Construction Engineering is 8–12 questions, twice its range under the 2014 outline. It covers how a project is procured and run: contracts and delivery methods, equipment and productivity, schedules, earned value and estimates.
Construction operations and methods: safety, equipment, productivity analysis, temporary erosion control.
Project controls: earned value, scheduling, allocation of resources, activity relationships.
Construction estimating.
Interpretation of engineering drawings.
16 construction problems
0 / 16 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
In the Critical Path Method (CPM) of scheduling, what does float represent?
Solution
TF = LS − ES = LF − EF; FF = ESsuccessor − EF
FE Reference Handbook, Construction — CPM scheduling.
Total float = LS − ES (or LF − EF); activities on the critical path have zero float.
Cost belongs to the estimate and budget; float is measured in time.
Crew-hours and resource needs belong to resource loading and leveling; float is measured in time.
Project duration is the length of the critical path; float is the slack of an individual activity.
Question 2 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
A contractor is assembling a bid unit price for installing linear feet of storm pipe. The cost components and markups are provided in the table below. Calculate the final bid unit price per linear foot after applying all markups in sequence.
Cost Component
Unit
Unit Cost
Crew Size
Productivity (LF/crew-hr)
Wage ($/hr)
Burden (%)
PVC Storm Pipe
LF
$12.50
—
—
—
—
Equipment Rental
LF
$2.80
—
—
—
—
Installation Crew
—
—
3
48
$28.00
22%
Markups
—
—
—
—
—
—
Contingency
—
5% of direct cost
—
—
—
—
Overhead
—
10% of subtotal
—
—
—
—
Profit
—
7% of subtotal
—
—
—
—
Bond
—
1% of subtotal
—
—
—
—
Given
Pipe = $12.50/LF; equipment = $2.80/LF
Crew of 3 at $28.00/hr, 22 % burden, 48 LF per crew-hour
Markups in sequence: contingency 5 % of direct cost, then overhead 10 %, profit 7 %, bond 1 %, each on the running subtotal
Question 3 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
A paving crew of 4 workers installs 120 square yards per hour (crew productivity). The hourly wage is $26.00 per worker, burden rate is 18%, and a shift inefficiency factor reduces productivity by 15%. Overtime beyond 8 hours is paid at 1.5× base. Calculate the labor cost per square yard for a 10-hour day.
Question 4 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
Which measure is most suitable for temporary stabilization of exposed soil on a moderate construction-site slope?
Solution
Temporary BMPs for disturbed slopes: mulch, hydroseeding, erosion control blankets, silt fence at the toe (EPA construction general permit).
Rolled blankets of straw or coir hold seed and soil in place on a moderate slope until vegetation takes over, then degrade; that is temporary stabilization.
Riprap is heavy, permanent rock armor for channels and outfalls, not a temporary cover for a graded slope.
A silt fence traps sediment after it has eroded; it is sediment control and does nothing to stabilize the slope face.
Turf reinforcement mats are non-degradable and meant to stay as permanent reinforcement, so they do not fit a temporary need.
Question 5 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
In construction scheduling, what is a 'hammock' activity?
Solution
Hammock duration is derived from the logic of the activities it spans (for example, site supervision or equipment rental). FE Reference Handbook, Construction — scheduling.
Work hours are a calendar setting; they have nothing to do with hammocks.
A hammock is a summary bar; it is not by definition on the critical path.
A zero-duration activity is a milestone.
A hammock summarizes a group of activities; its duration stretches from the start of the first to the end of the last one it spans.
Question 6 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
What document establishes the contractor's right to receive payment for completed work?
Solution
Progress payment = value of work completed to date + stored materials − retainage − previous payments (AIA G702/G703 format).
A daily report records weather, labor, equipment and events; it supports claims but does not request payment.
A punch list lists remaining items before final acceptance.
The contractor's pay application (schedule of values, work completed, stored materials, retainage) is the formal request that triggers progress payment once certified.
A performance bond guarantees completion to the owner; it is not a payment request.
Question 7 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
What is a 'change order' in construction contracts?
Solution
Change order = agreed adjustment of scope, price and/or time; a construction change directive is the unilateral version pending agreement. FE Reference Handbook, Construction — contracts.
