United States Government Accountability Office

GAO Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on the 

Legislative Branch, Committee on 

Appropriations, U.S. Senate 

CAPITOL VISITOR 

CENTER 

Update on Status of 

Project’s Schedule and Cost 

As of June 28, 2006 

Statement of Terrell Dorn, Director 

Bernard L. Ungar, Director 

Physical Infrastructure Issues 

For Release on Delivery

Expected at 10:30 a.m. EDT 

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 

 

GAO-06-827T 
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 the Architect of the Capitol’s (AOC) progress in achieving 

selected project milestones and in managing the project schedule since the 

Subcommittee’s May 24, 2006, hearing on the project.1

 As part of this 

discussion, we will address a number of key challenges and risks that 

continue to face the project, as well as actions AOC has taken or plans to 

take to address these risks. In addition, we will discuss the status of the 

project’s costs and funding. 

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 (AOC and its major CVC contractors), 

AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, and representatives from the U.S. Capitol 

Police. We also reviewed AOC’s construction management contractor’s 

periodic schedule assessments and daily reports on the progress of 

interior wall and floor stonework. 

In summary: 

Since the Subcommittee’s May 24 CVC hearing, AOC has extended the 

project’s scheduled completion and opening dates. The CVC team has 

continued to move the project’s construction forward, but primarily 

because of significant problems associated with the CVC’s fire protection 

system, gift shops, and utility tunnel, AOC has extended the scheduled 

completion dates for the base CVC project and the House and Senate 

expansion spaces by approximately 2-1/2 months, from February 23, 2007, 

to May 7, 2007, for the CVC, and from May 25, 2007, to August 8, 2007, for 

the expansion spaces. Furthermore, to allow time for possible additional 

delays and preparation for operations, AOC is now proposing to open the 

CVC in July 2007 with a temporary certificate of occupancy and the 

expansion spaces in August 2007, at which point a final certificate of 

occupancy will be issued for the CVC. Previously, AOC was planning to 

open the CVC in April 2007 and the expansion spaces in May 2007. We are

 1

GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project’s Schedule and Cost as of May

24, 2006, GA0-06-803T (Washington, D.C.: May 24, 2006). 

Page 1 GAO-06-827T 
reassessing the project schedule, as we stated at the Subcommittee’s last 

CVC hearing, and expect to finish our reassessment by mid-September. 

Pending our reassessment, AOC’s new July and August 2007 time frames 

appear to be reasonable tentative targets for opening the CVC and House 

and Senate expansion spaces. However, we are not as confident as we 

would like to be about whether the CVC team will be able to meet the 

challenges, risks, and uncertainties that continue to face the project, given 

the difficulties the team has historically had in meeting its targets and 

milestones. Thus, we expect to have greater confidence in the target 

opening dates after we complete our schedule reassessment. 

• During the past month, work on the project has progressed in a number of 

areas. For example, the CVC team has finished restoring and has opened 

the portion of East Capitol Street that runs above the CVC’s utility tunnel 

and has finished installing the veneer plaster portion of the ceiling in the 

great hall and piping for the sprinkler system throughout the CVC. In 

addition, critical interior wall and floor stone installation has continued, 

together with other interior and exterior construction work, and the 

sequence 2 contractor has continued work on its area-by-area plans to 

prevent trade stacking2

 during finish work. About 96 percent of the interior 

wall stone for the CVC itself (excluding the atrium areas, the East Front, 

and the tunnels) is now installed. 

• Delays associated with the CVC’s fire protection system, gift shops, and 

utility tunnel primarily led the CVC team to add about 50 workdays to the 

project schedule. During the last 5 weeks; the sequence 2 contractor also 

fell short of its installation target for interior wall stone; the pace of floor 

stone installation remained far below the targeted pace; and several other 

base project and expansion space activities—including East Front work—

fell further behind schedule. Indicators of construction progress that we 

have been tracking for the Subcommittee also support AOC’s extensions 

of the proposed completion and opening dates. For example, the sequence 

2 contractor met only 2 of the 14 milestones we have been tracking for this 

hearing, and this contractor’s monthly billings indicate that construction 

work is more likely to be completed closer to AOC’s new target dates than 

its previous ones. 

 2

Trade stacking 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 2 GAO-06-827T 
• AOC’s new schedule provides additional time to complete work, and we 

believe, on the basis of the information available to us at this time, that 

AOC’s July and August 2007 proposed opening dates tentatively appear 

reasonable; however, we have not yet finished reassessing AOC’s schedule 

to better determine whether this additional time will be sufficient in view 

of the challenges, risks, and uncertainties that the project continues to 

face. For example, the CVC fire protection system has not yet been fully 

approved; critical building systems still have to be commissioned and 

tested; and certain design or work scope elements are still incomplete or 

are being clarified, refined, or changed, even though the project’s overall 

design is essentially complete. In addition, the delays in completing the 

utility tunnel have created an additional risk: if the sequence 2 contractor 

has difficulty achieving and maintaining required temperature and 

humidity levels, the project’s ceiling and finish work could be further 

delayed. More information should be available on this and other schedulerelated issues by the time we finish reassessing the project schedule in 

mid-September, following the completion of AOC’s reassessment, which is 

expected by July 31. 

