Section 8 Prosecution and Progress
GP‑8.01 Subcontracting
A. Except as may be provided elsewhere in the Contract, the Contractor to whom a contract is awarded shall perform with his/her own organization and with the assistance of workmen under his/her immediate supervision, work of a value of not less than fifty (50) percent of the total original value of the Contract.
B. No portion of the Contract shall be subcontracted, assigned or otherwise disposed of except with the written consent of the Procurement Officer. Any assignment, subcontract or other disposition of all or part of this Contract without the express written consent of the Procurement Officer shall be null and void. Consent to subcontract, assign or otherwise dispose of any portion of the Contract shall not be construed to relieve the Contractor or surety of any responsibility for the fulfilling of all the requirements of the Contract.
C. The Contractor shall incorporate by reference or otherwise include these General Provisions in every subcontract issued pursuant to or under this Contract, and shall require that the same reference or inclusion be contained in every subcontract entered into by any of its subcontractors.
GP‑8.02 Notice to Proceed
After the Contract has been executed, the Administration will, within the time limit specified by the Administration elsewhere in the Contract Documents, issue to the Contractor a "Notice to Proceed" and this notice will stipulate when the Contractor is expected to begin work. The specified contract time shall begin on the date stipulated in the Notice to Proceed or, if an earlier start is authorized in the Notice to Proceed, on the day work (other than the erection of the inspection office construction stakeouts and mobilization) actually starts. Work done prior to receipt of the Notice to Proceed is unauthorized and will not be measured or paid for.
GP‑8.03 Prosecution of the Work
A. The Contractor shall begin work promptly within the time specified by the Procurement Officer and shall notify the Procurement Officer at least forty eight (48) hours before starting work.
B. After the work has once been started, it shall be prosecuted continuously on all acceptable working days without stoppage until the entire Contract is complete.
C. Should the prosecution of the work for any reason be discontinued, the Contractor shall notify the Procurement Officer of his/her intention to stop and shall also notify the Procurement Officer at least twenty four (24) hours in advance of resuming operations. Said notification shall be confirmed in writing.
GP-8.04 Progress Schedule
A. Within thirty (30) days after notice to proceed, the Contractor shall furnish the Procurement Officer a "Progress Schedule" showing the proposed order of work and indicating the time required for the completion of the work. Said progress schedule shall be used to establish major construction operations and to check on the progress of the work. The Contractor shall submit revised progress schedules as directed by the Procurement Officer.
B. If the Contractor fails to submit the progress schedule within the time prescribed, or the revised schedule within the requested time, the Procurement Officer may withhold approval of progress payment estimates until such time as the Contractor submits the required progress schedules or may terminate the Contract for default.
C. If, in the opinion of the Procurement Officer, the Contractor falls significantly behind the approved progress schedule, the Contractor shall take any and all steps necessary to improve his/her progress. This may require the Contractor to increase the number of shifts, initiate or increase overtime operations, increase days of work in the work week, or increase the amount of construction plants, or all of them. The Procurement Officer may also require the Contractor to submit for approval supplemental progress schedules detailing the specific operational changes to be instituted to regain the approved schedule, all without additional cost to the Administration.
D. Failure of the Contractor to comply with the requirements of the Procurement Officer under this provision shall be grounds for determination by the Procurement Officer that the Contractor is not prosecuting the work with such diligence as will insure completion within the time specified. Upon such determination, the Procurement Officer may terminate the Contractor's right to proceed with the work, or any separable part thereof, in accordance with GP‑8.08 of these General Provisions.
GP‑8.05 Limitations of Operation
The Contractor shall conduct the work at all times in such a manner and in such sequence as will assure the least interference with the public.
GP‑8.06 Character of Workmen, Methods and Equipment
A. The Contractor shall employ sufficient labor and equipment for prosecuting the several classes of work to full completion in the manner and time required by the Contract.
B. Workmen must have sufficient skill and experience to perform properly the work assigned to them. All workmen engaged in special work or skilled work shall have sufficient experience in such work and in the operation of the equipment required to perform all work properly and satisfactorily.
C. Any person employed by the Contractor or by any subcontractor who, in the opinion of the Procurement Officer, does not perform his/her work in a proper manner or is intemperate or disorderly shall, at the written request of the Procurement Officer, be removed forthwith by the Contractor or subcontractor employing such foreman or workman, and shall not be employed again in any portion of the work without the approval of the Procurement Officer.
