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GME CONSULTANTS, INC. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING REPORT As the client of a consulting geotechnical engineer,you should know that site subsurface conditions cause more construction problems than any other factor. ASFE/The Association of Engineering Firms Practicing in the Geosciences offers the foliowing suggestions and observations to heip you manage your risks. A Geotechnical Engineering Report Is Based On A Unique Set Oi Project-Specific Factors Your geotechnical engineering report is based on a subsurface exploration plan designed to consider a unique set of project-specific factors. These factors typically inciude: the general nature of the st�ucture involved, its size, and configuration; the location of the structure on the site; other improvements, such as access roads, parking lots, and underground utilities; and the additional risk created by scope-of-service limitations imposed by the client.To help avoid costly problems,ask your geotechnical engineer to evaluate how factors that change subsequent to the date of the report may affect the reporYs recommendations. Unless your geotechnical engineer indicates otherwise, do not use your geotechnical engineering report: • when the nature of the proposed structure is changed,for example, if an office building will be erected instead of a parking garage, or a refrigerated warehouse will be built instead of an unrefrigerated one; • when the size, elevation, or configuration of the proposed structure is altered; • when the location or orientation of the proposed structure is modified; � when there is a change of ownership; or • for application to an adjacent site. � Geotechnical engineers cannot accept responsibility for problems that may occur if they are not consulted after factors considered in their report's development have changed. , Subsurface Condltlons Can Change A geotechnical engineering report based on conditions that existed at the time of subsurface exploration. Do not base construction decisions on a geotechnical engineering report whose adequacy may have been affected by time. Speak with your geotechnical consultant to learn if additional tests are advisable before construction starts. Note, too, that additional tests may be required when subsurface conditions are affected by construction operations at or adjacent to the site, or by natural events such as floods, earthquakes, or g�ound water fluctu- ations. Keep your geotechnical consultant apprised of any such events. Most Geotechntcal Flndings Are Professional Judgments Site exploration identifies actual subsurface conditions only at those points where samples are taken.The data were extrapolated by your geotechnical engineer who then applied judgment to render an opinion about overall subsurface conditions. The actual interface between materials may be far more gradual or abrupt than your report indicates. Actual conditions in areas not sampled may differ from those predicted in your report. While nothing can be done to prevent such situations; you and your geotechnical engineer can work together to help minimize their impact. Retaining your geotechnical engineer to observe construction can be particularly bene- ficial in this respect. A Report's Recommendations Can Only Be Preliminary The construction recommendations included in your geotechnical engineer's report are preliminary, because they must be based on the assumption that conditions revealed through selective exploratory sampling are indicative of actual conditions throughout a site. Because actual subsurface conditions can be discerned only during earthwork, you should retain your geotechnical engineer to observe actual conditions and to finalize recommendations.Only the geotechnical engineer who prepared the report is fully familiar with the background information needed to determine whether or not the report's recommendations are valid and whether or not the contractor is abiding by applicable recommendations. The geotechnical engineer who developed your report cannot assume responsibility or liability for the adequacy of the report's recommendations if another party is retained to observe construction. Geotechnical Servlces Are Perfortned For Specific Purposes And Persons Consulting geotechnical engineers prepare reports to meet the specific needs of specific individuals. A report prepared for a civil engineer may not be adequate for a coostruction contractor or even another civil engineer. Unless indicated otherwise,your geotechnical engineer prepared your report expressly for you and expressly for purposes you indicated. No other than you should apply this report for its intended purpose without first conferring with the geotechnical engineer. No party should apply this report for any purpose other than that originally contemplated without first conferring with the geotechnicaf engineer. GME CONSULTANTS,INC.