Before the schedule changed this month, we were estimating that the total 

cost to complete the entire CVC project would be about $556 million 

without an allowance for risks and uncertainties and $584 million with 

such an allowance—an amount that we continue to believe should be 

sufficient. To date, about $530 million has been provided for CVC 

construction. The $26 million in remaining funds needed is consistent with 

our last estimate of the amount of additional funds AOC would need to

complete the entire CVC project. In addition, as we have previously 

indicated, AOC preliminarily expects to need about $950,000 in fiscal year

2007 AOC general administration appropriations to pay for the contractual

support needed to complete acceptance testing of the facility’s fire 

protection system in time to meet the project schedule. AOC plans to 

determine if it can reduce the amount needed for this contractual support; 

we will keep the Subcommittee apprised of this situation. Furthermore, 

AOC is likely to incur additional costs because of the problems associated 

with the CVC’s fire protection system, gift shops, utility tunnel, and other 

issues. In light of these problems, we do not know whether the $556 

million estimate, which does not include an allowance for risks and 

uncertainties, will cover the costs to complete the project, but we 

currently believe that our $584 million estimate, which does include such 

an allowance, should be sufficient. We plan to reassess our cost-tocomplete estimate this summer and provide our results to the 

Subcommittee by mid-September. 

Page 3 GAO-06-827T 
AOC has extended the CVC project’s proposed completion and opening 

dates because, although the CVC team has continued to make progress in 

a number of areas since the Subcommittee’s last CVC hearing, significant 

delays have also occurred, especially in work on the CVC’s fire protection 

system, gift shops, and utility tunnel. Indicators of progress that we have 

been monitoring for the Subcommittee support AOC’s extension of the 

proposed dates, and remaining challenges, risks, and uncertainties could 

further affect the project’s progress. AOC’s proposed time frames 

tentatively appear reasonable, but further reassessment of the project 

schedule is needed to gain greater confidence in the revised dates. 

According to the May 2006 project schedule, the base CVC project will be 

completed in May 2007 and the House and Senate expansion spaces will 

be completed in August 2007, about 2-1/2 months later than indicated in

the April 2006 schedule. Moreover, according to the May schedule, the 

base project will be opened in July 2007 and the expansion spaces will be

opened in August 2007—time frames that AOC believes will accommodate 

possible additional delays and allow start-up time for operations. 

According to the May 2006 schedule, most of the physical construction 

work in the CVC, the East Front, and the expansion spaces will be 

completed by December 31, 2006; however, some work in the exhibit 

gallery, the gift shops, and the East Front extends into 2007—as far as 

March 2007 for the gift shops and certain East Front work. Neither the 

CVC nor the expansion spaces can be opened until the Chief Fire Marshal 

has completed acceptance testing for the fire protection and life safety 

systems, now scheduled for May 2007 for the CVC and August 2007 for the 

expansion spaces. The Chief Fire Marshal plans to issue a temporary 

certificate of occupancy for the CVC’s base building when he completes 

his testing of it and a final certificate after he completes his testing of the 

expansion spaces and limited retesting of the CVC’s base building. AOC 

believes that it may be able to shorten some of the time scheduled for 

testing the fire protection system and that it may be able to open segments

of the expansion spaces earlier than August 2007. As we have discussed in 

previous CVC testimonies, AOC is continuing to explore this possibility. 

Although the CVC team has had difficulty meeting milestones and 

continues to face challenges, risks, and uncertainties, the July 2007 

opening time frame for the CVC would give the team 2 to 3 months 

(depending on the specific date in July) after the May 7, 2007, scheduled

completion date to address additional delays and prepare for operations. 

Some time could also be available in August to address issues associated 

AOC Has Extended 

the Project’s 

Proposed Completion 

and Opening Dates 

AOC Has Postponed the 

Proposed Completion and 

Opening Dates about 2-1/2 

Months 

Page 4 GAO-06-827T 
with the acceptance testing of the expansion spaces, which is scheduled to 

begin on May 8, 2007, after the initial acceptance testing of the CVC is 

completed. Thus, AOC’s July and August 2007 time frames for opening the 

CVC and expansion spaces tentatively appear reasonable at this time 

pending our reassessment of the project schedule, to be done over the 

next several weeks. 

According to information provided by AOC and its construction 

management contractor and our observations, work on the project has 

advanced, in terms of both the dollar value of the work in place and 

individual project elements. In dollar terms, AOC’s construction 

management contractor reported that, as of May 31, the overall CVC 

project was about 82 percent complete and the sequence 2 work was 

about 71 percent complete–up from about 81 percent and 70 percent, 

respectively, as of April 30. Progress on individual project elements 

includes the following: 

Construction Work Is 

Progressing 

• Surface work above the CVC utility tunnel was largely completed, leading 

to the opening of East Capitol Street in June, and work on the House 

connector tunnel has continued. 

• Interior CVC work has made additional progress, according to AOC’s 

construction management and sequence 2 contractors. For example, the 

sequence 2 contractor has finished installing veneer plaster ceilings in the 

great hall; structural steel framing for the glass floor in the exhibit gallery; 

piping for the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system throughout 

the CVC and expansion spaces; and piping for the sprinkler system 

throughout the CVC. Furthermore, the CVC team, the U.S. Capitol Police, 

and AOC’s Fire Marshal Division have also resolved issues associated with 

the CVC’s security and fire protection systems that, if not resolved, could

have impeded construction progress. 

• Wall stone installation has progressed substantially in the East Front 

plaza level, atriums, and auditorium and continued in other areas, such as

the food service area. As of last week, the sequence 2 contractor had 

installed about 96 percent of the interior wall stone in the CVC itself, 

excluding the atrium areas, the East Front, and the tunnels.

• On the East Front exterior, AOC and its construction management 

contractor reported, new waterproofing was installed under the center 

steps, a skylight structure was erected and glass was installed in the 

openings north and south of the great hall, and materials and equipment 

Page 5 GAO-06-827T 
were delivered for the penthouse mechanical work. 

• In the House and Senate expansion spaces, progress was made in 

installing drywall, roughing in electrical systems, and performing work in 

other trade areas. 

Since the Subcommittee’s May 24 hearing, problems have occurred in a 

number of areas that we expressed concerns about during the 

Subcommittee’s last three CVC hearings, These include problems 

associated with the base project’s fire protection system and the House 

and Senate gift shops, which have had the largest impact on the 

schedule—resulting in AOC’s extension of the date for the CVC to obtain a 

temporary certificate of occupancy from February 23, 2007, as shown in 

the April schedule, to May 7, 2007, as shown in the May schedule. 

