Applications for Other Excavations and Foundations

As the awareness of geotechnical baseline reports (GBRs) has grown because of their use in the tunneling industry, owners have used GBRs on projects involving subsurface excavations or installations that are different from tunneling. For any project that will involve construction in or through ground that is not visible pre-bid, the baseline concept can reduce uncertainty in the evaluation and pricing of the work, as well as help to avoid and resolve disputes. Examples of excavations that can benefit from a GBR include deep building and bridge foundations, open-cut pipelines, braced and tied-back excavations, and highway and other types of earthworks. For many of these types of projects, subcontractors will be involved and be subjected to the same provisions that apply to the prime contractor. The scope of the GBR should be consistent with the project’s size, complexity, and risks. Specific design requirements for certain construction components are generally summarized in design criteria documents, specifications, or reference codes.