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6 ADDITIONAL ACTIONS BEING CONSIDERED In response to the committee's question about further actions being considered to improve the quality of con- struction work being received, the agencies provided the following information. CORPS OF ENGINEERS The Corps of Engineers reported that it is considering the following actions: ⢠Steps to improve career opportunities of quality assurance personnel assigned to field offices of the Corps of Engineers. ⢠Increases in quality control/quality assurance training programs. ⢠Institution of an award program for quality construction. VETERANS ADMINISTRATION The Veterans Administration reported that it is developing a new, better process for preparing long-range master plans for the development of VA stations. Such plans will permit VA stations to be developed in a way that is efficient, rational, and nondisruptive. 27
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION The General Services Administration reported that it expects to contract out for more construction inspection services in the future. In addition, GSA is considering the use of construction managers to oversee the design and construction of its facilities. These actions are expected to result in an improvement in construction quality with fewer in-house resources. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE The Public Health Service reported that it is working on methods of quickly solving contract disputes. One promising way to achieve this is to give resident engineers ready access to technical and legal assistance to help resolve complex disputes. 28