Problems have also delayed work on the CVC utility tunnel and the 

expansion spaces. 

To resolve issues associated with the base project’s fire alarm system and 

gift shops, the CVC team added a net of 51 workdays to the project’s May 

schedule, reflecting (1) additional time for resolving issues raised by 

AOC’s Fire Marshal Division about shop drawings for the base CVC 

building’s fire alarm system, (2) additional time for programming the fire 

alarm system, and (3) a change in the schedule logic involving the time for 

starting the programming. AOC’s Fire Marshal Division completed its 

review on June 1 and approved most elements of the base building’s fire 

alarm system, but raised a number of problems and concerns. For 

example, it found that the firefighter telephone system and manual pull 

stations proposed by the subcontractor did not meet contract 

specifications. In addition, the CVC team learned that the sequence 2 fire

alarm system subcontractor did not plan to start programming the fire 

alarm system until all relevant issues, including those raised by the Fire 

Marshal Division about the CVC’s fire alarm shop drawings and proposed 

fire alarm system equipment, were resolved. Because the programming 

had previously been scheduled concurrently with other activities, the team 

added time to the schedule for the programming. Work on the gift shops 

has been delayed because the estimated costs and bid price for their fit-out 

greatly exceeded the budget for this work. AOC planned to request 

approval from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations to 

reprogram funds from CVC operations to construction to cover the 

shortfall and plans to move forward with the gift shops in segments by 

executing contract modifications based on the available funding until its

reprogramming request is approved. However, AOC said that this 

Further Delays Have 

Occurred as Risks Have 

Materialized 

Page 6 GAO-06-827T 
reprogramming request did not include any contingency funding for the 

gift shops and therefore it anticipates having to request another 

reprogramming of funds for such contingency funding. The CVC team and 

the Fire Marshal Division established and have implemented an expedited 

process for resolving the identified problems and concerns, and according 

to the team and AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, the issues raised by the Fire 

Marshal Division about the CVC’s fire alarm shop drawings and proposed 

fire alarm system equipment are being worked through for resolution and

resubmission to the Fire Marshal Division. However, it is not yet clear how 

much time will be needed to address other fire protection system issues; 

the Fire Marshal Division has not yet completed its reviews of shop 

drawings for other components of the system because the design of the 

CVC’s base building fire alarm system had to be approved first; and the gift 

shop design and funding issues have not been fully resolved. We plan to 

include these areas in our reassessment this summer. 

Delays associated with the CVC utility tunnel led the CVC team to extend 

the date for it to become operational from June 29, 2006, as shown in the 

April 2006 schedule, to August 4, 2006, as shown in the May 2006 schedule. 

These delays occurred because preliminary work on an old tunnel took 

longer than expected. The old tunnel, which contains piping from the 

Capitol Power Plant that is connected to piping in the CVC utility tunnel, 

was inaccessible before temporary shoring work was completed. 

According to AOC, this temporary shoring work was completed on June 

16, and last week the CVC team began asbestos cleanup in the old tunnel,

in the area where piping from the new tunnel is connected to piping in the 

old tunnel. After this cleanup is done, the CVC team is to continue work in 

the old tunnel necessary to enable steam and chilled water to flow from 

the Capitol Power Plant to the CVC. Given the history of problems 

associated with the utility tunnel, it is not clear at this time whether it will 

be operational on schedule, and additional delays could further adversely 

affect the project, as we will discuss later in our testimony. Several other 

base project activities—which we will discuss shortly—have also been 

delayed, but these delays have had a smaller impact. 

Delays in commissioning the air handling units and in installing ceiling tile 

in the expansion spaces during the past month will affect the project 

schedule, and some work has been resequenced, but the resequencing will 

not affect the schedule, according to the sequence 2 contractor. The air 

handling units are necessary for testing the fire protection system in both 

the CVC and the expansion spaces, and the ceiling tile must be installed in

the expansion spaces for that testing. According to the fit-out

subcontractor, the ceiling tile work was delayed because the 

Page 7 GAO-06-827T 
subcontractor doing the work had to wait for direction on audio-visual 

rough-in work. The sequence 2 contractor resequenced the installation of 

circular staircases in the House and Senate atrium areas because extensive 

concrete chipping in one atrium, which was required to correct out-oftolerance sequence 1 work, and scaffolding set up in the atriums to install 

wall stone precluded the sequence 2 fit-out subcontractor from gaining 

access to work areas in both atriums. 

In addition to the construction-related adjustments to the schedule for the 

expansion spaces, the 51-workday delay in the CVC schedule produced a 

corresponding 51-workday delay in the schedule for the expansion spaces, 

extending their opening from May 25, 2007, as shown in the April schedule,

to August 8, 2007, as shown in the May schedule. This extension will occur 

because, as we have discussed in our previous CVC testimonies, AOC 

plans to have most of the acceptance testing of the CVC’s fire protection 

system completed before the acceptance testing of the expansion spaces 

begins.3

 AOC believes that this sequential approach to the acceptance

testing will allow the CVC to open with a temporary certificate of 

occupancy somewhat earlier than if the acceptance testing were 

performed concurrently. AOC is still considering opening the expansion 

spaces in sections, which means that some sections could possibly open 

earlier than August 8, 2007. 

