Frequently Asked Questions
Following are a number of frequently asked questions about the PCI Qualified Erector’s Program.
Q We are an independent erector and we have five crews. Three perform all manner of precast erection and two perform small, simple work. The three crews do a dozen major structures per year. The other two crews may do 100+ small projects per year. Is the documentation requirement the same for all five crews?
A Yes. Preconstruction planning includes selecting a crane size, checking the project site, checking the weight of the precast to be set, checking on how to rig any unusual piece shapes, checking for any field or layout discrepancies, establishing a sequence, and verifying concrete strength of the CIP. Preconstruction planning, practices and procedures, equipment, safety, and tolerance are just as important (maybe even more so) on a small, simple, 20-plank, one-day job, as they are on a 6000-piece, two-crew, 100-day project.
Q We are an independent erector with three crews. What are my certification costs per year?
A The base fee is $1,550 per year and includes one crew. Additional crews are $450 each. So, the total for three crews (one included in the base fee and two additional crews at $450 each) would be $2,450 per year. If those three crews do over one million dollars of gross dollar sales volume of precast concrete erection, then the cost will be a bit higher. There is an added $525 for each additional million.
Q We are an independent erector with three crews. Do we have to join PCI national, or can we just participate in only a PCI regional association?
A Yes, you must join PCI national as an Associate Member (Erector) in order to participate in the program.
Q Are the audit forms available on the internet?
A No. Currently, they are given to the auditor at the school. Additional copies – print, fax, or electronic – are available by contacting Jessica in PCI’s Certification Department in Chicago at (312) 786-0300, ext. 216, or by e-mail at jburnett@pci.org.
Q We are an independent erector with two crews. We do a lot of steel erection. The majority of the precast work we do is for one PCI Producer Member. They are really giving us the hard sell to join PCI and participate in the PCI Field Qualification Program. Why are they pushing so hard?
A Because they know that your participation in the program helps the industry as a whole. The idea is to offer certified quality every step of the way. And the program is good for erectors. Every erector that has attended one of the CFA schools has been pleased by the experience. Specifiers are also requiring that the erector participate in the program. The PCI Producer Member you erect for participates in a PCI Plant Certification Program and is audited at least twice per year. In that audit he is graded on whether the erection that is under his control is done by a PCI Qualified Erector.
Q We are a PCI Producer Member. We have two erection crews manned by our own employees. We erect the majority of the product that we produce. Some is erected by an independent erector. Do we have an additional cost above the dues we are already paying PCI? How much?
A Yes. The additional cost for a PCI producer Member is $450 per crew. So the total for two crews would be $900 per year.
Q We are an independent erector with one crew. How quickly can we become a PCI Qualified Erector?
A It can actually be accomplished in just a couple of weeks. First, you need to mail in a completed Associate Membership Application (Erectors) form with payment ($1,550 for membership and one crew, plus $450 for each additional crew). Second, have a Certified Field Auditor (CFA) do an audit of your crew. If you do not have a CFA, ask the PCI Producer Member you are working with if he has a CFA on staff. If he does not have one, contact Jessica in the Certification Department at PCI headquarters at (312) 786-0300, ext. 216, or by e-mail at jburnett@pci.org. She can send you a list of CFA’s. Of course the auditor can only audit your crew if they are working on a project. The final requirement is that you respond to any nonconformances that are noted in the audit.
Q We are an independent erector with two crews. We do a lot of steel erection. We also do some precast concrete erection. We bid work to general contractors and production managers. Why should we join PCI and participate in your Qualification program?
A PCI Qualified Erectors are now listed as required in AIA Master Spec and are utilized by many specifiers and owners.
Q We are a PCI Producer Member. We sell all of our product FOB jobsite on our truck. Do we have to participate in the PCI Field Qualification Program? Will it adversely affect our plant audit grade if we do not?
A No. You are only required to erect your product with a PCI Qualified Erector if erection is in your contract and in your scope of work.
Q We are a PCI Producer Member. Erection is almost always in our contract as part of our scope of work. We do not do any erection with our own employees. We support the PCI Qualified Erection Program and always use and independent erector that is PCI Qualified. We have several Certified Field Auditors (CFA) on our staff. Can we be listed as a Qualified Erector by PCI?
A No. If you do not erect then you cannot be listed as an erector. However, PCI does appreciate your support. Your plant audit grade will reflect that appreciation. You will also realize that the number of problems associated with erection has been reduced as a result of the erector you chose to erect your product.
Q We have two Certified Field Auditors (CFA) on staff. We really need one more. Can we train that third person ourselves and can he then just take the exam and become a CFA?
A No. To become a CFA you must attend the school and pass the exams. For more information about upcoming schools in your area, go to http://www.pci.org/schools/qcas_05.html.
Q We are a PCI Certified Producer Member with several plants. We employ 20 Certified Field Auditors. We do everything that is required to be in full compliance with the program. We have 15 crews and we have a CFA at every jobsite 100% of the time. Can we certify our own crews and the occasional independent erector and not pay PCI $6,750 per year (15 x $450 per crew) in addition to the dues we already pay?
A No. The creditability of the program depends on the fact that it is run by an independent third party that you participate in but do not directly control. Similarly, we could not certify your production plant by having your own engineer do an audit of your plant twice a year. An impartial auditing process is necessary to the program.
Q We understand that PCI is transitioning out of the PCI Field Qualification Program and into a PCI Field Certification Program. Sounds like semantics to me. What is the difference, when will it happen, and how much more is it going to cost to be “Certified” instead of “Qualified?”
A The transition will begin July 1, 2005. The PCI Field Qualification Program will be eliminated and replaced by the PCI Field Qualification Program by January 1, 2007. The Certification Program will have all the requirements of the current Field Qualification Program plus one independent audit of the erection company by a Certified Company Auditor (CCA). That is one audit of each office. If you are a large company and maintain several offices in several different states, then each office will have to be audited. The additional cost has not been determined yet. We are in final contract negotiations with Orion Registrar, Inc. (Orion) for Auditing Services and Administration of the Field Certification Program. PCI will publish a price list in the near future. It will be tiered based on the size of the erection company.
Q We are a PCI Producer Member. Erection is almost always in our contract as part of our scope of work. We do not have a choice of who is going to be the erector. The erector is assigned to us by the general contractor, primarily because of the current sales tax structure in our state. The erector is usually a steel erector and is assigned to us because he is already working for the general contactor. He does not want to join PCI as an Associate Member Erector and he does not want to participate in the Field Qualification Program. Our plant certification grade is affected for something that is totally out of our control. Can we have an exception and not be graded down because the erector assigned to us by the GC is not PCI Qualified?
A No. If the erection of your product is contracted as being in your scope of work, then you also carry the responsibility for and control of that process. When the specifier specified a PCI Producer Member, he also specified a PCI Qualified Erector. It is a requirement of the PCI Plant Certification Program that you use a PCI Qualified Erector if erection is in your scope of work. At this point it is the General Contractor that must defend his actions to the specifier for violating the specifications by not requiring his erector to participate in the PCI Field Qualification program.
