysis suggests that the House and Senate expansion spaces are more 

Our Analysis 

Indicates Later 

Opening Dates in 

Light of Problems, 

Challenges, Risks, and 

Uncertainties 

Page 5 GAO-06-440T 
likely to be ready in mid August or early September 2007 than in April or 

May 2007. We believe the later time frames are more likely because (1) 

AOC has scheduled the acceptance testing of the expansion spaces after 

the acceptance testing of the base project and, according to our work, the 

base project testing will take longer than scheduled and (2) AOC’s Chief 

Fire Marshal believes that the acceptance testing of the expansion spaces 

will take longer than scheduled. 

We have discussed the results of our analysis with AOC, and it continues 

to believe that it will be able to meet its April and May 2007 time frames 

for the CVC and the expansion spaces, respectively. Furthermore, AOC 

said that it and the CVC team will continuously review the schedule to 

identify opportunities for improvement. For example, AOC pointed out 

that it may be able to have the acceptance testing of the expansion spaces 

done in segments so that Members and staff will not have to wait for the 

entire facility to be tested before they can occupy their space. AOC also 

believes it may be able to revise the scheduling of some East Front 

mechanical work to save time. We agree that AOC should continuously 

look for ways to improve the schedule and that improvements may be 

possible. However, we also believe that AOC will be challenged to meet 

even the later opening dates we have identified given the problems, 

challenges, risks, and uncertainties the project faces. A discussion of these 

follows: 

• Delivery of stone and pace of stone installation remain critical. Although 

the CVC team has made progress in installing interior wall and floor stone, 

work on the wall stone has fallen behind schedule in several areas, and the 

project still faces significant challenges, risks, and uncertainties in this 

area. These include whether sufficient quantities of the appropriate wall 

stone will be received in time and whether the pace of installation will be 

sufficient to complete this work as scheduled. According to information 

provided by the sequence 2 contractor on February 10, the wall stone 

supplier still had a 20-truckload backlog and was not shipping wall stone 

at the scheduled rate, resulting in a delivery shortfall of about 6,000 cubic 

feet. According to AOC’s construction management contractor, stone 

supply is not affecting interior wall stone installation because a large 

quantity of stone is currently on site; however, the contractor is concerned 

about the ability of the stone supplier to meet current and future 

requirements that include stone for the East Front, adequate stone to 

maintain productivity, and the 20-truckload backlog. The pace of 

installation is also an issue. The sequence 2 contractor has recently 

increased the number of stone masons working on the project and has 

begun meeting the installation targets in its work plan. However, if the 

Page 6 GAO-06-440T 
wall stone installation targets are not achieved, whether because the 

masons are less productive than planned or work spaces are not ready for 

stonework to begin, completion delays are likely. The sequence 2 

contractor has already encountered work spaces in the service level, the 

orientation lobby, and the East Front that were not available for 

stonework because concrete was out of tolerance or masonry walls were 

not ready for wall stone to be hung. Finally, the sequence 2 contractor still 

needs to install about 120,000 square feet of floor stone in the CVC and 

could have problems meeting the scheduled completion dates if not 

enough masons are available, the amount of floor space available is 

insufficient because other finish work is not done, or other trades are 

working in the areas where floor stone is to be laid. As of February 10, 

AOC had not received a floor stone installation plan requested from the 

sequence 2 contractor, but the sequence 2 contractor said that it intends to

finish the plan soon. 

• Stacking of trades could delay completion. Continued delays, particularly 

in wall stone installation, could adversely affect the sequence 2 

contractor’s ability to accomplish all of the required finish work on 

schedule. The sequence 2 contractor has been making progress relative to 

its current plan for installing wall stone in the auditorium and the 

orientation lobby, but according to the current project schedule, wall 

stone installation is delayed in other areas, such as the East Front, the 

great hall, and the orientation theaters’ exterior walls. Furthermore, as of 

February 10, although the contractor had completed 10 of the 13 

milestones relating to wall stone that are being tracked for the 

Subcommittee, none of the 10 was completed by the date set in the 

September 2005 baseline schedule, and only 4 were completed by the date

set in the November 2005 schedule. (See app. I.) If delays continue, a 

stacking of trades such as we described at the Subcommittee’s November 

hearing could hold up finish work, such as drywall or ceiling installation, 

electrical and plumbing work, plastering, or floor stone installation.4

 Such 

a situation could also increase the risk of accidents and injuries. The CVC 

team has also identified “trade stacking” as a high risk. The sequence 2 

contractor acknowledges the risk, but said that it has structured its 

schedule to avoid the risk and plans to monitor progress closely to avoid 

problems. We acknowledge that these steps can be helpful; however, the 

more the wall stone schedule slips, the greater is the likelihood of “trade 

 4

Stacking of trades can occur when workers from different trades, such as stone masons, 

electricians, plumbers, or plasterers, have to work in the same area at the same time to 

meet a schedule, sometimes making it difficult to ensure sufficient space and resources for 

concurrent work. 