Besides the delays that have already occurred, several indicators of 

construction progress that we have been tracking for the Subcommittee 

suggest that the revised completion and opening dates in AOC’s May 2006 

schedule are more realistic than the previously scheduled dates. An update

on these indicators follows: 

Sequence 2 contractor continues to miss milestones. Starting with the 

Subcommittee’s June 2005 CVC hearing, at the Subcommittee’s request, 

we and AOC have been selecting and tracking sequence 2 milestones to 

help the Subcommittee monitor construction progress. These milestones 

include activities that were either on the project’s critical path or that we 

and AOC believe are critical to the project’s timely completion. As figure 1 

shows, the sequence 2 contractor has generally missed these milestones. 

Indicators of Construction 

Progress Support 

Extension of Project 

Schedule 

 3

AOC is planning to have the smoke control system in the CVC and expansion spaces tested

at about the same time because certain parts of the smoke control system in the expansion 

spaces must operate before the CVC can open. 

Page 8 GAO-06-827T 
For today’s hearing, 14 of these milestones were due to be completed, 

according to the project’s January 2006 schedule. One was completed 

ahead of schedule, one was completed on schedule; and none of the 

remaining 12 had been completed as of June 26. (See app. I.) AOC’s 

sequence 2 contractor attributed the slippages to a number of factors, 

including the need to do remedial or preparatory work in the East Front 

and auditorium and the need to resolve outstanding issues and resequence

work for a number of reasons, such as to prevent damage or to move 

materials stored in an area that was otherwise ready for the next stage of 

work. 

Figure 1: Sequence 2 Contractor’s Progress in Meeting Selected Milestones as of

CVC Hearing Dates 

In total, AOC’s construction management contractor reported delays in 17 

of 23 critical and near-critical paths that AOC’s construction management 

contractor identified as important to meeting the base project’s overall 

Number 

Hearing date 

Number of milestones completed on time 

Number of milestones completed late 

Number of milestones not completed 

Source: Sequence 2 contractor, AOC and its construction management contractor, and GAO. 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

May, 2006 

April, 2006 

June, 2006

March, 2006 

February, 2006 

November, 2005 

October, 2005 

September, 2005 

July, 2005 

June, 2005 

Page 9 GAO-06-827T 
completion date.4

 According to AOC’s construction management 

contractor, delays besides those in the fire protection system, gift shops, 

and utility tunnel have occurred in other activity paths since the 

Subcommittee’s last CVC hearing. These other delays occurred in, but 

were not limited to, the East Front, the orientation theaters, the exhibit 

gallery, certain elevator installations, the upper level assembly room, and 

the House connector and Library of Congress tunnels. According to the 

CVC team, these other delays were attributable to design changes, water 

leaks, deficient sequence 1 work, changes in the sequence of work 

activities by the sequence 2 contractor, and inaccessible work areas. Even

more important than the individual delays themselves, however, is their 

likely impact on the CVC team’s ability to complete construction work on 

schedule. So many activities have fallen behind schedule that relatively 

short additional delays could push the CVC’s overall completion date 

further back. The number of critical and near-critical paths increased from

21 in the project’s April schedule to 23 in the May schedule. 

Value of completed work is consistent with revised schedule. Another 

indicator of construction progress that we and AOC’s construction 

management contractor have been tracking is the value of the completed 

construction work billed to the government each month. Both we and the 

construction management contractor believe that the sequence 2 

contractor’s monthly billings, including the bills for March, April, and May 

2006, indicate that AOC is more likely to finish closer to its currently 

scheduled completion dates than its previously scheduled completion 

dates. While this indicator has some limitations (for example, billings lag 

behind construction), it is generally regarded in the construction industry 

as a useful measure of how likely a project is to be completed on time. 

Figure 2 compares the sequence 2 contractor’s billings since May 2003 

with the billings needed to complete construction work on schedule and 

 4

Construction projects typically have one critical path, which is the sequence of activities 

having the longest duration through the schedule. There is no slack time associated with

these activities, meaning that a delay in a critical path activity will delay the entire project 

unless a way is found to reduce the time required for other activities along the critical path. 

Some projects have multiple critical paths simultaneously; in practice, the CVC had what 

essentially amounted to two concurrent critical paths in May—(1) acceptance testing of the 

fire protection system and (2) fit-out of the gift shops. (AOC’s construction management 

contractor reported the fit-out of the gift shops as a near-critical activity because of a

change in schedule logic it had made, but because this delay would otherwise have had the 

same impact on the project’s completion as the acceptance testing delay, we regard it as a

second critical path.) Generally, the more critical and near-critical activities a project has,

the greater is the risk of late completion because there are more opportunities for slight 

delays that can adversely affect the project’s completion. 

Page 10 GAO-06-827T 
indicates that the sequence 2 contractor is unlikely to finish the project 

until the late spring or summer of 2007 unless the value of completed work 

increases significantly. We believe that a significant increase will be 

difficult, given the limited number of areas that will be ready for finish 

work at any given time. 

Figure 2: Total Billings by the Sequence 2 Contractor for the Entire CVC Project Compared with the Billings Needed to Finish 

Construction Work on Schedule

Dollars (in millions) 

Month 

Range of billings needed to finish on schedule 

Target billings (range average) 

Actual billings 

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor. 

Billings based on early finish dates in schedule 

Billings based on late finish dates in schedule 

 

0 

500 

100 

150 

200 

250 

December 2006 

January 2007 

February 2007 

March 2007 

April 2007 

May 2007

November 2006 

October 2006 

September 2006 

August 2006 

July 2006 

April 2006 

May 2006 

June 2006 

March 2006 

February 2006 

January 2006 

December 2005 

November 2005 

October 2005 

September 2005 

August 2005 

July 2005 

April 2005 

May 2005 

June 2005 

March 2005 

February 2005 

January 2005 

December 2004 

November 2004 

October 2004 

September 2004 

August 2004 

July 2004 

April 200

May 2004 

June 2004 

4 

March 2004 

February 2004 

January 2004 

November 2

December 2003 

003 

October 2003 

September 2003 

August 2003 

July 2003 

May 2003 

June 2003 

Page 11 GAO-06-827T 
Notes: 

The early and late lines on this figure reflect the cumulative billings that would be required to 

complete the project through contract modification number 102 ($224.8 million total contact value) by 

the early and late finish dates shown in the sequence 2 contractor’s schedule based on the 

September 2006 contractual completion date. 

