Contract Scheduling
Bar Charts, the Critical Path Method, Schedule Submittals, Progress Control and the Schedule of Values
FHWA Guide for Construction Contract Time Determination Procedures (fhwa.dot.gov/construction/contracts/t508015.cfm) read 2026-09-19; FAR 52.236-15, 52.232-5, 52.243-4, 52.249-10 (acquisition.gov) read 2026-09-19; F.S. 715.12 (Online Sunshine) read 2026-09-19 · Reviewed 2026-09-21
"Contract Scheduling" is 3–5 questions on the Business exam. Expect definitions (critical path, float, milestone, Gantt chart, look-ahead, punch list), the mechanics of a schedule submittal and progress control, and the money side of the schedule — the schedule of values that turns progress into pay applications.
1. Two families of schedules (FHWA)
| Technique | What it is | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar chart (Gantt chart) | Activities listed down the page; a bar drawn proportional to each activity's planned duration on a time scale; progress shown by a second bar under the plan | Simple to build, easy to understand; fine for contract-time estimates on small jobs | Does not show the interrelationships or dependencies between activities; hard to evaluate when changes occur; controlling items look the same as minor ones — not recommended for large or complex projects |
| Critical Path Method (CPM) | The project broken into activities; the completion of an activity is an event; the sequence is set by asking what must be done before each activity and what can run concurrently; drawn as a logic diagram (arrows to nodes) | Shows which tasks will change the completion date if they are not finished on time; evaluating those critical tasks gives the project duration; software shows PERT boxes and a bar-chart view | More effort; needs software on real projects |
- Durations come from production rates (units of work per crew-day) — the same production rates that price the labor in the estimate.
The rest of this lesson is for members.
The rest of this lesson, its quiz, all 1 lessons in this module and every mock exam open with the 7-day pass for $9. If you keep going, that $9 comes off lifetime.