Page 7 GAO-06-440T 
stacking,” since more and more work will have to be done in less time to 

meet the schedule. AOC’s construction management contractor agrees 

that this is a serious potential problem. 

• Complex building systems remain a significant risk. The CVC will 

contain complex building systems, including systems for heating, air 

conditioning, and ventilation; fire protection; and security. These systems 

not only have to perform well individually, but their operation has to be 

integrated. If the CVC team encounters any significant problems with their 

functioning, either individually or together, during commissioning or 

testing, the project could be seriously delayed. AOC and the CVC team are 

aware of these risks and have been taking steps to mitigate them as part of 

their risk management process. Yet despite these steps, a significant 

problem could arise during commissioning or testing, and it is important 

that the team be prepared for such an event. 

• Building design continues to evolve. The CVC has undergone a number of 

design changes, and design changes are continuing for a number of 

building components, such as the exhibit gallery and the fire protection 

and security systems. Some of these changes have resulted in delays, such

as in the exhibit gallery and in the East Front. In addition, designs or shop 

drawings for some elements of the project, such as aspects of the facility’s 

fire protection systems, have not yet been fully approved and are subject 

to change. At this stage of the project’s construction, one might expect the 

number of design changes to dwindle. However, this is not the case. For 

example, more than 20 design changes or clarifications were issued last 

month. Additional design changes are being considered, and the potential

exists for such changes to further adversely affect the schedule. 

• Multiple critical activity paths complicate schedule management. In its 

report on the project’s January 2006 schedule, AOC’s construction 

management contractor identified 18 critical activity paths—4 more than 

in the contractor’s report on the project’s October 2005 schedule—that are 

crucial to meeting the scheduled completion date. In addition, the 

construction management contractor said that several noncritical 

activities have fallen behind schedule since November 2005, and a number 

of these have moved closer to becoming critical to the project’s 

completion. As we have previously said, having a large number of critical

and near-critical activities complicates project management and increases

the risk of missing completion dates. We believe that the CVC team will be 

particularly challenged to manage all of these areas concurrently and to 

deal effectively with problems that could arise within these areas, 

especially if multiple problems arise at the same time. 

Page 8 GAO-06-440T 
We currently estimate that the total cost to complete the entire CVC 

project is about $555 million without an allowance for risks and 

uncertainties and could be as much as about $584 million with such an 

allowance. As table 1 indicates, our current estimate without an allowance 

for risks and uncertainties is about $12 million higher than the estimate 

without such an allowance that we presented at the Subcommittee’s 

November 16, 2005, hearing.5

 This $12 million increase is largely 

attributable to additional

Estimated Project 

Costs Exceed 

Funding Provided as 

of February 2006 

• delay costs estimated by AOC’s construction management contractor and 

• actual and anticipated changes in the design and scope of the project. 

Table 1: Comparison of November 2005 and February 2006 CVC Construction Cost 

Estimates 

Dollars in millions

Estimate February 15, 2006 November 16, 2005 Difference

With risks and uncertainties $584 $559 $25

Without risks and uncertainties $555 $543 $12

Allowance for risks and 

uncertainties/Difference $29 $16 $13

Source: GAO analysis of AOC data. 

In particular, changes in the project’s fire protection system, which we 

discussed at the Subcommittee’s October 18, 2005, CVC hearing, are now 

expected to cost more than previously estimated. Specifically, the system’s 

acceptance testing is expected to be more extensive and to take place later 

than originally anticipated, and additional temporary construction may be 

required to ensure fire safety if the CVC is opened to the public before the 

Senate and House expansion spaces are completed. This additional 

construction would involve designing and installing—and then removing—

temporary walls and perhaps taking other fire protection measures to 

create emergency exits from the CVC. As discussed in more detail earlier 

in this statement, the need for temporary construction may be reduced or 

eliminated if the fire safety acceptance testing of the expansion spaces and 

of the CVC can be performed concurrently, rather than over two separate 

 5

Our work identified one project element—the acquisition and installation of USCP’s 

technical security equipment—that is now expected to cost less than budgeted. Although 

the $12 million net increase reflects a decrease in estimated cost for this element without

an allowance for risks and uncertainties, our $584 million estimate recognizes that there is 

some risk associated with this item and thus includes funding for such risk. 