The actual line reflects the sequence 2 contractor’s actual monthly billings. 

Although bills are typically submitted for payment after work is completed, it is often likely that 

construction work will be completed on schedule when the actual billing line falls between the early 

and late lines in the figure. With respect to the CVC, the actual billing line has been trending below, 

and in March 2006 went below, the late finish line, where it remained in April and May 2006. Even 

with the lag in billings, this trend indicates that the amount of work being completed each month is not 

sufficient to finish the project on the project’s previous schedule. 

Interior stone installation is taking longer than expected. Overall, about

80 percent of the CVC’s interior wall stone has been installed (includes the 

CVC, East Front, atrium areas, and tunnels), according to AOC’s 

construction management contractor, and the sequence 2 contractor 

installed 4,795 pieces of interior wall stone during the last 5 weeks, about 

30 percent short of its 6,959-piece production target. During the same 

period, the sequence 2 contractor installed about 2,825 square feet of floor 

stone, or about 20 percent of the 15,070 square feet specified in a 

preliminary floor stone installation plan that the contractor provided to 

AOC shortly after the February 15 CVC hearing. In addition, 4 of the 14 

schedule milestones that we and AOC have been tracking for the 

Subcommittee for today’s hearing are related to interior wall stone 

installation, and the sequence 2 contractor met 1 of these 4 milestones. 

According to the CVC team, the sequence 2 contractor has missed its stone 

installation targets for a variety of reasons, including the need to correct 

problematic sequence 1 work or properly prepare certain spaces for the 

installation of wall or floor stone, a change in wall stone design, late 

deliveries of floor stone for the exhibit gallery, and delays in some spaces 

in finishing certain work, such as ceiling work, that usually precedes floor 

stone installation. The sequence 2 contractor did not meet the milestones 

for wall stone installation that we are tracking for the Subcommittee 

because certain remedial work was necessary and several of its masons 

were doing noncritical wall stone installation in other areas. The masons 

were doing this noncritical work while remedial or preparatory work was 

being performed in the East Front and atrium areas so that wall stone 

installation could start or continue in those areas, according to AOC’s 

construction management contractor. In addition, AOC’s construction 

management contractor reported that wall stone for remaining work in the 

upper level of the orientation lobby, which had been awaiting delivery 

because of a change in the type of stone to be used, has been delivered. 

Page 12 GAO-06-827T 
The sequence 2 contractor has not yet finished installing floor stone in the 

exhibit gallery, largely because it ran out of floor stone for that area during

certain periods in April and May. According to the sequence 2 contractor, 

the supplier of floor stone for the exhibit gallery is a small company that 

was not able to fabricate the floor stone as quickly as needed. AOC’s 

construction management contractor said that the sequence 2 contractor 

has now received all of the exhibit gallery floor stone. The sequence 2 

contractor does not expect previous installation delays to adversely affect

the overall completion of the exhibit gallery. 

To finish installing floor stone in other areas of the CVC, the sequence 2 

contractor said that it (1) plans to move many of the masons installing wall 

stone to floor stone installation soon and (2) has drafted a new set of 

targets for floor stone installation, which the CVC team has been 

reviewing. We plan to review the contractor’s revised targets when they 

are provided to us and will track the contractor’s performance against its 

revised targets for the Subcommittee’s subsequent CVC hearings. Finally,

according to AOC’s construction management contractor, over 60 percent 

of the CVC’s interior floor stone has been fabricated, and the sequence 2 

contractor does not anticipate future problems with floor stone supply.

Figures 3 and 4 show the sequence 2 contractor’s progress in installing 

interior wall and floor stone since January 23 and February 13, 2006, 

respectively.

Page 13 GAO-06-827T 
Figure 3: Progress of CVC Interior Wall Stone Installation Compared with Targets Set by the Sequence 2 Contractor

Number of wall stones

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Week

Target for number of wall stones installed

Actual number of wall stones installed

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Week of 

June 19, 2006

Week of 

June 12, 2006

Week of 

June 5, 2006

Week of 

May 29, 2006

Week of 

May 22, 2006

Week of 

May 15, 2006

Week of 

May 8, 2006

Week of 

May 1, 2006

Week of 

April 24, 2006

Week of 

April 17, 2006

Week of 

April 10, 2006

Week of 

April 3, 2006

Week of 

March 27, 2006

Week of 

March 20, 2006

Week of 

March 13, 2006

Week of 

March 6, 2006

Week of 

February 27, 2006

Week of 

February 20, 2006

Week of 

February 13, 2006

Week of 

February 6, 2006

Week of 

January 30, 2006

Week of 

January 23, 2006

Page 14 GAO-06-827T 
Figure 4: Progress of CVC Interior Floor Stone Installation Compared with Preliminary Targets Set by the Sequence 2 

Contractor

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Target for square footage of floor stones installed

