The preparation of Contract Documents is typically the deliverable product of the Design process. Contract
documents should include, but are not limited to: drawings/plans, technical specifications, the results of specialized
testing, the Owner’s contractual terms and conditions, and other pertinent project information. The owning
railroad or rail client usually has established guidelines as to the type and order of precedence of the specified
contents for the Contract Documents.
Although the Contract Documents should fully define the proposed project, it is advisable that all parties be
required to visit the site, attend pre-bid meetings when held, and become familiar with the project site conditions
prior to submitting proposals to perform the work. The purpose for these site inspections is to afford all parties the
opportunity to view and assess site conditions that might have an impact on construction. Examples of these
conditions may include physical site constraints, access limitations, obstructions, the location and number of
utilities, material disposal requirements, etc.
In some instances, the Railroad may have its own detailed set of standard Contract Documents, in which case the
site specific provisions need to be included. In other cases it may be more appropriate to use provisions from
applicable local or regional standard specifications, such as State Departments of Transportation, or County Public
Works Departments.