D. Should the Contractor fail to remove such person or persons as required above, or fail to furnish suitable and sufficient personnel for the proper prosecution of the work, the Procurement Officer may withhold estimates which are or may become due on the Contract until a satisfactory understanding has been reached.
E. Equipment to be used on the work shall meet the requirements of the work and produce a satisfactory quality of work. The Procurement Officer may order the removal and require replacement of any unsatisfactory equipment.
F. When the methods and equipment to be used by the Contractor in accomplishing the construction are not prescribed in the Contract, the Contractor is free to use any methods or equipment that he/she demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Procurement Officer will accomplish the Contract work in conformity with the requirements of the Contract.
G. When the Contract specifies that the construction be performed by the use of certain methods and equipment, such methods and equipment shall be used unless others are authorized by the Procurement Officer in writing. If the Contractor desires to use a method or type of equipment other than those specified in the Contract, he/she may request authority from the Procurement Officer to do so. The request shall be in writing and shall include a full description of the methods and equipment proposed to be used and an explanation of the reasons for desiring to make the change. If approval is given, it will be on the condition that the Contractor will be fully responsible for producing construction work in conformity with Contract requirements. If, after trial use of the substituted methods or equipment, the Procurement Officer determines that the work produced does not meet Contract requirements, the Contractor shall discontinue the use of the substituted method or equipment and shall complete the remaining construction with the specified methods and equipment. The Contractor shall remove the deficient work and replace it with work of specified quality, or take such other corrective action as the Procurement Officer may direct. No change will be made in basis of payment for the construction items involved nor in Contract time as the result of authorizing a change in methods or equipment under these provisions.
GP‑8.07 Suspension of Work
A. The Procurement Officer unilaterally may order the Contractor in writing to suspend, delay, or interrupt all or any part of the work for a period of time as he/she may determine to be appropriate for the convenience of the State.
B. If the performance of all or any part of the work is for an unreasonable period of time, suspended, delayed, or interrupted by an act of the Procurement Officer in the Administration of this Contract, or by his/her failure to act within the time specified in this Contract (or if no time is specified, within a reasonable time), an adjustment shall be made for any increase in the cost of performance of this Contract (excluding profit) necessarily caused by an unreasonable suspension, delay, or interruption and the Contract modified in writing accordingly. However, no adjustment shall be made under this clause for any suspension, delay, or interruption to the extent that performance would have been so suspended, delayed, or interrupted by any other cause, including the fault or negligence of the Contractor; or for which an equitable adjustment is provided for or excluded under any other provisions of this Contract.
No claim under this clause shall be allowed:
1. for any costs incurred more than twenty (20) days before the Contractor shall have notified the Procurement Officer in writing of the act or failure to act involved (but this requirement shall not apply as to a claim resulting from a suspension order); and,
2. unless the claim, in an amount stated, is asserted in writing as soon as practicable after the termination of a suspension, delay, or interruption, but not later than the date of final payment under the Contract.
GP‑8.08 Termination for Default - Damages for Delay ‑ Time Extensions
A. If the Contractor refuses or fails to prosecute the work, or any separable part thereof, with such diligence as shall insure its completion within the time specified in this Contract, or any extension thereof, or fails to complete said work within this time, the State may, by written notice to the Contractor, terminate his/her right to proceed with the work, or the part of the work as to which there has been delay. In this event the State may take over the work and prosecute the same to completion, by contract or otherwise, and may take possession of and utilize in completing the work the materials, appliances, and plant as may be on the site of the work and necessary therefore. Whether or not the Contractor's right to proceed with the work is terminated, he/she and his/her sureties shall be liable for any damage to the State resulting from his/her refusal or failure to complete the work within the specified time.
B. If fixed and agreed liquidated damages are provided in the Contract and if the State so terminates the Contractor's right to proceed, the resulting damage shall consist of such liquidated damages until a reasonable time as may be required for final completion of the work together with any increased costs occasioned the State in completing the work.
C. If fixed and agreed liquidated damages are provided in the Contract and if the State does not so terminate the Contractor's right to proceed, the resulting damage shall consist of these liquidated damages until the work is completed or accepted.
