Capitol Visitor Center: Status of Schedule, Fire Protection, Cost, and Related Issues
Published: 2005-10-18T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: GAO testified before Congress on the progress on the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) project. Our remarks will focus on (1) the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) progress in managing the project's schedule since Congress's September 15 hearing on the project, (2) issues associated with the CVC's fire protection system, and (3) the project's costs and funding. Our ability to fully address these issues is limited by two important factors. First, AOC's sequence 2 construction contractor's--Manhattan Construction Company--September 2005 schedule reflects a number of significant changes, and AOC has not yet had the opportunity to fully evaluate these changes. Second, neither AOC nor its construction management contractor--Gilbane Building Company--has completed the evaluation of elements of the project schedule that we recommended during Congress's September 15 hearing. Thus, while we will discuss the schedule's status, we will not be able to provide specific estimated completion dates until AOC and its construction management contractor complete their assessments and we have the opportunity to evaluate them. Similarly, while we will discuss the status of the project's costs and funding, we will wait until the project schedule is fully reviewed and stabilized and we have had an opportunity to evaluate AOC's consultant's, McDonough Bolyard Peck (MBP), cost-estimation work before we comprehensively update our November 2004 estimate of the cost to complete the project.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: AOC and its construction contractors have made progress in managing the schedule and accomplishing work since Congress's September 15 CVC hearing, but additional delays have been encountered. Work on all interior levels of the CVC, various sections of the House and Senate expansion spaces, the plaza, and the utility tunnel has continued. However, additional delays have occurred in a number of areas. For example, despite an increase in the number of stone masons working on the project in September, the project lost about 2 weeks on interior stone work installation and a similar amount of time on the utility tunnel. The design of the CVC's fire protection system has undergone a number of changes--largely to reconcile conflicts between security and life and fire safety requirements--and in a number of instances has been the focus of considerable debate among stakeholders (e.g. CVC project team members, AOC's Chief Fire Marshal and AOC fire protection engineers, and USCP representatives). Changes to the system's design and scope have resulted in about $900,000 in cost increases so far and could result in additional increased costs of about $4.4 million based on anticipated changes as of September 30, 2005. The bulk of the potential $5.3 million cost increase stems from two factors--a change in the manner smoke will be kept from egress stairwells that was requested by AOC's Chief Fire Marshal and agreed to by the stakeholders and which resolves a conflict between security and life and fire safety requirements, and a disagreement between AOC and a contractor over contract requirements for certain detection devices. The increased cost figure could change significantly, however, because some CVC project team members believe that the estimated costs for these changes are too high, costs for all proposed or anticipated changes have not yet been fully evaluated, and negotiations relative to the estimated $4.4 million in anticipated changes have not been completed. We have discussed the costs associated with the stairwell change with AOC, and it has agreed to fully evaluate the situation before it executes any additional contract modifications for this change. Based on our discussions with the CVC project team, AOC's Chief Fire Marshal, and USCP representatives, it appears that the fire protection system design is now essentially complete and agreed to by all the stakeholders. Finally, coordination problems have existed between the CVC project team and AOC's Chief Fire Marshall in arranging for inspections of completed work, but steps are being taken to resolve the problems. We have not updated our interim estimate of a cost of between $525.6 million and about $559 million to complete the project, which we reported at Congress's September 15 CVC hearing, because AOC's consultant just completed its updated cost estimate and we have not yet had the opportunity to evaluate it, and because the project schedule has not yet stabilized. As soon as we evaluate MBP's report and the project schedule stabilizes, we will begin our work to reassess the reasonableness of project completion dates and comprehensively update our cost-tocomplete estimate. No additional funding beyond the $527.9 million for CVC construction and the $7.8 million that remained available for CVC operations or construction that we reported at Congerss's last CVC hearing has been provided for the CVC.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: 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) the Architect of the Capitol’s (AOC) progress in managing the  project’s schedule since the Subcommittee’s September 15 hearing on the  project, (2) issues associated with the CVC’s fire protection system, and  (3) the project’s costs and funding. Our ability to fully address these  issues is limited by two important factors. First, AOC’s sequence 2  construction contractor’s—Manhattan Construction Company— September 2005 schedule reflects a number of significant changes, and  AOC has not yet had the opportunity to fully evaluate these changes.  Second, neither AOC nor its construction management contractor— Gilbane Building Company—has completed the evaluation of elements of  the project schedule that we recommended during the Subcommittee’s  September 15 hearing. Thus, while we will discuss the schedule’s status  today, we will not be able to provide specific estimated completion dates  until AOC and its construction management contractor complete their  assessments and we have the opportunity to evaluate them. Similarly,  while we will discuss the status of the project’s costs and funding today,  we will wait until the project schedule is fully reviewed and stabilized and  we have had an opportunity to evaluate AOC’s consultant’s, McDonough  Bolyard Peck (MBP), cost-estimation work before we comprehensively  update our November 2004 estimate of the cost to complete the project.