Actual square footage of floor stones installed

Square footage installed

Week of 

June 19, 2006

Week of 

June 12, 2006

Week of 

June 5, 2006

Week of 

May 29, 2006

Week of 

May 22, 2006

Week of 

May 15, 2006

Week of 

May 8, 2006

Week of 

May 1, 2006

Week of 

April 24, 2006

Week of 

April 17, 2006

Week of 

April 10, 2006

Week of 

April 3, 2006

Week of 

March 27, 2006

Week of 

March 20, 2006

Week of 

March 13, 2006

Week of 

March 6, 2006

Week of 

February 27, 2006

Week of 

February 20, 2006

Week of 

February 13, 2006

Week of 

February 6, 2006

Week of 

January 30, 2006

Week of 

January 23, 2006

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

0 0

Project Schedule Remains 

Vulnerable to Challenges, 

Risks, and Uncertainties 

As we have indicated during the Subcommittee’s previous CVC hearings, 

we believe that the CVC team continues to face challenges, risks, and 

uncertainties in completing the project. At this time, the 2 to 3 months that 

AOC has added to the proposed opening dates for the CVC and the 

expansion spaces seem sufficient to address these challenges, risks, and 

uncertainties. Nevertheless, given the project’s history of delays—

including those that have occurred since the Subcommittee’s last 

hearing—together with information previously provided to us by CVC 

team managers and members about the lack of sufficient time in the 

schedule for certain activities, we are not as confident as we would like to 

be about whether the CVC team will be able to address all of the 

challenges, risks, and uncertainties and finish all construction activities by 

the currently scheduled dates. Accordingly, we plan to reassess the project 

Page 15 GAO-06-827T 
schedule this summer and report our results to the Subcommittee by midSeptember 2006. A brief update follows on the challenges, risks, and 

uncertainties the CVC team continues to face and the team’s plans for 

addressing them: 

• Trade stacking could delay completion. As we discussed during the 

Subcommittee’s previous CVC hearings, trade stacking could hold up 

finish work, such as drywall or ceiling installation, electrical and plumbing 

work, plastering, or floor stone installation. This work could be stacked 

because of delays in wall stone installation. Trade stacking could also 

increase the risk of accidents and injuries. Hence, it remains important, as 

we said at previous CVC hearings, for the CVC team to closely monitor 

construction to identify potential trade stacking and promptly take steps 

to address it. The CVC team has also identified trade stacking as a high 

risk, and in its May progress report, AOC’s construction management 

contractor expressed concern about having enough workers to do ceiling 

work because much of the wall stone work is to be finished at the same 

time, making several areas available for ceiling work at the same time. The 

sequence 2 contractor has developed plans that show when various 

subcontractors will be working in each area of the CVC except the East 

Front, which the sequence 2 contractor does not expect to be ready for 

finish work for several weeks. According to the sequence 2 contractor, it 

intends to continue meeting regularly with its subcontractors to review 

and update the area plans and to have the area plan for the East Front 

done before finish work begins there. In mid-June, the sequence 2 

contractor reported that its area-by-area plans had prevented trade 

stacking to date. Although we and AOC agree that these area-by-area plans 

are important and should be helpful in reducing the risk of trade stacking, 

we are still concerned about the potential for future trade stacking 

because of the delays that have already occurred and future delays that 

could occur. 

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

complex building systems, including systems for heating, ventilation, and 

air conditioning; fire protection; and security. These systems not only have 

to perform well individually, but their operation also has to be integrated. 

If the CVC team encounters any significant problems with their 

functioning, either separately or together, during commissioning or 

acceptance testing, the project could be seriously delayed. During the 

Subcommittee’s March 15 CVC hearing, we noted that the sequence 2 

contractor planned to submit the shop drawings for the CVC’s fire 

protection system for review by March 17. However, the contractor did not 

submit the drawings for the base project until the end of April, in part 

because more time was needed to incorporate changes, AOC’s 

Page 16 GAO-06-827T 
construction management contractor said. The shop drawings for the 

CVC’s base building fire alarm system were given to AOC’s Chief Fire 

Marshal on May 1, and he and his staff completed their review on June 1. 

As we previously mentioned, AOC’s Fire Marshal Division approved most 

of the system and is now resolving the open issues with the CVC team. 

Some additional construction work may be required to address some of 

the Fire Marshal Division’s comments, but AOC does not expect this work 

to further delay the project’s completion. The Fire Marshal Division 

finished reviewing the shop drawings for the expansion space fire alarm 

system by June 26. The Fire Marshal Division has not been able to finish 

reviewing the shop drawings it has received for components of the fire 

protection system outside the base project because the CVC’s base 

building fire alarm system had to be reviewed first. In addition, the 

Division did not yet have complete information on when it would receive

additional shop drawings. Delays could arise if it takes longer than 

expected for the team to get approved shop drawings or if the proposed 

system does not meet the project’s design specifications or the fire 

protection code’s requirements.5

 In addition, the Chief Fire Marshal noted

that delays could occur if the CVC team does not adequately pretest the 

system and correct any problems found during the pretesting. On March 

23, AOC’s commissioning contractor submitted its plan for testing the 

performance of the CVC’s smoke control system, which is a critical 

component of the CVC’s fire protection system and must work properly 

before the CVC can be opened to the public. This plan had not yet been 

submitted to or approved by the Fire Marshal Division. In addition, as we 

have previously noted, the Chief Fire Marshal’s timely completion of the 

fire protection system’s acceptance testing depends on his ability to obtain

sufficient funding for a contractor to help perform the tests. 

• Building design and work scope continue to evolve. The CVC has 

undergone a number of design and work scope changes. Since the 

Subcommittee’s May 24 CVC hearing, AOC’s architectural contractor has 

issued three design changes or clarifications. As of June 22, 2006, this 

contractor reported, another 14 were in process. In addition, since the 

project began, AOC has executed more than 80 sequence 2 contract 

 5

According to the sequence 2 subcontractor that is fitting out the House and Senate 

expansion spaces, the delays in getting approved shop drawings for the fire protection

system have already postponed ceiling close-ins in the expansion spaces, and AOC believes 

that further such delays, along with possible requests for design changes, pose the greatest 

risks to the completion schedule for the expansion spaces. 