D. The Contractor's right to proceed may not be so terminated nor the Contractor charged with resulting damages if:
1. The delay in the completion of the work arises from unforeseeable causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Contractor, including but not restricted to, acts of God, acts of the public enemy, acts of the State in either its sovereign or contractual capacity, acts of another Contractor in the performance of a contract with the State, fires, floods, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, strikes, freight embargoes, unusually severe weather, or delays of subcontractors or suppliers arising from unforeseeable causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of both the Contractor and the subcontractors or suppliers; and
2. The Contractor, within 10 days from the beginning of any such delay (unless the Procurement Officer grants a further period of time before the date of final payment under the Contract), notifies the Procurement Officer in writing of the causes of delay. The Procurement Officer shall ascertain the facts and the extent of the delay and extend the time for completing the work when, in his/her judgment, the findings of fact justify such an extension, and his/her findings of fact shall be final and conclusive on the parties, subject only to appeal as provided in the "Disputes" clause of this Contract.
E. If, after notice of termination of the Contractor's right to proceed under the provisions of this clause, it is determined for any reason that the Contractor was not in default under the provisions of this clause, or that the delay was excusable under the provisions of this clause, the rights and obligations of the parties shall, if the Contract contains a clause providing for termination for convenience of the State, be the same as if the notice of termination had been issued pursuant to the clause. If, in the foregoing circumstances, this Contract does not contain a clause providing for termination for convenience of the State, the Contract shall be equitably adjusted to compensate for the termination and the Contract modified accordingly; failure to agree to any such adjustment shall be a dispute concerning a question of fact within the meaning of the clause of this Contract entitled "Disputes".
F. The rights and remedies of the State provided in this clause are in addition to any other rights and remedies provided by law or under this Contract.
G. As used in Paragraph D.1. of this clause, the term "subcontractors or suppliers" means subcontractors or suppliers at any tier.
GP‑8.09 Liquidated Damages
A. Time is an essential element of the Contract and it is important that the work be vigorously prosecuted until completion.
B. For each day that any work shall remain uncompleted beyond the time(s) specified elsewhere in the Contract, the Contractor and/or his/her surety shall be liable for liquidated damages in the amount(s) provided for in the solicitation, provided, however, that due account shall be taken of any adjustment of specified completion time(s) for completion of work as granted by approved change orders.
GP‑8.10 Termination for Convenience of the State
A. The performance of work under this Contract may be terminated by the State in accordance with this clause in whole, or from time to time in part, whenever the Procurement Officer shall determine that such termination is in the best interest of the State. Any such termination shall be effected by delivery to the Contractor of a Notice of Termination specifying the extent to which performance of work under the Contract is terminated, and the date upon which such termination becomes effective.
B. After receipt of Notice of Termination, and except as otherwise directed by the Procurement Officer, the Contractor shall:
1. Stop work under the Contract on the date and to the extent specified in the Notice of Termination;
2. Place no further orders or subcontracts for materials, services or facilities, except as may be necessary for completion of the portion of the work under the Contract as is not terminated;
3. Terminate all orders and subcontracts to the extent that they relate to the performance of work terminated by Notice of Termination;
4. Assign to the State in the manner, at the times, and to the extent directed by the Procurement Officer, all of the right, title, and interest of the Contractor under the orders and subcontracts so terminated, in which case the State shall have the right, in its discretion, to settle or pay any or all claims arising out of the termination of such orders and subcontracts;
5. Settle all outstanding liabilities and all claims arising out of the termination of orders and subcontracts, with the approval or ratification of the Procurement Officer, to the extent he/she may require, which approval or ratification shall be final for all the purposes of this clause;
6. Transfer title and deliver to the State, in the manner, at the times and to the extent, if any, directed by the Procurement Officer:
a. the fabricated or unfabricated parts, work in process, completed work, supplies, and other material produced as a part of, or acquired in connection with the performance of the work terminated by the Notice of Termination, and
b. the completed or partially completed plans, drawings, information, and other property which, if the Contract had been completed, would have been required to be furnished to the State;
7. Use its best effort to sell, in the manner, at the times, to the extent, and at the price or prices directed or authorized by the Procurement Officer, any property of the types referred to in 6 above; provided, however, that the Contractor:
a. may not be required to extend credit to any purchaser, and
b. may acquire any such property under the conditions prescribed by and at a price or prices approved by the Procurement Officer; and provided further that the proceeds of any such transfer or disposition shall be applied in reduction of any payments to be made by the State to the Contractor under this Contract or shall otherwise be credited to the price or cost of the work covered by this Contract or paid in such other manner as the Procurement Officer may direct;
8. Complete performance of such part of the work as may not have been terminated by the Notice of Termination; and
9. Take any action that may be necessary, or as the Procurement Officer may direct, for the protection and preservation of the property related to this Contract which is in the possession of the Contractor and in which the State has or may acquire an interest. The Contractor shall submit to the Procurement Officer a list, certified as to quantity and quality, of any or all items of termination inventory not previously disposed of, exclusive of items the disposition of which has been directed or authorized by the Procurement Officer, and may request the State to remove such items or enter into a storage agreement covering them. Not later than fifteen (15) days thereafter, the State shall accept title to such items and remove them or enter into a storage agreement covering the same; provided, that the list submitted shall be subject to verification by the Procurement Officer upon removal of the items, or if the items are stored, within forty five (45) days from the date of submission of the list, and any necessary adjustment to correct the list as submitted shall be made prior to final settlement.