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; our observations on the progress of  work at the CVC construction site; and our discussions with CVC project  staff (including AOC, its major CVC contractors, and representatives of  MBP), AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, United States Capitol Police (USCP)  representatives, and officials responsible for managing the Capitol Power  Plant (CPP). We did not perform an audit; rather, we performed our work  to assist Congress in conducting its oversight activities.
In summary, AOC and its construction contractors have made progress in  managing the schedule and accomplishing work since the Subcommittee’s  September 15 CVC hearing, but additional delays have been encountered.
Work on all interior levels of the CVC, various sections of the House and  Senate expansion spaces, the plaza, and the utility tunnel has continued.  However, additional delays have occurred in a number of areas. For  example, despite an increase in the number of stone masons working on  the project in September, the project lost about 2 weeks on interior stone  work installation and a similar amount of time on the utility tunnel.
Moreover, some revisions have been made to project activities and  schedules, but these revisions have not been fully evaluated. The sequence  2 contractor revised the manner in which the HVAC and fire protection  systems’ commissioning work and acceptance testing would be done,  which changed this contractor’s scheduled completion date for the base  project to December 11, 2006, from a completion date of February 26,  2007, in the contractor’s August schedule. However, neither AOC nor its  construction management contractor has had time to fully evaluate these  revisions. In addition, AOC’s construction management contractor has  now integrated into the project’s September 2005 schedule a number of  recently prepared component schedules, including schedules for preparing  for CVC operations and House and Senate expansion space construction.  This integrated project schedule shows the base project as being ready for  opening to the public by mid December 2006 and a completion date of  February 26, 2007, for the House and Senate expansion spaces. However,  neither AOC nor its construction management contractor has fully  evaluated the activity durations or adequacy of resource levels shown in  the base project’s schedule as we recommended in our September 15  statement. Also, the September 2005 schedule does not yet fully reflect  input from AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal on commissioning or testing and  inspection activities. Thus, we are not now in a position to estimate a  specific completion date, and our views should be regarded as preliminary  at this time. With this qualification in mind, we have not seen recent  evidence that would change our preliminary view that a base project  completion date in 2006 will be difficult to achieve and that construction  completion in early to mid 2007 is more likely unless AOC and its  contractors take extraordinary action or change the project’s scope, which  could result in additional costs to the Government. Our view is based on  the schedule slippages that have already occurred, the views of project  personnel that several activities (such as interior wall stone installation  and interior finish work) are likely to take longer than shown in the  schedule, the large number of activities that the current project schedule  shows as being at risk of causing the project’s completion date to slip, and  the risks and uncertainties that continue to face the project. While we view  the increased number of stone masons as quite positive, it is not clear  whether the contractor will be able to maintain a sufficiently high number  of masons on the site or whether sufficient stone supplies will be available  on time given the problems that have been experienced in this regard.  AOC and its construction manager expect to have their evaluations of the  sequence 2 contractor’s schedule changes, scheduled activity durations,  and proposed resource levels done by the end of this year. We will re- evaluate the project schedule and inform the Subcommittee of our results  after AOC and its construction management contractor have what they  consider to be a reasonably stable integrated schedule.
