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Appendix B
<br />Geotechnical Report Limitations and Guidelines for Use
<br />Report No. P-0004952
<br />B.1 REFERENCE
<br />This appendix provides information to help you manage your risks relating to subsurface problems which are caused
<br />by construction delays, cost overruns, claims, and disputes. This information was developed and provided by GBA1, of
<br />which, we are a member firm.
<br />B.2 RISK MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
<br />B.2.1 Understand the Geotechnical Engineering Services Provided for this Report
<br />Geotechnical engineering services typically include the planning, collection, interpretation, and analysis of exploratory
<br />data from widely spaced borings and/or test pits. Field data are combined with results from laboratory tests of soil and
<br />rock samples obtained from field exploration (if applicable), observations made during site reconnaissance, and
<br />historical information to form one or more models of the expected subsurface conditions beneath the site. Local geology
<br />and alterations of the site surface and subsurface by previous and proposed construction are also important
<br />considerations. Geotechnical engineers apply their engineering training, experience, and judgment to adapt the
<br />requirements of the prospective project to the subsurface model(s). Estimates are made of the subsurface conditions
<br />that will likely be exposed during construction as well as the expected performance of foundations and other structures
<br />being planned and/or affected by construction activities.
<br />The culmination of these geotechnical engineering services is typically a geotechnical engineering report providing the
<br />data obtained, a discussion of the subsurface model(s), the engineering and geologic engineering assessments and
<br />analyses made, and the recommendations developed to satisfy the given requirements of the project. These reports
<br />may be titled investigations, explorations, studies, assessments, or evaluations. Regardless of the title used, the
<br />geotechnical engineering report is an engineering interpretation of the subsurface conditions within the context of the
<br />project and does not represent a close examination, systematic inquiry, or thorough investigation of all site and
<br />subsurface conditions.
<br />B.2.2 Geotechnical Engineering Services are Performed for Specific Purposes, Persons, and Projects, and At
<br />Specific Times
<br />Geotechnical engineers structure their services to meet the specific needs, goals, and risk management preferences
<br />of their clients. A geotechnical engineering study conducted for a given civil engineer will not likely meet the needs of
<br />a civil -works constructor or even a different civil engineer. Because each geotechnical engineering study is unique,
<br />each geotechnical engineering report is unique, prepared solely for the client.
<br />Likewise, geotechnical engineering services are performed for a specific project and purpose. For example, it is unlikely
<br />that a geotechnical engineering study for a refrigerated warehouse will be the same as one prepared for a parking
<br />garage; and a few borings drilled during a preliminary study to evaluate site feasibility will not be adequate to develop
<br />geotechnical design recommendations for the project.
<br />Do not rely on this report if your geotechnical engineer prepared it:
<br />• for a different client;
<br />• for a different project or purpose;
<br />• for a different site (that may or may not include all or a portion of the original site); or
<br />• before important events occurred at the site or adjacent to it; e.g., man-made events like construction or
<br />environmental remediation, or natural events like floods, droughts, earthquakes, or groundwater fluctuations.
<br />Note, too, the reliability of a geotechnical-engineering report can be affected by the passage of time, because of factors
<br />like changed subsurface conditions; new or modified codes, standards, or regulations; or new techniques or tools. If
<br />you are the least bit uncertain about the continued reliability of this report, contact your geotechnical engineer before
<br />applying the recommendations in it. A minor amount of additional testing or analysis after the passage of time — if any
<br />is required at all — could prevent major problems.
<br />1 Geoprofessional Business Association, 1300 Piccard Drive, LL14, Rockville, MD 20850
<br />Telephone: 301/565-2733: www.geoprofessional.org, 2019
<br />Appendix B — Page 1 of 3 AMERICAN ENGINEERING TESTING, INC
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