C. After receipt of a Notice of Termination, the Contractor shall submit to the Procurement Officer his/her termination claim, in the form and with certification prescribed by the Procurement Officer. This claim shall be submitted promptly but in no event later than one (1) year from the effective date of termination, unless one or more extensions in writing are granted by the Procurement Officer, upon request of the Contractor made in writing within the one year period or authorized extension thereof. However, if the Procurement Officer determines that the facts justify such action, he/she may receive and act upon any such termination claim at any time after the one year period or any extension thereof. Upon failure of the Contractor to submit his/her termination claim within the time allowed or any extension thereof, the Procurement Officer may determine, on the basis of information available to him, the amount, if any, due to the Contractor by reason of the termination and shall thereupon pay to the Contractor the amount so determined.
D. Subject to the provisions of Paragraph C., the Contractor and the Procurement Officer may agree upon the whole or any part of the amount or amounts to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the total or partial termination of work pursuant to this clause, which amount or amounts may include a reasonable allowance for profit on work done; provided, that such agreed amount or amounts, exclusive of settlement costs, shall not exceed the total contract price as reduced by the amount of payments otherwise made and as further reduced by the Contract price of work not terminated. The Contract shall be amended accordingly, and the Contractor shall be paid the agreed amount. Nothing in Paragraph E. of this clause, prescribing the amount to be paid to the Contractor in the event of failure of the Contractor and the Procurement Officer to agree upon the whole amount to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the termination of work pursuant to this clause, shall be deemed to limit, restrict, or otherwise determine or affect the amount or amounts which may be agreed upon to be paid to the Contractor pursuant to this paragraph.
E. In the event of the failure of the Contractor and the Procurement Officer to agree as provided in Paragraph D, upon the whole amount to be paid to the Contractor by reason of the termination of work pursuant to this clause, the Procurement Officer shall pay to the Contractor the amounts determined by the Procurement Officer as follows, but without duplication of any amounts agreed upon in accordance with Paragraph D:
1. For completed supplies or services accepted by the State (or sold or acquired as provided in paragraph B.7. above) and for which payment has not theretofore been made, a sum equivalent to the aggregate price for the supplies or services computed in accordance with the price or prices specified in the Contract, appropriately adjusted for any saving of freight or other charges;
2. The total of:
a. the costs incurred in the performance of the work terminated, including initial costs and preparatory expense allocable thereto, but exclusive of any costs attributable to supplies or services paid or to be paid for under paragraph E.1. hereof;
b. the cost of settling and paying claims arising out of the termination of work under subcontracts or orders, as provided in paragraph B.5. above, which are properly chargeable to the termination portion of the Contract (exclusive of amounts paid or payable on account of supplies or materials delivered or services furnished by subcontractors or vendors before the effective date of the Notice of Termination, which amounts shall be included in the costs payable under (a) above); and
c. a sum, as profit on a. above, determined by the Procurement Officer to be fair and reasonable; provided, however, that if it appears that the Contractor would have sustained a loss on the entire Contract had it been completed, no profit shall be included or allowed under this subdivision c. and an appropriate adjustment shall be made reducing the amount of the settlement to reflect the indicated rate of loss; and
d. the reasonable cost of settlement accounting, legal, clerical, and other expenses reasonably necessary for the preparation of settlement claims and supporting data with respect to the terminated portion of the Contract and for the termination and settlement of subcontracts thereunder, together with reasonable storage, transportation, and other costs incurred in connection with the protection or disposition of property allocable to this Contract.