Page 9 GAO-06-440T 
periods, as would be likely if the CVC is opened to the public before the 

expansion spaces are completed. We discussed this issue during the 

Subcommittee’s July 14, 2005, CVC hearing6

 and recommended then that 

AOC estimate the cost of these temporary measures so that Congress 

could weigh the costs and benefits of opening the CVC before the 

expansion spaces are completed. AOC has agreed to provide this estimate 

to Congress when it has more information on the status of construction 

progress on the CVC and expansion spaces and the specific steps that will 

be necessary to provide adequate temporary exit routes.7

We now estimate that the total cost to complete the entire project with an 

allowance for risks and uncertainties could be as much as $584 million, or 

about $25 million more than we estimated in November 2005. This 

increase reflects the potential for the project to incur additional costs if 

• difficulties arise in commissioning and testing its complex and 

sophisticated fire protection, ventilation, and security systems; 

• significant problems with the building’s design are identified and need to 

be corrected during construction; 

• delays cost more than anticipated;8 and 

• significant discretionary changes in the project’s design and scope are

requested. 

To date, about $528 million has been provided for CVC construction. This 

amount does not include about $7.7 million that was made available for 

 6

GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project’s Schedule and Costs, 

GAO-05-910T (Washington, D.C.: July 14, 2005). 

7

The temporary work necessary will depend on various factors, such as whether the 

sprinkler and smoke control systems are fully functional. 

8

It is important to note that the delay-related costs included in our estimates have been

made for budgetary purposes only and do not reflect an assessment of the government’s 

responsibility for any delays. Furthermore, it should be recognized that estimating the 

government’s costs for delays that occurred after November 2004 is difficult because 

delays have occurred for different reasons and it is unclear who ultimately will bear 

responsibility for the various delays that have occurred. 

Page 10 GAO-06-440T 
either CVC construction or operations.9

 According to AOC, it expects to 

use about $2 million of this amount for construction. To obtain the 

additional funding that it expected to need to complete the project’s 

construction, AOC, in December 2005, requested $20.6 million as part of its 

budget request for fiscal year 2007. This request was based, in part, on 

discussions with us and took into account our November 16, 2005, 

estimate of the cost to complete the project’s construction without an 

allowance for risks and uncertainties and funding from existing 

appropriations. The request also reflected updates to our November 

estimate through mid-December 2005. At that time, the $20.6 million 

request for additional appropriations, coupled with the additional funds 

that AOC planned to use from existing appropriations, would have been 

sufficient to cover the estimated cost to complete construction without an 

allowance for risks and uncertainties. 

Our work since mid-December 2005 indicates that AOC will need about $5 

million more, or about $25.6 million in additional funds, to complete 

construction without an allowance for risks and uncertainties.10 This 

increase reflects 

• the number and magnitude of potential change orders that CVC team 

members and we believe are likely and 

• additional costs associated with extending the project’s expected 

completion date beyond March 31, 2007, the date contemplated in our last

cost estimate. 

AOC generally agrees with our estimate, particularly with respect to 

having sufficient contingency funds available for necessary design or 

scope changes or for additional delay-related costs. 

 9

Public Law 108-447, enacted on December 8, 2004, provided that up to $10.6 million could 

be transferred from AOC’s Capitol Building appropriation account for the use of the CVC 

project. The use of the amount transferred is subject to the approval of the House and 

Senate Committees on Appropriations. In June 2005, AOC received approval to use about 

$2.8 million of this $10.6 million, leaving a balance of about $7.7 million that can be used in 

the future after a rescission amounting to $84,800. 

10AOC has asked for additional funds in its fiscal year 2007 budget request under its general

administration budget for contractual support to its Fire Marshal Division which includes

support for acceptance testing for the CVC. This request is not included in our cost-tocomplete estimate or estimate of additional CVC funds needed for fiscal year 2007. 

Page 11 GAO-06-440T 
Public Law 108-83 limits to $10 million the amount of federal funds that 

can be obligated or expended for the construction of the tunnel 

connecting the CVC with the Library of Congress. As of February 14, 2006,

AOC estimated that the tunnel’s construction would cost about $9.8 

million, and AOC’s total obligations for the Library of Congress tunnel 

construction work totaled about $8.7 million. AOC’s remaining estimated 

costs are for potential changes. 

On February 13, 2006, AOC awarded a contract for the work to connect

the tunnel to the Jefferson Building. This work is costing more than AOC 

had estimated—a possibility we raised in our November 16 testimony 

before the Subcommittee. Because this work involves creating an opening 

in the building’s foundation and changing the existing structure, we 

believe that AOC is likely to encounter unforeseen conditions that could 

further increase its costs. Therefore, we included additional contingency

funds for this work in our $555 million estimate of the cost to complete the 

CVC project’s construction. Both AOC and we plan to monitor the 

remaining tunnel and Jefferson Building construction work closely to 

ensure that the statutory spending limit is not exceeded. 

Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, AOC has responded to many of the schedulerelated concerns we have identified, but its planned opening date for the 

CVC is still somewhat optimistic. For AOC to meet even our estimated 

opening time frame, we believe that it is critically important for the CVC 

team to do the following: 

Estimated Construction 

Costs for Library of 

Congress Tunnel Close to, 

but under, Limit 

• Aggressively take all necessary and appropriate actions to install interior 

wall and floor stone as expeditiously as possible, including seeing that 

sufficient quantities of masons, stone, and work space are available when 

needed to meet the wall stonework plan and the forthcoming floor stone 

installation plan. 

• Closely monitor construction to identify potential “trade stacking” and 

promptly take steps to prevent it or effectively address it should it occur.

• Reassess its risk mitigation plans to ensure that the team takes the steps 

necessary to prevent a major building system problem during 

commissioning or testing and has measures in place to deal quickly with 

problems should they arise. 

Page 12 GAO-06-440T 
• Carefully consider the necessity of proposed scope and design changes 

and attempt to minimize the impact of necessary changes on the project’s 

schedule and cost. 

• Reassess the capacity of the CVC team (AOC and its contractors) to 

effectively manage and coordinate the schedule and work from this point 

forward, particularly with respect to the large number of activities that are 

currently critical, or close to being critical, to the project’s timely 

completion. 

• Identify and consider the pros and cons (including the estimated costs) of 

opening the CVC and expansion spaces at about the same time and 

provide this information to Congress. 

We have discussed these actions with AOC, and it generally agrees with 

them. It pointed out that it would be in a better position to assess the pros 

and cons of opening the CVC and the expansion spaces concurrently when 

construction is further along and it becomes clearer when the work will 

actually be done. This appears reasonable to us.

We would be pleased to answer any questions that you or Members of the 

Subcommittee may have. 

For further information about this testimony, please contact Bernard 

Ungar at (202) 512-4232 or Terrell Dorn at (202) 512-6923. Other key 

contributors to this testimony include Shirley Abel, John Craig, Maria 

Edelstein, Elizabeth Eisenstadt, Brett Fallavollita, Jeanette Franzel, Jackie 

Hamilton, Bradley James, and Scott Riback. 

Contacts and 

Acknowledgments 

Page 13 GAO-06-440T 
Page 14 GAO-06-440T 

Appendix I: Capitol Visitor Center Critical 

Construction Milestones November 16, 2005-

February 15, 2006 

Activity Location

September 2005 

scheduled finish date

November 2005 

scheduled finish date

Actual finish 

date

Orientation Lobby Perimeter CMU walls 10/13/05 12/02/05 12/29/05

East Front Subbasement Interior CMU walls 10/02/05 12/06/05

Exhibit Gallery Wall Stone Area 2 base 10/31/05 12/07/05 12/23/05

Exhibit Gallery Wall Stone Area 3 base 11/10/05 12/02/05 12/28/05

Orientation Lobby Interior CMU walls 11/15/05 12/09/05 12/30/05

Exhibit Gallery Wall Stone Area 1 11/16/05 12/16/05 01/06/06

Congressional Auditorium Wall Stone Area 2 11/17/05 12/05/05 01/13/06

Congressional Auditorium Wall Stone Area 3 12/05/05 02/06/06 01/13/06

Upper Level Assembly Room Wall Stone Area 1 12/13/05 01/13/06 01/11/06

Exhibit Gallery Wall Stone Area 3 12/14/05 01/16/06 01/06/06

Upper Level Assembly Room Wall Stone Area 2 12/29/05 01/30/06 01/20/06

Upper Level Orientation Lobby Wall Stone Area 1 Pedestals 1/11/06 02/09/06

Upper Level Orientation Lobby Wall Stone Area 2 Pedestals 1/23/06 02/21/06

Utility Tunnel Install Walls Sta. 1+00- 2+00 11/04/05 12/06/05 12/23/05

Utility Tunnel Install Roof Sta. 1+00- 2+00 11/28/05 12/16/05 01/05/06

Utility Tunnel Install Roof Sta. 0+00-1+00 12/05/05 12/21/05 12/07/05

Source: AOC’s September and November 2005 CVC sequence 2 construction schedules for the scheduled completion dates and AOC

and its construction management contractor for the actual completion dates. 

(543158) 
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