Hello, I am having trouble understanding the wording of this question in the section 3 quiz. It is #
67681 and asks:
During the preconstruction phase, the architect receives a list of value engineering (VE) items in order to bring the project in line with the owner’s budget. After some research, the architect realizes that some of the proposed items are of lower quality than those that were originally specified.
Which of the following is a good approach to administering these VE changes?
Of the given answer options and the given scenario, I thought it was asking more about what should be done in this particular case. But the correct answer and explanation sounds like the question is asking about incorporating VE items in general.
Any tips on how to better understand these types of questions?
@sedona.quimby Thanks for your question and for providing the item ID number - that’s super helpful!
I can see why the wording feels a little unclear. The key clue is that the proposed VE items are lower quality than what was originally specified. Rather than simply accepting those items, the architect should look for substitutions that achieve the needed cost savings while maintaining comparable value and quality.
For questions like this, try identifying the specific problem the scenario is asking you to solve. In this case, it is about reducing cost without unnecessarily sacrificing quality and then choosing the option that best addresses that problem.
Hope this helps!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Product Coordinator
Black Spectacles
Thanks, Kiara, this is helpful!
I have another similar question, this time on CE Practice Exam Form 2, #35737.
The question asks about subcontractors submitting questions to the architect, which I understand all project related discussions should go through the general contractor and be documented for everyone’s awareness.
But the questions specifically states it is not project related. So wouldn’t the contractor be able to contact the architect separately if it was not related to that specific project?
@sedona.quimby You’re very welcome!
You’re right that it isn’t related to the project they’re currently working on. However, the other project is actively out for bid, so the question falls under the bidding/procurement process rather than being a casual conversation.
The intent is to avoid giving one potential bidder information that others don’t receive. Questions about the bid documents should therefore go through the formal channel and any clarification affecting the documents should be shared with all bidders. If the subcontractor were asking a general question unrelated to an active bid, direct communication would not have the same concern.
Hope this helps!
Kiara