Page 17 GAO-06-827T 
modifications for work that was not anticipated.6

 Some of these changes, 

such as changes in the exhibit gallery and in the East Front, have resulted

in delays. Furthermore, shop drawings for a number of project elements, 

such as certain components of the facility’s fire protection system 

discussed above, and the design for the House and Senate gift shops have 

not yet been fully approved and are subject to change. Further design or 

scope changes in various project elements are also likely, given the 

project’s experience to date. Project design and scope changes are 

typically reflected in the development of potential change orders (PCO), 

many of which result in contract modifications. Figure 5 shows the PCOs 

submitted for consideration for sequences 1 and 2 since September 2003. 

Although PCOs are not always approved, they are often regarded as a 

reasonably good indicator of likely future design or scope changes that 

can affect a project’s cost and schedule. Even more important, the adverse 

impact of scope and design changes on a project schedule is likely to 

increase as the project moves toward completion. For example, changes in

the design of the gift shops are likely to affect the project schedule more 

adversely now than if the changes had been made several months ago. 

 6

These data exclude sequence 2 contract modifications for work that was planned but not 

included in the sequence 2 base contract. Examples include the fit-out of the House and 

Senate expansion spaces, the construction of the utility tunnel, and the purchase and 

installation of food service equipment. 

Page 18 GAO-06-827T 
Figure 5: Cumulative Number of Potential Change Orders Submitted for CVC Sequences 1 and 2 between September 2003

and April 2006 

Number

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Date

Sequence 1 potential change orders

Sequence 2 potential change orders

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

March 31, 2006

April 30, 2006

May 31, 2006

February 28, 2006

January 31, 2006

December 31, 2005

November 30, 2005

October 31, 2005

September 30, 2005

August 31, 2005

July 31, 2005

June 30, 2005

May 31, 2005

April 30, 2005

March 31, 2005

February 28, 2005

January 31, 2005

December 31, 2004

November 30, 2004

October 31, 2004

September 30, 2004

August 31, 2004

July 31, 2004

May 31,

June 30, 2004

 2004

April 30, 2004

March 31, 2004

February 29, 2004

January 31, 2004

December 31, 2003

November 30, 2003

October 31, 2003

September 30, 2003

As the figure indicates, new PCOs for sequence 1 were submitted until 

shortly before, and even for several months after, November 2004, when 

AOC determined that the sequence 1 contract work was substantially 

complete. Similarly, PCOs for sequence 2 are still being submitted, and we 

have seen no indication that their submission is likely to stop soon. It 

therefore appears likely to us that some of the design or scope changes 

indicated in PCOs could lead to contract modifications that will affect the 

project schedule. AOC agrees that it is important to minimize the impact of

proposed design and scope changes.

Page 19 GAO-06-827T 
Three additional issues associated with the CVC’s new utility tunnel have 

resulted, or are likely to result, in additional work or slippages. First, AOC 

recently said that it plans to add an exit to the new CVC utility tunnel to 

enhance worker safety. However, the construction work to add this exit 

may not start until after the CVC is open, according to AOC. Second, AOC 

recently identified complications that are affecting work on the new CVC 

utility tunnel. Specifically, AOC found that potential asbestos and other 

safety-related problems in an older tunnel that intersects the new utility 

tunnel will have to be addressed before other work needed for the new 

utility tunnel’s operation can proceed in the older tunnel. This additional 

safety-related work has contributed to the delay in the utility tunnel’s 

completion discussed earlier in our testimony; had not been completed as 

of June 26; and could lead to additional delays in getting the utility tunnel 

operational. (AOC expects this work to be done by July 1, 2006.) Third, the 

delay in starting up the utility tunnel’s operations has necessitated the use 

of temporary humidity control equipment for the orientation theaters to 

avoid damage to finish work and ceiling tile. In addition, further utility 

tunnel delays could require additional equipment in other areas, subject 

certain work to risk of damage, or delay finish or ceiling work in areas not 

suitable for the use of temporary humidity and temperature control 

equipment. For example, the CVC team installed ceiling tile in portions of 

the great hall to take advantage of the scaffolding in place, even though

neither the temperature nor the humidity were controlled in that area.

According to the CVC team, the installed tile could be damaged if the 

temperature or humidity is not within the specified levels. 

• Opening the CVC and expansion spaces at different times is likely to 

result in a temporary cap on CVC occupancy and could increase costs. 

AOC’s current plan to open the CVC in July 2007 before the expansion 

spaces are scheduled for completion is likely to result in a temporary cap 

on CVC visitor occupancy and may necessitate the construction of 

temporary emergency exits for fire and life safety protection.7

 AOC is 

proposing this sequential approach because it believes that conducting 

acceptance testing for the fire protection system for the CVC and the 

expansion spaces concurrently would delay opening the CVC to the public. 

AOC’s proposed July 2007 opening date for the CVC depends on the timely

 7

According to AOC, the CVC’s occupancy at any one time would be temporarily limited to 

3,500, compared with about 4,200, the normal anticipated occupancy level, until acceptance

testing of the fire protection system for the expansion spaces has been completed. 

Although AOC anticipates the need for some temporary work, it does not believe that the

associated costs will be substantial. 

Page 20 GAO-06-827T 
completion of work not only on the base project but also on the expansion 

spaces, since certain expansion space work must be completed before the 

CVC’s opening. Because work on both the base project and the expansion 

spaces has been delayed during the last 3 months, we believe that it will be 

especially important to monitor the progress of construction to determine 

what additional work (and funding) may be needed to meet AOC’s planned 

date for opening the CVC, including what temporary work may be required 

in the expansion spaces for the opening to occur before the expansion 

space work is completed. 