Supplier choices are the contractor's means and methods unless the contract specifies them.
Staffing changes are handled under the contract's personnel provisions, not by a change order.
A change order is a written amendment signed by owner and contractor that adjusts the work, the contract price or the contract time.
A substitution request asks for approval of an equal; it may lead to a change order but is not one.
Question 8 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
In the context of procurement using detailed bid revisions and construction documents, how can a contractor best mitigate risks associated with fluctuating material costs?
Solution
Common escalation index: ENR or BLS PPI for steel, asphalt or fuel, with a base price and an adjustment threshold. FE Reference Handbook, Construction — contracts.
Cost-plus moves the risk to the owner and is rarely available on competitive bids.
Waiting exposes the contractor to further price increases and to schedule risk.
A fixed price leaves the contractor carrying all price risk.
An escalation clause ties payment for volatile materials to a published price index, sharing the risk instead of pricing it all into the bid.
Question 9 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
A contract has a lump-sum price of $2,400,000 for sitework and foundations plus unit-price items for structural steel at $1,200 per ton and precast panels at $85 per square foot. During construction the contractor hits rock requiring blasting that the boring logs did not show, and asks for a change order; the owner points to a geotechnical report note on 'possible rock layers' and says the lump sum covers unknowns. The contractor also bills 15 tons of steel (about 5 % above the plan quantity) added by architect-directed field modifications. Which statement best describes the contractor's entitlement?
Solution
Differing site condition (Type I): actual subsurface conditions differ materially from those indicated in the contract documents → equitable adjustment. Unit-price items: payment = actual quantity × unit price within the variation-in-quantity limits (often ±25 %). FE Reference Handbook, Construction — contracts.
Unit prices exist precisely so that quantity changes are paid at the bid rate; they are not limited to plan quantities.
A 5 % overrun is within normal quantity variation; it is paid at the unit price, not renegotiated.
A differing site condition clause takes unforeseen subsurface conditions out of the lump-sum risk.
A general 'possible rock' remark does not put the contractor on notice of rock that the boring logs did not show.
Rock not shown on the boring logs is a differing site condition despite a vague report note, and a 5 % quantity overrun on a unit-price item is paid at the bid unit price.
Question 10 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
What does a typical S-curve in construction project management represent?
Solution
S-curve: cumulative planned value (PV), earned value (EV) and actual cost (AC) plotted against time; EVM compares them. FE Reference Handbook, Construction — project controls.
Productivity varies with conditions; it is not what the S-curve plots.
Profit margin is a ratio of earnings, tracked per phase or overall, not a cumulative time curve.
Cumulative cost, earned value or percent complete starts slowly, accelerates in mid-project and tapers at closeout, giving an S shape.
Depreciation is an accounting curve; it is typically a straight line or declining balance, not the project S-curve.
Question 11 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
What is the main purpose of a Notice to Proceed in construction contracts?
Solution
Notice to proceed starts the contract time; liquidated damages are measured from the completion date it implies.
Completion is recorded by a certificate of substantial completion.
The notice to proceed fixes the start date from which contract time runs.
Payment approval is a certified pay application.
Information requests go through RFIs or submittals.
Question 12 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
Which of the following is the most appropriate temporary structure for protecting construction workers from falling objects at building entrances?
Solution
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.451(h): protect people below scaffolds and overhead work from falling objects with canopies, screens or barricades.
A sidewalk bridge (covered walkway) gives a rated overhead canopy for people passing building entrances during work above.
A gabion wall is a rock-filled earth-retaining structure, not overhead protection.
A silt fence traps sediment in runoff; it offers no protection from falling objects.
Jersey barriers separate vehicle traffic at ground level and provide no overhead cover.
Question 13 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
Using the material factor table below, determine the adjusted unit weight of a granular material with gradation index 3.2 and moisture content 6 %, interpolating as needed. Then compute the total weight, in short tons, of 120 CY of this material.
Gradation index
Nominal unit weight (lb/ft³)
Moisture content (%)
Adjustment factor
3.0
105
5
1.00
3.0
105
7
1.04
3.5
110
5
1.00
3.5
110
7
1.03
Given
Gradation index = 3.2
Moisture content = 6%
Volume = 120 CY
Material factor table (gradation index, nominal unit weight, moisture factor, adjusted factor) as given
180.27 tons takes the 7 % moisture factor 1.04 instead of interpolating to 6 %.
