Local Partial ECMS Projects

<H2 class=form>Description</H2>
<BLOCKQUOTE>The Engineering and Construction Management System (ECMS) allows certain projects to be entered into the system in an ‘after-the-fact’ fashion, that is, after the project has been designed, advertised, and let, and possibly after the notice to proceed has been issued. The system allows the project team to enter the bid information and move the project through the contract awards process so that construction functions, particularly estimated payments, may be handled electronically. Two such “partial ECMS” projects are supported via the Project Types “Emergency Partial ECMS” and “Local Partial ECMS”. This Help document provides an overview of Local Partial ECMS projects. For purposes of this document, “local project” refers to this specific project type.
<P><BR>When the project is initially created in ECMS, the user must enter the MPMS number and select “Local Partial ECMS” for the Project Type. The “Final Design” functions, such as creating the design items and associating funding proceed in the same fashion as for standard projects. Electronic Bidding functions (for example, creating a bid package, approving let date) still occur in the system, but the published bid package is not publicly available. The Electronic Bidding functions are modified for local projects as follows:<BR>-Published Bid Package (and addenda, if they exist) is not displayed in the public lists: Notice to Contractors, Bid -Packages by Let Date, and New Postings<BR>-Bid Package Clarification function is not available <BR>-Bid Package Comment function is not available<BR>-Add to Planholders function is not available<BR>-Download EBS File button is only displayed to members of the Design Project Team<BR>-Submit button (to submit bid) on the Bid Package is hidden for all users<BR>-All bids must be submitted via the “Bid Maintenance For…” function on the eBidding home page. Only users in the user group $ECMS BID OPENER may submit bids.<BR>-“Paper” Milestones fields on the Project Milestones screen allow the Design Project Team to record the dates that certain milestones were reached outside the system (Paper Let Date, Paper DBE/MBE/WBE Approval, Paper Contract Award, Paper Contract Execution)<BR>-Project Letting Schedule and Status screens show the Paper Let Date for these projects (although the electronic Let Date must still be entered on the Project Milestones screen and approved in the system)<BR>-Project Development Checklist contains “Proof of Non-ECMS Advertisement” item, and optionally “Permission to Bid -Asked” and “Permission to Bid Granted” checklist </P></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<H2 class=form>Bid Submission and Contract Awards Functions</H2>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial size=2>After the project has been ‘advertised’, a member of the Design Project Team downloads the EBS file and enters the bid information into Expedite™. A user with the user group $ECMS BOD CMD BID OPENER may then submit the bid on the contractor’s behalf using the Bid Maintenance function. The bid for the project is then opened electronically and a Contract Awards checklist is created by the system for the prime contractor. The only difference between the items on the Contract Awards screen for a local project as compared to a standard project is that the local project has a “Contract” checklist item, since no electronic contract is generated.<BR><BR>Normally in ECMS, the data required to support ongoing construction functions is created by the system when the user executes the electronic contract. Since local projects do not have an electronic contract process, ECMS provides an “Accept Contract” function to replace the Execute Contract function in the system. When the user clicks the Accept button on the Contract Awards screen, the Execute Rules program is called to check the project for required data. When no errors are generated by Execute Rules, the ‘Create Construction Data’ program is called to perform the following functions:<BR><BR></FONT>
<UL>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Write Award Checklist Address Information to the Project Address tables</FONT>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Write Award Checklist DBE/MBE/WBE Information to the appropriate Construction tables</FONT>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Update Project Milestones (Actual Contract Award and Actual Contract Execution Dates)</FONT>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Send email to ACE/M assigned to Project Team notifying them that the contract has been awarded</FONT>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Create Finalization Checklist</FONT>
<LI type=disc><FONT face=Arial size=2>Update Project Status to Pre-Construction<BR><BR></FONT></LI></UL><FONT face=Arial size=2>Once the contract has been accepted, the electronic notice to proceed may be issued. The Issue NTP function for these projects is the same as fully electronic projects with one exception. For local projects, the user may select a past date for the NTP date. As a business process, it should be the actual date that the paper NTP was issued. After the NTP is issued, online construction issues are available for these projects in ECMS with no difference in processing from Municipal projects.</FONT><FONT face=Helvetica size=2> </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>

Description

The Engineering and Construction Management System (ECMS) allows certain projects to be entered into the system in an ‘after-the-fact’ fashion, that is, after the project has been designed, advertised, and let, and possibly after the notice to proceed has been issued. The system allows the project team to enter the bid information and move the project through the contract awards process so that construction functions, particularly estimated payments, may be handled electronically. Two such “partial ECMS” projects are supported via the Project Types “Emergency Partial ECMS” and “Local Partial ECMS”. This Help document provides an overview of Local Partial ECMS projects. For purposes of this document, “local project” refers to this specific project type.


When the project is initially created in ECMS, the user must enter the MPMS number and select “Local Partial ECMS” for the Project Type. The “Final Design” functions, such as creating the design items and associating funding proceed in the same fashion as for standard projects. Electronic Bidding functions (for example, creating a bid package, approving let date) still occur in the system, but the published bid package is not publicly available. The Electronic Bidding functions are modified for local projects as follows:
-Published Bid Package (and addenda, if they exist) is not displayed in the public lists: Notice to Contractors, Bid -Packages by Let Date, and New Postings
-Bid Package Clarification function is not available
-Bid Package Comment function is not available
-Add to Planholders function is not available
-Download EBS File button is only displayed to members of the Design Project Team
-Submit button (to submit bid) on the Bid Package is hidden for all users
-All bids must be submitted via the “Bid Maintenance For…” function on the eBidding home page. Only users in the user group $ECMS BID OPENER may submit bids.
-“Paper” Milestones fields on the Project Milestones screen allow the Design Project Team to record the dates that certain milestones were reached outside the system (Paper Let Date, Paper DBE/MBE/WBE Approval, Paper Contract Award, Paper Contract Execution)
-Project Letting Schedule and Status screens show the Paper Let Date for these projects (although the electronic Let Date must still be entered on the Project Milestones screen and approved in the system)
-Project Development Checklist contains “Proof of Non-ECMS Advertisement” item, and optionally “Permission to Bid -Asked” and “Permission to Bid Granted” checklist


Bid Submission and Contract Awards Functions

After the project has been ‘advertised’, a member of the Design Project Team downloads the EBS file and enters the bid information into Expedite™. A user with the user group $ECMS BOD CMD BID OPENER may then submit the bid on the contractor’s behalf using the Bid Maintenance function. The bid for the project is then opened electronically and a Contract Awards checklist is created by the system for the prime contractor. The only difference between the items on the Contract Awards screen for a local project as compared to a standard project is that the local project has a “Contract” checklist item, since no electronic contract is generated.

Normally in ECMS, the data required to support ongoing construction functions is created by the system when the user executes the electronic contract. Since local projects do not have an electronic contract process, ECMS provides an “Accept Contract” function to replace the Execute Contract function in the system. When the user clicks the Accept button on the Contract Awards screen, the Execute Rules program is called to check the project for required data. When no errors are generated by Execute Rules, the ‘Create Construction Data’ program is called to perform the following functions:

 Once the contract has been accepted, the electronic notice to proceed may be issued. The Issue NTP function for these projects is the same as fully electronic projects with one exception. For local projects, the user may select a past date for the NTP date. As a business process, it should be the actual date that the paper NTP was issued. After the NTP is issued, online construction issues are available for these projects in ECMS with no difference in processing from Municipal projects.

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Created by
Joseph D Howe/PennDOT
on 03/16/2005 at 10:53:58 AM