The design of the CVC’s fire protection system has undergone a number of  changes—largely to reconcile conflicts between security and life and fire  safety requirements—and in a number of instances has been the focus of  considerable debate among stakeholders (e.g. CVC project team members,  AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal and AOC fire protection engineers, and USCP  representatives). Changes to the system’s design and scope have resulted  in about $900,000 in cost increases so far and could result in additional  increased costs of about $4.4 million based on anticipated changes as of  September 30, 2005. The bulk of the potential $5.3 million cost increase  stems from two factors—a change in the manner smoke will be kept from  egress stairwells that was requested by AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal and  agreed to by the stakeholders and which resolves a conflict between  security and life and fire safety requirements, and a disagreement between  AOC and a contractor over contract requirements for certain detection  devices. The increased cost figure could change significantly, however,  because some CVC project team members believe that the estimated costs  for these changes are too high, costs for all proposed or anticipated  changes have not yet been fully evaluated, and negotiations relative to the  estimated $4.4 million in anticipated changes have not been completed.  We have discussed the costs associated with the stairwell change with  AOC, and it has agreed to fully evaluate the situation before it executes  any additional contract modifications for this change. Based on our  discussions with the CVC project team, AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, and  USCP representatives, it appears that the fire protection system design is  now essentially complete and agreed to by all the stakeholders. Finally,  coordination problems have existed between the CVC project team and  AOC’s Chief Fire Marshall in arranging for inspections of completed work,  but steps are being taken to resolve the problems.
We have not updated our interim estimate of a cost of between $525.6  million and about $559 million to complete the project, which we reported  at the Subcommittee’s September 15 CVC hearing, because AOC’s  consultant just completed its updated cost estimate and we have not yet  had the opportunity to evaluate it, and because the project schedule has  not yet stabilized. As soon as we evaluate MBP’s report and the project  schedule stabilizes, we will begin our work to reassess the reasonableness  of project completion dates and comprehensively update our cost-to- complete estimate. No additional funding beyond the $527.9 million for  CVC construction and the $7.8 million that remained available for CVC  operations or construction that we reported at the Subcommittee’s last  CVC hearing has been provided for the CVC.
subsections: section_title: Project Schedules Have Been Revised but Not Fully Evaluated
paragraphs: While work in several areas has moved forward since the Subcommittee’s  September 15 CVC hearing, additional delays have been encountered, and  project schedules have been revised but not fully reviewed or evaluated.  Construction work has continued on the CVC, the East Front, the plaza,  the House and Senate expansion spaces, and the utility tunnel since the  Subcommittee’s September 15 hearing. For example, wall stone  installation work has continued in the great hall, the orientation theaters,  and the auditorium, and the number of stone masons working in the  interior of the CVC has increased since mid August. Some stone masons  worked on weekends between mid August and mid September. In  addition, excavation, concrete, and piping work in the utility tunnel has  been proceeding, as has mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work in the  CVC.
On the other hand, between the Subcommittee’s September 15 hearing and  October 12, the sequence 2 contractor completed work on only 3 of the 11  activities we and AOC have been tracking for the Subcommittee. None of  these activities had been completed by the target dates shown in the  contractor’s April 2005 baseline schedule, although one was completed by  the date shown in the contractor’s June 2005 schedule. (See app. I.)  Furthermore, additional delays have occurred on interior and exterior  stonework installation, the East Front, the utility tunnel, and the House  connector tunnel. For example, according to AOC’s construction  management contractor, during September, the sequence 2 contractor  gained only 12 workdays on critical interior stonework and 10 workdays  on the utility tunnel out of a possible 21 days of work. According to the  construction management contractor, stonework has been delayed due a  shortage of stone masons, a lack of critical pieces of stone, the need to do  remedial concrete work in the orientation theaters and along the exterior  concrete walls and interior concrete floors of the auditorium, and delays  in getting shop drawings for stonework on the East Front. According to  AOC’s construction management contractor, excavation work on First  Street for the utility tunnel has been delayed due to unforeseen conditions  and the need to stop work for the former Chief Justice’s funeral at the  Supreme Court, and unforeseen conditions have also delayed work on the  House connector tunnel.