Question 14 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
An excavator has a heaped bucket capacity of 2.8 yd³; for sandy gravel the fill factor is 0.90. The cycle is swing 5 s, travel 3 s, dump 2 s and return 6 s. The material swells 18 % (bank to loose factor 1.18), and the site works a 48-minute hour. What is the effective production in bank cubic yards per hour, and by what percentage would using the nameplate capacity with a 60-minute hour overestimate it?
FE Reference Handbook, Construction — equipment production.
326 BCY/h divides by the swell factor twice.
225 cycles/h × 2.8 × 0.90 × (48/60)/1.18 = 384 BCY/h; nameplate at 60 min gives 534 BCY/h, which is 39 % higher.
28 % is (534 − 384)/534, the difference taken against the wrong production as the base.
64 % compares the loose nameplate figure (630 LCY/h) with a bank figure; both must be on the same basis.
453 is the loose-volume production; it was not divided by 1.18 to get bank yards.
Question 15 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
A manufacturer's production chart gives 210 yd³/hr (loose) for a medium crawler dozer (about 200 hp) pushing sandy loam on level ground, based on a 50-minute working hour. Corrections for this job: 5 % slope factor 0.88 and 180-ft push factor 0.92. The site records a 45-minute productive hour and the swell factor is 1.15. What is the adjusted production in bank cubic yards per hour?
Given
Rated production = 210 yd3/hr (loose, 50-min hour)
Slope correction factor = 0.88
Distance factor = 0.92
Actual productive time = 45 min/hr
Swell factor = 1.15
Find
Adjusted production (bank yd3/hr)
Solution
P = 210 × 0.88 × 0.92 × (45/50) = 153.0 LCY/h
Pbank = 153.0/1.15 = 133 BCY/h
FE Reference Handbook, Construction — equipment production.
111 BCY/h rescales by 45/60; the chart is already based on a 50-minute hour, so the factor is 45/50.
148 BCY/h skips the hour correction from 50 to 45 minutes.
153 is loose cubic yards; dividing by the swell factor gives bank yards.
170 applies only the slope and distance factors, with neither the time nor the swell correction.
Question 16 of 16 · Construction Engineering · 8–12 items
Which contract delivery method places design and construction responsibility with a single entity?
Solution
Delivery methods: DBB (two contracts, sequential), CMAR (designer + CM with GMP), DB (single point of responsibility). FE Reference Handbook, Construction — project delivery.
Cost plus fixed fee is a payment method, not a delivery method; design responsibility can sit anywhere.
Under CMAR the owner holds a separate contract with the designer; the CM guarantees construction only.
In design-build one entity holds a single contract for both design and construction.
Design-bid-build keeps design and construction in two separate contracts.
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Common traps
Earned value ratios. Earned value goes in the numerator of both indices: CPI = EV/AC, SPI = EV/PV. Below 1 means over budget or behind schedule.
Total vs free float. Free float is measured to the early start of the following activity and total float is not, so free float can never exceed total float.
Forward and backward passes. Early dates come from the forward pass, late dates from the backward pass; float is the difference, never the duration.
Job efficiency. Equipment output quoted per hour assumes 60 working minutes; multiply by the job efficiency, often stated as minutes worked per hour, before you size a fleet.
Markups in order. Overhead, profit and bond are applied in the sequence the problem states, each figured on the subtotal above it.
Sources: FE Reference Handbook, Civil Engineering chapter; Peurifoy, Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods.
Three volumes of one soil
Soil is measured in bank (in place), loose (hauled) and compacted cubic yards. Swell converts bank to loose, shrinkage bank to compacted. Truck counts use loose volume, payment and fill often use bank or compacted volume: convert before you multiply.
How it connects
Earthwork volumes from cross sections are computed on surveying. Contracts and professional liability overlap with the common FE ethics section, taught on the FE practice test; cash flow, present worth and life-cycle cost on engineering economics. Compaction and soil stabilization are geotechnical.
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