• Risks from insufficient stone deliveries remain, but may be

diminishing. According to AOC’s construction management contractor,

the sequence 2 contractor has, since the week of May 22, received four 

truckloads of interior wall stone from the wall stone fabricator. The 

sequence 2 subcontractor installing the interior wall stone recently asked 

its supplier to hold fabricated wall stone at its facility pending a request 

for delivery because of a shortage of storage space on the CVC site. As of 

June16, the supplier had two truckloads on hold, according to AOC’s 

construction management contractor. The sequence 2 contractor said that 

it does not foresee any further delays in the CVC work due to a lack of 

wall stone. Moreover, although none of the wall stone for the House and 

Senate expansion spaces was on site yet, the subcontractor responsible 

for this work is not anticipating delivery problems at this time. AOC’s 

construction management contractor reported that no floor stone was 

installed in the exhibit gallery during the week of April 10 or between May 

9 and May17 because the installers ran out of floor stone for that area.

According to AOC’s construction management contractor, the remaining 

exhibit gallery floor stone has now been delivered, and the installation has 

been continuing. The CVC team does not expect delays in floor stone 

shipments to affect the pace of future floor stone installation. 

Finally, as we have said in previous discussions with AOC, its construction 

management contractor, and the Subcommittee, it will be important for 

AOC to have adequate analysis and documentation of the reasons and 

responsibilities for delays.8

 On April 11, 2006, AOC executed a contract 

modification authorizing its construction management contractor to have 

one of its managers who has not been involved in the CVC project assess 

the adequacy of this type of information. The manager submitted his 

report to AOC in early June. He reported generally positive findings but 

 8

See for example: GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Effective Schedule Management and 

Updated Cost Information Are Important, GAO-05-811T (Washington, D.C.: June 14, 2005).

Page 21 GAO-06-827T 
also identified desired improvements. He made several recommendations 

to AOC, which AOC has generally agreed with and plans to implement 

consistent with the availability of resources. As we have previously stated, 

we believe it is important for AOC to complete its analysis of delays 

expeditiously given the current September 15, 2006, sequence 2 contract 

completion date and the impact this analysis is likely to have on delayrelated costs.

As we testified during the Subcommittee’s last three CVC hearings, we 

have estimated that the total cost to complete the entire CVC project 

would be about $556 million without an allowance for risks and 

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

allowance. To date, about $530 million has been provided for CVC 

construction. This amount includes about $3.6 million that was made 

available for either CVC construction or operations and has been approved 

for CVC construction by the House and Senate Committees on

Appropriations.9

 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. Our subsequent work—completed in 

preparation for the Subcommittee’s February 15 and March 15 CVC 

hearings—indicated that AOC would need about $5 million more, or about 

$25.6 million in total additional CVC construction funds, to complete 

construction without an allowance for risks and uncertainties. This would 

bring AOC’s total request for fiscal year 2007 CVC construction funds to 

$25.6 million. In addition, AOC has indicated that it plans to use about 

Estimated Project 

Cost and Funding 

 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 (including about $1.6 million for CVC construction) of this $10.6 million,

leaving a balance of about $7.7 million that could be used in the future after a rescission 

amounting to $84,800. AOC recently received approval to use about an additional $2 million 

of these funds for CVC construction, including, for example, the fabrication and installation

of wayfinding signage and the fit-out of the gift shops, and about $2.3 million for CVC 

operations. Thus, about $3.4 million of the $10.6 million remains available for approval for 

use for CVC construction or operations. 

Page 22 GAO-06-827T 
$950,000 of the fiscal year 2007 general administration appropriations it 

has requested to provide contractual support for its Fire Marshal Division.

As we stated in our last three CVC testimonies, AOC believes that it may 

be able to reduce the amount of funds it will need in fiscal year 2007 to

provide contractual support for testing the CVC’s fire protection system 

and is exploring ways to do so. We plan to monitor this situation and 

report to the Subcommittee as soon as AOC has a firmer estimate. In 

addition, events occurring since the Subcommittee’s May 24 CVC hearing 

have raised questions about the sufficiency of the $556 million cost-tocomplete estimate, given that it does not provide an allowance for risks 

and uncertainties. For example, AOC’s extension of the project schedule 

by more than 2 months is likely to result in increased costs; AOC recently 

learned that a redesign of the gift shop fit-out did not reduce the cost 

estimate or bid price to the budgeted amount; and the cost estimates for 

wayfinding signage have exceeded the budgeted amount. Nevertheless, at 

this time, we have no specific indication that the total cost to complete the 

project will exceed our $584 million estimate, which does include an 

allowance for risks and uncertainties. We plan to reassess our cost-tocomplete estimate this summer and will keep the Subcommittee apprised 

of our results. 

Mr. Chairman, this completes our prepared statement. 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, Jeanette Franzel, Jackie Hamilton, 

Bradley James, Joshua Ormond, and Scott Riback. 

Contacts and 

Acknowledgments 

Page 23 GAO-06-827T 
Page 24 GAO-06-827T 

Appendix: Capitol Visitor Center 

Critical Construction Milestones, 

May 25, 2006-June 28, 2006 

Source: AOC’s January 2006 CVC sequence 2 construction schedule for the scheduled completion dates and AOC and its construction 

management contractor for the actual completion dates as of June 26. 

Activity Location

Scheduled

completion

Actual 

completion

Projection Screens Orientation Theaters 5/30/06 4/22/06

Floor Stone East Front Basement 5/30/06

Ceiling Fabric Congressional Auditorium 6/06/06

Wall Stone Area 2 East Front Principal 6/06/06

Wood Doors and Frames Food Service 6/13/06

Plaster Walls Orientation Lobby 6/15/06 

Wall Stone Area 6 Congressional Auditorium 6/15/06

Finish Paint West Lobby Assembly 6/20/06

Finish Paint East Front Basement 6/20/06

Wall Stone Area 2 Atria North Lower Level 6/20/06 6/20/06 

Flooring East Front Basement 6/23/06

Stone Stairs East Front Principal 6/27/06

Ceiling Stone East Front Principal 6/27/06

Wall Stone Area 1 East Front Gallery 6/27/06

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