During September, the sequence 2 contractor changed the manner in  which the HVAC and Fire Protection system’s commissioning work and  acceptance testing would be done, with the potential result of a time  savings. The changes largely involved re-sequencing work and doing work  concurrently that the August schedule showed would be done  sequentially. According to the contractor’s revised schedule, these changes  will result in an improvement of over 60 workdays and bring the scheduled  completion date for this work to December 11, 2006, compared to the  February 26, 2007, date shown in the August schedule. However, these  changes have not yet been fully evaluated. AOC and its construction  management contractor are reviewing the changes, as is AOC’s Chief Fire  Marshal. AOC and its construction management contractor believe it will  take about 30 to 60 days to complete their assessments, and AOC’s Chief  Fire Marshal believes that he may have his evaluation done before the end  of October.
Altogether, the construction management contractor has identified a total  of 11 critical activity paths in the September schedule that will extend the  base project’s completion date beyond AOC’s September 15, 2006, target  date if expected lost time cannot be recovered or further delays cannot be  prevented. In addition to the critical paths related to the HVAC system and  the fire alarm system that are discussed above, examples of other base  project critical path activities included in the contractor’s September  schedule are utility tunnel and piping, stonework in the East Front,  interior wall stone in such areas as the orientation theaters and atria,  stonework in the auditorium and exhibit gallery, millwork and casework  installation in the orientation theaters and atria, fabrication and  installation of bronze doors, and penthouse mechanical work. Of the 11  critical activity paths in the September schedule, completion dates for 4  paths improved compared to the August schedule, but completion dates  for the other 7 paths, including all of the stonework paths, slipped. For  example, according to the construction management contractor, the  September schedule shows all of the work associated with the fire alarm  testing critical path being completed by November 22, 2006, an  improvement over the August schedule’s date of February 26, 2007; the  September schedule also shows all of the work associated with the  interior auditorium wall stone critical path being completed by December  12, 2005, more than a month later than the August schedule’s date of  November 2, 2005. The sequence 2 contractor’s September 2005 schedule  indicates that construction work on the base CVC will be essentially  complete by September 15, 2006, and that remaining work between that  date and December 11, 2006, will largely consist of testing, balancing, and  commissioning the HVAC system; testing and inspecting the fire protection  system; punch-list work; and preparing for operations.
Most of the activities discussed above are among the activities we  previously identified as likely having optimistic durations, suggesting that  it could take even longer to complete them than shown in the project  schedule. These activities served as the basis for the recommendation we  made to AOC during the Subcommittee’s September 15 hearing that AOC  rigorously evaluate the durations for the activities shown in the project  schedule. According to AOC, it has not yet completed this evaluation.  Moreover, we continue to believe that having such a large number of  critical activity paths complicates project management and makes on-time  completion more difficult.
AOC’s construction management contractor has continued to integrate  various component schedules into the CVC construction and summary  schedules as they have been completed, and the integrated schedule  contains about 6,500 activities. Consequently, AOC now has a summary  schedule that integrates the completion of CVC and House and Senate  expansion space construction with preparations necessary for opening the  CVC to the public. This integrated summary schedule shows CVC  construction as well as the activities necessary for opening the CVC to the  public being completed by mid December 2006, the time AOC proposed  last month for opening the CVC to the public. That is, AOC expects  construction work on the base CVC project to be substantially completed  by September 15, 2006, but expects such work as HVAC commissioning,  fire protection system testing and inspection, punch-list work, and  operations preparations work to be ongoing until December 15, 2006.  According to AOC’s sequence 2 and construction management  contractors, it is not yet clear whether expansion space construction will  have progressed to the point where temporary work for fire safety once  believed to be necessary to open the CVC to the public will no longer have  to be done. They said that they are still analyzing the work associated with  those areas where the base project interfaces with the expansion spaces  and whether and how the need for temporary work for fire safety can be  minimized or eliminated.
