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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Good day, everyone!
I hope this newsletter finds you doing well during these challenging times. We want you to know that DCRA is here as a resource, a partner to you and your teams, and that we have a common goal of ensuring safer construction in the District through proper inspections while providing a customer experience that is positive, professional and responsive.
The purpose of our quarterly Third-Party Program News is to increase communication, proactively share resources and experiences that we are encountering in the field, and to provide helpful information to you. I'd like to take this opportunity to share a little history about the DCRA Third-Party Program. Approximately 22 years ago, we anticipated that the DC metro area would experience exponential growth. With the forecasted increase in construction, we knew our staffing levels would be insufficient to meet the demand to adequately inspect all the construction in the District. This sparked the creation of the Third-Party Program, and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was our pilot project. Looking back, that project was a great success and the Third-Party Program has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Personally, I was part of the Washington Convention Center project and have had direct involvement in the Third-Party Program ever since, and, therefore, the program will always hold a special place in my heart.
I want to express my sincerest wishes to you and your family that you remain safe and healthy during the public health emergency.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Reiss
Chief of Inspections
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As a reminder, third-party inspectors and plan reviewers are required to have three quality-assurance reviews, per person, per quarter. Quarterly submission deadlines are:
- December 31
- March 31
- June 30
- September 30
To simplify the collection and review of the quarterly Quality-Assurance Reports, DCRA has developed two online forms, one for plan reviewers and one for inspectors. Please enter each review separately, using the correct form for the specific type of review.
Once the reviews are completed, your agency will receive a copy of the submission for your records via email.
As noted in the DCRA Third-Party Program Manual, before beginning work on a project, third-party agencies are required to have a Notice of Intent (NOI) executed by the owner of the property or the owner’s agent. If an agent is signing the NOI, a notarized letter confirming the agent’s authority and identity must be attached to the NOI. The NOI’s shall be maintained on file for auditing purposes.
For most inspection cases, the Third-Party Inspection Agency submittal in Accela Mobile Office (AMO) has taken the place of sending scanned copies of the NOI via email. The third-party plan review NOI must be uploaded into ProjectDox as part of the supporting documentation.
Performing inspections or plan reviews before obtaining a completed NOI from a property owner or agent may result in disciplinary action. It is suggested that inspection NOIs be processed into AMO authorizations as early as possible. Doing so can help prevent premature scheduling of DCRA inspections which then requires an email submittal of the scanned Notice of Intent and email submittal of subsequent inspection certifications.
With the exception of single-family dwellings, Third-Party Inspection Agencies are required to submit the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) inspection reports for every project when uploading the building final inspection report in Accela Mobile Office (AMO). The C of O report should include all permits related to the project. Check out Scout, DCRA’s online consolidated database to verify property information and perform internal permit audits before submitting to DCRA.
As noted in the Special Inspection Policy Manual, please be reminded that Special Inspection Logs are required to be checked by the Building Code Compliance Inspector during every inspection performed on the building permit. If there are missing items or discrepancies in the Special Inspection Logs, the inspection shall not pass and immediate notification will be sent to DCRA’s Third-Party Program staff, Patrick Allen (patrick.allen1@dc.gov) and Tamika Jones (tamika.jones@dc.gov).
When construction takes place, construction-related documents including permits, plans and inspection-record cards are required to be present and stored on the construction site until the final Certificate of Occupancy is issued. As a part of the C of O application process, a DCRA oversight inspector will visit a property to perform a quality-assurance inspection and verify the life-safety systems. When there are no plans or permits available on the construction site, this may result in the issuance of Stop Work Orders (SWOs) and fines. Please spread the word.
The Third-Party Special Inspections Agency (TPSIA) approval for Accela Mobile Office is now in beta testing, with a full release scheduled for in late winter.
Special inspection agencies will be getting pre-approved to perform special inspections and will have the ability to upload: meeting minutes for approval, daily reports, and final statements of special inspections.
Please stay tuned for additional information and training.
During DCRA oversight inspections, we are finding numerous accessibility violations. Please save this Accessibility Reference Sheet to your files and share within your organization.
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