All water pollution control projects funded by the WPCRLF must comply with the following requirements. Non-point source pollution control projects and estuary management projects must comply with these requirements to the extent described in the loan application and loan agreement, as established by the Department.
The Department will provide a loan application package to the potential loan applicant and/or its engineer. The potential loan applicant and/or its engineer may request a preapplication conference with the Department as early in the application process as practical.
The application package must conform to these regulations, and must include the following:
The Department will provide design guidance to the loan applicant/recipient and/or its engineer, who may request a predesign conference with the
Prior to advertisement for construction bids, clear title certification forms for all real property and easements from both the loan applicant and the title counsel must be submitted for all loan ineligible real property and easements (including power and other utilities).
By the date specified in the loan agreement the applicant must submit complete plans, specifications and contract documents for the entire project to the Department.
The loan recipient is responsible for assuring that every appropriate procedure and incidental legal requirement is observed in advertisement for bids and awarding the construction contracts. The plans, specifications, and executed contract documents must not vary from those approved by the Department.
The loan recipient may arrange and hold a preconstruction conference and must allow attendance and participation by the Department if such a conference is held.
During all times that construction work is being performed, the loan recipient must provide for full-time observation of the project by the engineer or his staff and must require the engineer's assurance that the work is being performed in a satisfactory manner in accordance with the WPCRLF loan agreement and the approved plans, specifications, contract documents and approved change orders. Less than full-time observation may be allowed when properly justified and approved by the Department
The Department is authorized to observe the construction of any project at any time for compliance with the terms of the loan agreement and to determine if the loan recipient and engineer are assuring that plans, specifications and contract documents are being followed. Such observation will not subject the Department to any legal action for claims, damages or any other liability. Such observation will not release the contractor from any obligation to perform the work in accordance with the requirements of the contract documents or the engineer from determining compliance with the requirements of the contract documents or the loan recipient from insuring compliance with the contract and the terms of the loan agreement.
The contractor, engineer, and the loan recipient must furnish the Department with every reasonable opportunity and means for determining whether the loan recipient and engineer are assuring that the work is in accordance with the requirements of the approved plans, specifications and contract documents. The Department is authorized to observe and require submission by the loan recipient of daily logs, record drawings, file notes, and any other documents prepared in relation to the WPCRLF funded project.
Change orders must not change, vary, or alter the basic purpose or effect of the project. Change orders must be technically adequate, the costs must be necessary and reasonable, and eligible/ineligible costs must be appropriately separated.
If any change order is submitted to the Department that is not complete and executed by the loan recipient, the contracting party, and the engineer if appropriate, the Department may return such change order without review. However, unilateral change orders executed by the loan recipient, and the engineer if appropriate, and identified as such, that are issued in accordance with the contract documents may be submitted to the Department for review and approval, in order to obtain a WPCRLF loan eligibility/allowability determination.
The loan recipient may submit a complete change order which has been executed conditional upon a WPCRLF loan eligibility/allowability determination by the Department.
If possible, approval of a change order should be secured from the Department before the work is started. Approval may also be secured after the work is started; however, the loan recipient must bear the cost if the work is later determined to be ineligible or unallowable.
When the eligible cost of a project will be significantly reduced by a change order(s), the Department may issue an amendment to the loan agreement decreasing the loan amount, and the loan recipient must execute the amendment within the time frame established by the Department.
If the loan recipient determines that re-award of the construction contract or a portion thereof is necessary due to contractor bankruptcy or default, such proposed re-award contracts must be submitted for a WPCRLF loan allowability determination by the Department prior to execution. The loan recipient will be responsible for assuring that every appropriate procedure and incidental legal requirement are observed in advertising for bids or otherwise re-awarding a construction contract, if this course of action is taken.
The Department will perform a final construction observation within 30 days after the current construction contract completion date, unless further delayed by the Department pursuant to review of the loan recipient's request and justification for such delay. Should the Department decide that the construction completion is being unreasonably delayed, a final construction observation may be immediately performed by the Department. The final construction observation by the Department is only for the purpose of determining final loan allowable costs.
11 Miss. Code. R. 6-6.3