Although the sequence 2 contractor has taken, plans to take, and is  considering various actions to recover lost time and prevent or mitigate  further delays, we continue to believe that the contractor will have  difficulty completing construction before early to mid 2007. Our reasons  for concern include the uncertainty associated with the September  changes in the HVAC commissioning and fire protection system schedules  that have not yet been fully reviewed, the schedule slippages to date,  optimistic durations for a number of activities based on the views of CVC  team members, the large number of activity paths that are critical, and  risks and uncertainties that continue to face the project. AOC’s  construction management contractor also points out that further delays  could result from congressional requests to stop work due to high noise  levels in the East Front and delays in completing CVC ceiling work  necessary for the HVAC and fire protection systems, although the CVC  team is considering ways to mitigate these risks. We also note that the  Chief Fire Marshal has not yet approved the construction drawings for the  fire protection system or the schedule for the system’s commissioning and  testing.
In addition to our views on the project’s September schedule changes and  progress, we would also like to briefly discuss several schedule-related  issues about which we have previously raised questions or issues or made  recommendations to AOC.
We have been recommending for some time that AOC improve schedule  management and analyze and document delays and the reasons and  responsibilities for them on an ongoing basis—at least monthly. We have  noted considerable improvements in the CVC team’s schedule analysis and  management since the arrival of the construction management  contractor’s project control engineer several months ago. Shortly after his  arrival, the scope and depth of schedule analysis and management  improved significantly, and AOC’s construction management contractor  modified its monitoring process to capture information on delays.  However, we continue to be concerned about AOC’s not having adequate  information systematically compiled and analyzed to fully evaluate the  causes and potential responsibilities for delays on an ongoing basis. In our  view, not having this type of information on an ongoing basis is likely to  create problems later on should disputes arise and knowledgeable staff  leave. Also, in this regard, we have previously expressed concerns about  the need for the project schedule to show resources to be applied to meet  schedule dates. While the sequence 2 contractor has shown proposed  resource levels for many activities, proposed resource levels have not  been included for many of the new activities added to the project  schedule. The lack of such information can complicate the analysis of  delays, including their causes and costs. AOC agreed that these issues are  important and said it would discuss them with its construction  management contractor.
We have previously recommended that AOC develop risk mitigation plans  to address risks and uncertainties facing the project. In July, AOC asked  one of its consultants—MBP—to assist it in identifying risks and  developing plans to address those risks. AOC has identified over 50 risks  facing the project and established a process for addressing them. AOC has  begun to develop and implement plans for managing these risks. As of  October 11, AOC had developed plans for addressing 12 risks, such as  unforeseen conditions associated with constructing the House connector  tunnel, and fabrication and installation of custom bronze doors and  windows. AOC said that it will continue to develop plans for the remaining  risks. It also plans to discuss the risks at a weekly meeting and add new  risks to its list and develop mitigation plans for them as they are identified.
The September schedule shows utility tunnel construction being  completed in February 2006 and CVC’s air handlers beginning to operate at  that time, assuming that they can get steam and chilled water from the  Capitol Power Plant. During our September 15 testimony, we noted  several problems associated with CPP that could adversely affect the CVC  as well as other congressional buildings if not corrected or addressed.  These problems included, for example, potential delays in completing the  West Refrigeration Plant Expansion Project, which is necessary to provide  chilled water to the CVC; the removal from service of two chillers in the  East Refrigeration Plant because of refrigerant gas leaks; fire damage to a  steam boiler; and staffing and training issues associated with operating the  new plant and the absence of a CPP director. Since the Subcommittee’s  September 15 CVC hearing, the fire damage to the boiler has been  repaired, and the two coal-burning boilers that were taken off line for  maintenance had been put back on line; however, another maintenance  problem occurred with one of the boilers and it had to be turned off for  repairs, which AOC expects to have completed by the end of this week.  Also, over the Columbus Day weekend, heavy rains caused damage to  electrical equipment that resulted in a power outage affecting the entire  plant. Power was restored within a few hours; however, because of  damage to the electrical equipment, power is not available at certain  locations within the plant. In particular, one of the chillers in the East  Plant is inoperable because power cannot be provided to it. This incident  prompted AOC to make a change that affects the West Refrigeration Plant  Expansion Project. Specifically, AOC has decided to reconfigure the  chilled water piping system to allow the West Plant to operate in isolation  of West Plant Expansion. This change, which could result in an increase to  the contract cost, will decrease CPP’s reliance on the older East Plant and  will enhance its capacity to reliably provide chilled water to the CVC and  other congressional buildings. Finally, AOC recently advertised the vacant  director’s position. At this time, GAO has an active engagement to assess  certain CPP issues, such as staffing and training for, and the estimated  cost to complete, the West Refrigeration Plant Expansion Project. This  engagement is being conducted as part of a separate review for the  Subcommittee.