3. The total sum to be paid to the Contractor under 1. and 2. of this Paragraph shall not exceed the total Contract price as reduced by the amount of payments otherwise made and as further reduced by the Contract price of work not terminated. Except for normal spoilage, and except to the extent that the State shall have otherwise expressly assumed the risk of loss, there shall be excluded from the amounts payable to the Contractor as provided in E.1. and 2.a. above, the fair value, as determined by the Procurement Officer, of property that is destroyed, lost, stolen, or damaged so as to become undeliverable to the State or to a buyer pursuant to Paragraph B.7.
F. Costs claimed, agreed to, or determined pursuant to C., D., E., and I. hereof shall be in accordance with COMAR 21.09 (Contract Cost Principles and Procedures) as in effect on the date of this Contract.
G. The Contractor shall have the right of appeal, under the clause of this Contract entitled "Disputes", from any determination made by the Procurement Officer under paragraph C., E., or I. hereof, except that if the Contractor has failed to submit his claim within the time provided in Paragraph C. or I. hereof, and has failed to request extension of such time, he/she shall have no such right of appeal. In any case where the Procurement Officer has made a determination of the amount due under Paragraph D., E., or I. hereof, the State shall pay to the Contractor the following:
1. If there is no right of appeal hereunder or if no timely appeal has been taken, the amount so determined by the Procurement Officer; or,
2. If an appeal has been taken, the amount finally determined on such appeal.
H. In arriving at the amount due the Contractor under this clause there shall be deducted:
1. All unliquidated advance or other payments or account theretofore made to the Contractor, applicable to the terminated portion of this Contract;
2. Any claim which the State may have against the Contractor in connection with this Contract; and
3. The agreed price for, or the proceeds of sale of, any materials, supplies, or other things acquired by the Contractor or sold, pursuant to the provisions of this clause, and not otherwise recovered by or credited to the State.
I. If the termination hereunder be partial, the Contractor may file with the Procurement Officer a claim for an equitable adjustment of the price or prices specified in the Contract relating to the continued portion of the Contract (the portion not terminated by the Notice of Termination), and such equitable adjustment as may be agreed upon shall be made in such price or prices. Any claim by the Contractor for an equitable adjustment under this clause shall be asserted within ninety (90) days from the effective date of the termination notice, unless an extension is granted in writing by the Procurement Officer.
J. The State may, from time to time, under such terms and conditions as it may prescribe, make partial payments and payments on account against costs incurred by the Contractor in connection with the terminated portion of this Contract whenever, in the opinion of the Procurement Officer, the aggregate of such payments shall be within the amount to which the Contractor shall be entitled hereunder. If the total of such payments is in excess of the amount finally agreed or determined to be due under this clause, such excess shall be payable by the Contractor to the State upon demand, together with interest computed at the prime rate established by the State Treasurer for the period from the date such excess payment is received by the Contractor to the date on which the excess is repaid to the State; provided, however, that no interest shall be charged with respect to any such excess payment attributable to a reduction in the Contractor's claim by reason of retention or other disposition of termination inventory until ten days after the date of the retention or disposition, or a later date as determined by the Procurement Officer by reason of the circumstances.
K. Unless otherwise provided for in this Contract, or by applicable statute, the Contractor shall, from the effective date of termination until the expiration of three years after final settlement under this Contract, preserve and make available to the State at all reasonable times at the office of the Contractor but without direct charge to the State, all his/her books, records, documents and other evidence bearing on the costs and expenses of the Contractor under this Contract and relating to the work terminated hereunder, or, to the extent approved by the Procurement Officer, photographs, micro-photographs, or other authentic reproductions thereof.
GP‑8.11 Successful Termination of Contractor's Responsibility
A contract will be considered as successfully fulfilled when the work has been completed in accordance with the terms of the Contract; when final acceptance has occurred; when final payment has been authorized; when all of the obligations of the Contractor and his/her surety have been complied with; and when final payment has been made.