Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project's Schedule and Cost as of February 16, 2007
Highlights
At the last Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) hearing, GAO reported that our assessment of the project's schedule and expected cost at completion was somewhat constrained because the CVC team was still analyzing the impact on the project's schedule and cost of recently identified changes required for certain components of the fire protection and security systems. The impact of these changes on the project is not yet fully known. Therefore, GAO could not thoroughly assess the project's schedule or estimated cost at completion and are basing our views on the information available as of February 5, 2007, including the Architect Of the Capitol's (AOC) December 2006 schedule. To assist the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, House Committee on Appropriations in monitoring progress on the CVC project, GAO's remarks will focus on (1) the AOC construction progress since the last CVC hearing on November 15, 2006; and (2) the project's expected cost at completion and status of funding.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Architect of the Capitol | The Architect of the Capitol should promptly reassess the risks associated with, and the likelihood of, meeting the project's schedule, especially with respect to the installation, successful operation and integration, and testing of major building systems; coordinate all work associated with the HVAC system; take appropriate action to mitigate any risks that have not been sufficiently addressed; and provide Congress with a realistic completion date. |
AOC established a risk mitigation program to review and resolve risks associated with the CVC, including all systems such as the HVAC system. AOC has completed its risk review and resolution of the majority of the risks identified is noted in their final plan. In August 2007, AOC signed a contract modification revising the contract competition date to November 15, 2007, for all work except the final testing of the fire alarm system.
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| Architect of the Capitol | The Architect of the Capitol should continue to aggressively implement the November 2006 CVC action plan, including focus on the near-critical activities that can further delay the completion of the expansion spaces and the steps that can be taken to ensure that the pace of work is sufficient to meet the schedule. Also include work on the House and Senate expansion spaces, major building systems, and the Jefferson Building in weekly schedule review sessions. |
AOC is focusing on critical and near critical activities in their weekly schedule meetings. This weekly review includes House and Senate expansion spaces and the Jefferson Building, which was recently completed. In addition, the construction manager provides a monthly schedule report that focuses on these critical and near critical activities.
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