Information Sheet
Understanding the Roles and Responsibilities to Enhance
Quality in the Delivery of Road Infrastructure Projects.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, MR has seen an:
Introduction of non-traditional project
delivery approaches
Increase in new people and changes in
Main Roads approach to project delivery
Increase in experienced staff leaving /
retiring from MR
Increase in work loads putting pressure on
mentoring / development of personnel, and
Increase in use of external agents /
consultants across the range of activities.
This information sheet provides clarity of various
roles and responsibilities required for effective
governance of Main Roads contracts for the
delivery of Road Infrastructure Projects. These
generic roles are then aligned to various contract
types.
PRINCIPLES
The Owner is responsible for defining the
requirements of the product or services to be
delivered (i.e. Specifying the quality and
performance standards).
The Purchaser, as an agent for the Owner (e.g. the
Delivery Organisation), is responsible for verifying
that the Supplier is undertaking the necessary
controls and that the quality of product or service
meets the specified standards.
The Supplier (Contractor) holds the primary
responsibility for quality control in assuring the
delivery of the product or service to the specified
standards and quality.
DEFINITION OF ROLES
The following definitions are presented as an aide
in understanding the various roles. They are
designed as generic to facilitate understanding and
use of these roles within whatever type of contract
is applied.
Owner
Defines functionality and scope
Defines and communicates requirements
for product quality
Undertakes high level reviews of the
program of delivery
Monitor Performance of:
o Delivery Organisations
o High risk supplier groups (outside
contract) for example Supplier /
Consultant Registers, Pre
Qualification-Contractors.
Delivery Organisation
The entity that manages the delivery of the project
on behalf of the owner.
Ensures clarity of documentation (e.g. Brief)
provided to the Supplier.
Undertakes those functions and activities
required for the effective Contract
formulation and administration of the
delivered product to ensure the quality of
service.
Ensures clarity and understanding of
surveillance / verification and administration
processes. Ensures there are no gaps if
these functions and activities are assigned
to others to be undertaken on its behalf.
Delineation of risk-based surveillance
requirements sufficient to identify that the
product or service meets the specified
requirements.
Supplier (Designer / Contractor)
The entity that delivers the end product (Design /
Road Infrastructure).
Supplies the product or service to the specified
standards as specified in the contract documents.
For Design and Construct type contracts, this
includes the design documentation as well as the
Road Infrastructure Product.
DEFINITIONS
Validation
Validation is the process performed by the
Designer to ensure that the product is capable of
meeting the requirements of the contract
documents and that the final product is capable of
meeting the requirements of the intended use of
the Infrastructure.
Certification
Certification is the formal process of verifying to a
second party that the project outputs comply with
the contract documents as follows:
By the Contractors design consultant
certifying that its design complies with the
contract documents and that, if constructed
in accordance with the design, will comply
with the contract documents.
By the Contractor certifying that its design
complies with the contract documents.
By the Contractor certifying that its
construction complies with the contract
documents.
By the Verifier certifying that the design and
construction complies with the contract
documents.
These certificates carry considerable weight and
are the primary document relied upon by approved
parties (e.g. the owner) in the event that work does
not comply with the contract documents and legal
or damages recovery proceedings are
commenced.
Verification
The formal process of confirming and documenting
that:
the design complies with the contract
documents; and
the constructed infrastructure complies with
the contract documents and the design.
addressing all of the Principals comments
provided in its review and surveillance of
the Works
The organisation commissioning a verification
process by a third party would normally require that
the verification process concludes with the issue of
relevant certificates.
Contract Administration
Contract administration is the process by which the
contract is administered to ensure that Road
Infrastructure meets the requirements of the
contract documents.
Surveillance
The process that records evidence that enables
verification by the various parties.
Peer Review
Peer review is the process by which the Principal
validates that the design as submitted will fulfil its
intended use and that the outcome meets the
Principals expectation.
The peer review is incorporated specifically in
D&C, ECI and Alliance type contracts whereby
certified designs are submitted by the Contractor to
the Contract Administrator or Verifier for
Permission to Use (PTU).
The PTU process engages with technical experts
acting on behalf of the Principal to provide
validation that the designs have the intended
functionality.

The essential elements of the Verifier role include:

progressive evaluation of design,
construction and maintenance compliance
(if required) with the contract documents
review, observation, surveillance design
development and audit of the quality of the
design, construction and maintenance (if
required) during implementation
DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBILITIES Delivery Organisation
The Delivery Organisation must:
Supplier (Design / Construction) In the event that contract administration /
Supply the product or service to the product verification is sub-contracted,
specified standard as described in the ensure that the contract administrator /
contract documents (in Design and verifier has an appropriate risk-based
Construct type contracts this includes surveillance and verification plan to give a
design documentation as well as the high probability that the supplier is providing
constructed infrastructure) a compliant product
The supplier must have an accredited Periodically, audit the contract
quality assurance system for the work to be administrators / project verifiers
undertaken performance against the verification plan
The supplier must prepare the project
specific quality plans to ensure that the
delivered product will meet the
requirements specified in the contract
documents.
Undertake internal quality control activities
required to assure the Owner / Delivery
Organisation of this outcome
Supply the Owner / Delivery Organisation
with the output documents from application
of the quality system as evidence that the
product supplied meets the requirements of
the contract documents.

Contract Administrator / Project Verifier

The Contract Administrator / Project Verifier must:
Have an accredited quality assurance
system for the work to be undertaken
Prepare the necessary project-specific risk-
based project surveillance and verification
plan and gain the delivery organisations
approval of that plan
Review the suppliers quality plans for
appropriateness
Undertake surveillance and verification
activities in accordance with the plan
Provide feedback to the supplier on
shortcomings in either the application of
their quality plan or product
Provide any necessary certificates to the
owner / delivery organisation that the
product provided by the supplier meets the
specified requirements
 Application in Various forms of Contract

Type Function / Roles

Contract Owner Delivery Supplier Designer Supplier Contract Surveillance /

Type Organisation Construction Management Verification
RCC Defines Project Fulfils the role of Design contract Contractor certifies that Superintendent Superintendent
Scope and may Superintendent, separate to construction the construction is in manages the contract certifies that
undertake the role of including C.A. and contract accordance with on behalf of the construction is in
Principals surveillance contract documents Principal accordance with
Representative contract documents
either internally or by
appointment of a
third party

D&C and ECI Defines Project Fulfils the role of Delivers the design and Contractor certifies that Contract Manager Verifier certifies:
Scope Principals certifies that design construction is in manages the that design is in
Representative meets the requirements accordance with design Contract on behalf of accordance with
of the contract and contract documents Principals contract documents
documents Representative Certifies that
construction is in
accordance with
contract documents

Alliance Defines Project Establishes Alliance. Designers in alliance Constructor in Alliance. Main Roads Independent Verifier
Scope Involved in: deliver: Contractor completes Representative and certifies to AMT:
Alliance Leadership Design construction in Alliance Management that the design is in
Team (ALT) Design validation accordance with design Team manage the accordance with the
Alliance Certification that and contract documents contract contract documents
Management Team design complies with that the construction
(AMT) engineering is in accordance
standards with the contract
documents