Common use of Project Screening Clause in Contracts

Project Screening. After the project short-list, has been developed, the TEs will perform a risk-based assessment of all projects using the Missouri’s Risk Screening Tool (MRST). The MRST includes assessments in the 10 risk areas of Complexity, Cost, Schedule, Urgency, Environmental & Stakeholders, Funding, Project Administration, Regional Significance, Corporate Actions, and Local Considerations. The TEs will evaluate all 10 risk areas for both risk and Division capacity to manage the risk areas. Risks will be assigned a value as Low, Medium, or Elevated, based upon the resulting analysis of each specific risk area. Division capacity will be assigned as Good, Moderate, or Limited, based upon the Division’s experience. Given both the rural and highly urbanized makeup of Missouri’s program, some project risk criteria may be dependent upon the specific district being reviewed. The risk tool will guide the evaluation process: Project criteria to be considered as part of the evaluation process in urbanized areas may include items such as project complexity and cost, new or modified access to interstates or major NHS routes, political interest, environmental/NEPA impacts, State/regional significance, and safety and maintenance of traffic considerations. Project criteria in rural areas may include items such as complexity and cost in relation to other projects within the respective district, new or significant modification to interstate access, environmental/NEPA impacts, regional significance in relation to other district projects, complex maintenance of traffic, and the need to maintain FHWA presence in a geographic area. Projects identified in the STIP as Design Build are not required to be PoDIs, but the TE may want to review certain risk aspects of the Design-Build Process Project. Projects funded under the TIGER / BUILD / INFRA programs will be automatically designated as PoDIs.