Although AOC determined that the sequence 1 work was substantially  complete in November 2004, the sequence 1 contractor has continued to  work on punch-list items. Since the Subcommittee’s September 15 CVC  hearing, AOC’s construction management contractor added about 15  additional work items to this list, such as chipping concrete interfering  with wall stone installation and repairing drains. According to AOC’s  construction management contractor, the sequence 1 contractor has been  making satisfactory progress in completing the punch-list work.
section_title: Fire Protection System Issues Are in the Process of Being Resolved
paragraphs: The CVC’s fire protection system is complicated, interfaces with security  and other building systems, and encompasses a variety of subsystems and  components, such as smoke and heat detectors, an alarm system, a  sprinkler system, a smoke evacuation system, door locks that will open in  the event of a fire, monitoring and control systems, emergency signage,  lighting, communication, and a system for preventing smoke from entering  stairwells—referred to as stair pressurization—to allow occupants to get  out of the building. We have identified three issues related to the fire  protection system, each of which we would like to briefly discuss.  1.  Evolving design: The CVC’s fire protection system has undergone a  number of design changes and has been the subject of debate among  relevant stakeholders for a number of reasons, largely due to conflicts  between security and life and fire safety requirements. According to  AOC, the building codes governing the design of the CVC often conflict  with security requirements, do not recognize the unique security needs  of the Capitol, and are particularly silent when it comes to the  integration of new air filtration technologies. In addition, AOC said  that security requirements and the decision to add state-of-the art air  filtration technology to the project when the construction documents  were almost complete forced the project team to redesign all of the air  handling systems in a compressed timeframe in order to maintain the  overall schedule. It also forced the project team to devise a complex  design solution with AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal and USCP while  sequence 2 was out for bid as well as after the contract had been  awarded. On October 5, we attended meetings of representatives from  the CVC project team, AOC’s Fire Marshal Division, and USCP where  issues surrounding the CVC’s fire protection system were discussed.  Based on those discussions and information subsequently provided by  AOC and USCP, it appears to us that the design of the CVC’s fire  protection system is now essentially complete and agreed to by all of  the relevant stakeholders. The CVC project team and the Chief Fire  Marshal note, however, that not all of the shop drawings related to the  fire protection system have been submitted or approved, and some  issues could arise during the review process.  2.  Increased cost: As of September 30, executed contract modifications  and anticipated changes related to CVC’s fire protection system totaled  about $5.3 million, with most of this amount, about $4.4 million, being  estimated costs for anticipated changes that have not been fully  evaluated or approved. Changes to the system’s design and scope  already made have resulted in about $900,000 in cost increases. Costs  for changes that have been made or that are anticipated have increased  or are expected to increase for several reasons, but the bulk of the  increases stems largely from two factors—changes requested by AOC’s  Chief Fire Marshal aimed at ensuring that the system meets fire safety  standards based on his interpretation of code requirements (an area  where conflict existed between fire safety and security requirements)  and a disagreement between AOC and a contractor on contract  requirements regarding certain detection devices. The most costly  change involving the security/fire safety conflict that the CVC team has  agreed to relates to the manner in which fresh air will be brought into  the building to pressurize stairwells to prevent smoke infiltration in the  event of a fire. The estimated costs for this change (including the  expansion space) amount to about $2.2 million, or over 40 percent of  the estimated increased costs for the fire protection system.  