So, You Think You Can Inspect? The Saga of City-Wide Inspections in the Nation’s Capital

Performing inspection work in any major city is no easy feat. Performing inspection work in the District of Columbia, one of the most densely populated cities in the United States that also houses a plethora of federal agencies and national security establishments, presented a multitude of unique complications. Along with more typical roadblocks such as aging infrastructure leading to emergency repairs and unmapped assets discovered in the field, the surrounding stakeholders and property owners affected by the inspection program included foreign embassies, government agencies, and even disgruntled homeowner associations, to name just a few. Along with these challenging circumstances, the procurement timeline resulted in a tremendously accelerated inspection schedule during which 40 mi of inspection work had to be prioritized, performed, reviewed for quality, and invoiced all within the last 5 months of the fiscal year. Through an innovative use of new software tools, collaborative teamwork, and copious amounts of coffee, this seemingly impossible feat was accomplished on time and on budget.