Because of the uncertain and difficult conditions under which concrete sewers are frequently constructed it is advisable to specify the best grade of concrete and not to stress the concrete over 450 pounds per square inch in compression, with no allowable stress in tension. The concrete covering of reinforcing steel should be thicker than is ordinarily used for concrete building design, because of the possibility of poor concrete allowing the sewage to gain access to the steel, resulting in more rapid deterioration than would be caused by exposure to the atmosphere. A minimum covering of about 2 inches is advisable, except in very thin sections not in contact with the sewage. A minimum thickness of concrete of about 9 inches is frequently used in design, although crown thicknesses of 4½ inches have been used with success. Greater thicknesses should be used near the surface, particularly in locations subjected to heavy or moving loads.

Brick linings are often provided for the invert where moderately high velocities of about 10 feet per second when flowing full are to be expected. For velocities in the neighborhood of 20 feet per second the invert should be lined with the best quality vitrified brick. Although concrete may erode no faster than brick under the same conditions, brick linings are more easily replaced and at a smaller expense.

CHAPTER X
CONTRACTS AND SPECIFICATIONS

106. Importance of the Subject.—Sewers may be constructed by day labor or by contract. Under the day labor plan a city official or commission is charged with the purchase of material, the hiring and firing of employees, and the management of the work. Under the contract system a private individual or company contracts to supply all the material and labor necessary for the completion of the work.

Under the day labor plan all persons engaged are “working for the City.” There is not the same sense of individual responsibility, the same incentive to economize, the same feeling of loyalty that is inspired by work under the personality of a contractor. Under either the day labor or contract plan unscrupulous politics are likely to enter into the relations of the employees of the city and the city officials or between the contractor and the city officials. Neither the day labor nor the contract plan offer a sure cure for unscrupulous political misdealings. Under the contract plan the contractor is led to keep his bid as low as possible, realizing the competition of other bidders, and during construction he will obtain greater efficiency from his labor because of their realization of the different conditions under which they are working. In some states and cities it is illegal for the municipality to do sewer construction except under the contract method.

The contract method is therefore used in the majority of cases, and it is to the interest of the engineer that he be acquainted with the essentials of contracts and specifications necessary for the proper prosecution of sewer construction.

107. Scope of Subject.—The making of a contract is one of the most common episodes of every day life. The contract may be an informal verbal agreement to meet at a certain place at a certain time, or it may be a formal document hedged about by confusing legal phraseology and bearing varieties of penalties and dire consequences in the event of its breach. The purpose of this chapter is to explain only those general features of an engineering contract which have particular bearing upon sewerage construction. Only the most essential points can be touched in the limited space available to this subject, it being presumed that the engineer is previously grounded in the principles of business law.[[74]]

108. Types of Contracts.—Contracts are known as lump sum, cost-plus, unit-price, and by other titles indicating the method of payment.

A lump sum contract is one in which a stated amount is fixed upon, before the execution of the contract, to be paid for all the work to be done and materials to be furnished under the contract. Such an arrangement is not advisable for a sewer contract, as the cautious contractor will bid high enough to protect himself in the event of any probable emergency. The principal must therefore pay whether the emergency or unforeseen difficulty is met or not. The advantage of this type of payment is that the principal knows exactly the cost of the work to him before construction is commenced.

Cost-plus contracts are those in which the cost of the work to the contractor is to be paid by the principal, plus, (a) a fixed sum of money, (b) a percentage of the cost of the work, (c) a percentage of the cost of the work but with a fixed limit, (d) a percentage of the difference between the cost of the work and some fixed sum, or other variations of this principle. Such contracts have the advantage that the principal assumes all the risk in construction and therefore pays for only those contingencies which actually arise. Except for the last named form, they have the disadvantage that there is little or no incentive for the contractor to keep the cost of the work down. They are most successful where the contractor can be selected by the principal, but where it is necessary to let contracts to the lowest bidder, the “cost-plus” contract is not easily managed. In most states a municipality cannot make a cost-plus contract.