Construction Quality Management

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requires all contractors performing construction for them to comply with the Contractor Quality Control (CQC), provisions in their contracts. 

In the early development of the CQC system, there was considerable misunderstanding as to what was required and who was responsible for it. In cooperation with the construction industry, USACE developed a training course entitled Construction Quality Management for Contractors (CQM). 

The purpose of this course is to familiarize all quality management personnel with USACE CQM policies and procedures.

The course details the requirements of the government and contractor personnel assigned to the project and the reasons for those requirements. 

The effectiveness of the CQM system is enhanced when all personnel are aware of their responsibilities and the reasons for them. To ensure the success of the CQC system, every USACE construction contract stipulates that the contractor’s quality control representative is required to have this training. This course is offered throughout the year by many USACE offices across the nation.

The certificate expires five years from date of issue.

Purpose

Construction Quality Management (CQM) for Contractors is a two-day class that discusses the combined effort of the Contractor and Government in achieving quality work in accordance with the plans and specifications, on time, within a defined budget, and in a safe work environment. The relationship joins together distinct roles between the Contractor's Quality Control (CQC) and the Government's Quality Assurance (QA) responsibilities. All construction contracts now require contractors to provide a CQC staff of sufficient size to assure the completed project meets the quality standards established by the contract.

The individual responsible for the CQC staff is the CQC Systems Manager. The CQM course provides the training and certification required to implement the Three-Phase Control System (Preparatory, Initial, and Follow-up Phases). CQM certification is a contract requirement in all construction contracts and is valid for five years from the date of CQM training. 

Under the UFGS requirements of 01 45 00, contractors may be required to have their Quality Control representative certified by attendance at a Construction Quality Management course. In our opinion, based on previous attendees, this course is an extremely valuable tool and time well spent.

Description and Training Materials

Construction Quality Management Course

A student manual is required for the class and available here. Course training may include class discussion and a video presentation.

Resident Management System

The Resident Management System (RMS) User Manual and Training Guide is the guide for contractors using the RMS program in conjunction with the government RMS program and is available at RMS Software Version 3.0.

Scheduled Training Times, Locations and Registration

To register for an upcoming training, identify the hosting district below and contact them by visiting their district website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/. 

Contact LRDCQM@usace.army.mil for registration forms and questions.