Differences of opinion among CVC team members exist on the  magnitude of the estimated costs for this change. We have discussed  this issue with AOC, and it has agreed to fully evaluate the cost before  it executes additional contract modifications relating to stair  pressurization. The final costs for the stair pressurization and  detection devices in question as well as the other anticipated changes  could change significantly from the estimated amounts once any open  issues regarding costs are resolved. It is also possible that some of the  proposed change orders include work items that are not related to the  CVC’s fire protection system, and to the extent this situation exists,  costs for such work items would not be attributable to the fire  protection system.  3.  Coordination problems: The CVC project team and AOC’ s Fire  Marshal Division have been experiencing difficulties arranging for  timely inspections of completed work due to coordination problems  involving the amount of notice and documentation needed before  inspections can occur. To improve coordination, the CVC project team  has been working with its construction management contractor and  the Chief Fire Marshal to develop a systematic process for arranging  for and documenting fire safety inspections and is considering hiring a  consultant to help facilitate the coordination process. The Chief Fire  Marshal has increased staffing devoted to the CVC and is planning to  obtain contract support to help perform CVC inspections. The Chief  Fire Marshal is also reviewing the sequence 2 contractor’s September  2005 schedule to determine whether the sequencing of work and the  time allotted for fire safety and occupancy inspections are acceptable.
section_title: Our Project Cost Estimate Update Awaits Assessment of Consultant Estimate and Schedule Stabilization; Funding Provided Has Not Changed Since September 2005
paragraphs: AOC’s consultant—MBP—finished its work last week to update the  estimated cost to complete the project. We have not yet had time to  evaluate MBP’s report. Also, as we said during the Subcommittee’s  September 15 CVC hearing, we are waiting for the project schedule to  stabilize before we begin our work to comprehensively update our  November 2004 estimate of the cost to complete the project. Thus, we are  not revising our interim updated estimated cost to complete the project of  between $525.6 million and about $559 million that we discussed at the  Subcommittee’s September 15 CVC hearing. As soon as we evaluate MBP’s  report and the project schedule stabilizes, we will begin our work to  assess the reasonableness of the scheduled completion dates for the CVC  and the House and Senate expansion spaces and comprehensively update  our estimate of the cost to complete the project.
No additional funding beyond the $527.9 million for construction and the  $7.8 million that was available for CVC construction or operations has  been provided for the project since the Subcommittee’s September 15  hearing. As you may recall, Mr. Chairman, at your last CVC hearing, we  expressed concern about possible duplication of work and costs in areas  where the responsibilities of AOC’s CVC construction and operations  contractors overlap, such as in designing wayfinding signage and the gift  shops. AOC agreed to work with its operations planning contractor to  clarify the contractor’s scope of work, eliminate any duplication, and  adjust the operations contract’s funding accordingly. AOC told us that it  has discussed these issues with its contractor and concluded that while no  duplication of work or funding exists, it needs to clarify the contract’s  scope of work on wayfinding signage because it included more work than  the contractor would actually do.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes our statement. We would be pleased to  answer any questions that you or Members of the Subcommittee may have.
section_title: Contacts and Acknowledgments
paragraphs: 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, Michael Armes, John  Craig, George Depaoli, Maria Edelstein, Brett Fallavollita, Jeanette  Franzel, Jackie Hamilton, Bradley James, Scott Riback, Kris Trueblood,  and Alwynne Wilbur.
section_title: Appendix I: Capitol Visitor Center Critical Construction Target Dates September 16 – October 18, 2005
paragraphs: June 2005 Scheduled   Finish Date  *This activity was not noted listed in the April schedule. All other activities were critical in the April  schedule or became critical in subsequent schedules.
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