Design and Construction Contracting
(MCPPO 2) Test Questions and Answers
Question 1
Step 3: Receive, open, and review bids.
Correct Answer
You receive bids on the date you specified in the IFB. Bids must be publicly opened
and read at the time you set in the IFB as the deadline to receive bids.
Question 2
M.G.L. c. 30B sec. 5
Correct Answer
Requires newspaper advertising and posting of the bid in the jurisdiction's office
Question 3
Procuring Building Construction Contracts Under M.G.L. c. 149
Correct Answer
M.G.L. c. 149 sec. 44A-44J, governs contracts for construction, reconstruction,
installation, demolition, maintenance, or repair of a building by a public agency. The
specific procedural requirements that apply to each M.G.L. c. 149 contract depend
on the estimated contract cost.
Question 4
You may reject a sub-bid when:
Correct Answer
-you determine that a sub-bidder is not competent to perform the work, or
-the sub-bid includes only a minor or trivial deviation from a statutory requirement
Page 1 of 24
,Question 5
If based on negative references:
Correct Answer
you determine that the low bidder is not responsible, you should document the
references and reject the low bidder. You may then check the second low bidder's
references.
Question 6
Alternates:
Correct Answer
Alternates may increase the scope of work such that bidders will list an added cost
("add alternates") or they may decrease the scope of work such as the bidders list
an amount to be subtracted from their base bids ("deduct alternates"). Whenever
you use alternates, you must list them in numerical order of their priority to you,
and you must consider them in numerical order.
Question 7
You may assign an employee to serve as the OPM:
Correct Answer
only if that employee meets or exceeds these requirements and has building
construction and supervision experience relating to projects of similar size and
scope of complexity as the project to which the employee is assigned. If you elect to
contract for the services of the OPM, you are required to use a qualifications-based
selection process, which means that the OPM must be competitively selected on the
basis of qualifications, without price competition.
Question 8
Effective Claims Management
Correct Answer
A claim is generally an assertion by the contractor that it is owed additional
compensation. A claim typically results from a proposed change order that the
owner has rejected.
Page 2 of 24
, Question 9
Performance Evaluation of Building Project Contractors and Subcontractors
Correct Answer
Upon completion of a building project that exceeds $150,000, public agencies in
Massachusetts, including state agencies, cities, towns, and other public jurisdictions,
are required under M.G.L. c. 149, § 44D, to complete and submit to DCAMM a
standard contractor evaluation form for each general contractor and each
subcontractor that was a sub-bidder on the project.
Question 10
Entitlement analysis:
Correct Answer
The first step in considering a proposed change order submitted by the contractor
is determining whether the contractor is entitled to the additional time and/or
compensation that it seeks.
-Only if the public owner concludes that the contractor is entitled to additional
compensation and/or time should it take the time to quantify that entitlement.
Question 11
M.G.L. c. 30, § 39M
Correct Answer
You may dispense with the normal bidding procedures for public works
construction projects and construction materials contracts subject to M.G.L. c. 30, §
39M, only in cases of "extreme emergency caused by enemy attack, sabotage or
other such hostile actions or resulting from an imminent security threat, explosion,
fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado and other such catastrophe."
-You must obtain a written waiver of the public notice requirements from DCAMM.
Page 3 of 24
(MCPPO 2) Test Questions and Answers
Question 1
Step 3: Receive, open, and review bids.
Correct Answer
You receive bids on the date you specified in the IFB. Bids must be publicly opened
and read at the time you set in the IFB as the deadline to receive bids.
Question 2
M.G.L. c. 30B sec. 5
Correct Answer
Requires newspaper advertising and posting of the bid in the jurisdiction's office
Question 3
Procuring Building Construction Contracts Under M.G.L. c. 149
Correct Answer
M.G.L. c. 149 sec. 44A-44J, governs contracts for construction, reconstruction,
installation, demolition, maintenance, or repair of a building by a public agency. The
specific procedural requirements that apply to each M.G.L. c. 149 contract depend
on the estimated contract cost.
Question 4
You may reject a sub-bid when:
Correct Answer
-you determine that a sub-bidder is not competent to perform the work, or
-the sub-bid includes only a minor or trivial deviation from a statutory requirement
Page 1 of 24
,Question 5
If based on negative references:
Correct Answer
you determine that the low bidder is not responsible, you should document the
references and reject the low bidder. You may then check the second low bidder's
references.
Question 6
Alternates:
Correct Answer
Alternates may increase the scope of work such that bidders will list an added cost
("add alternates") or they may decrease the scope of work such as the bidders list
an amount to be subtracted from their base bids ("deduct alternates"). Whenever
you use alternates, you must list them in numerical order of their priority to you,
and you must consider them in numerical order.
Question 7
You may assign an employee to serve as the OPM:
Correct Answer
only if that employee meets or exceeds these requirements and has building
construction and supervision experience relating to projects of similar size and
scope of complexity as the project to which the employee is assigned. If you elect to
contract for the services of the OPM, you are required to use a qualifications-based
selection process, which means that the OPM must be competitively selected on the
basis of qualifications, without price competition.
Question 8
Effective Claims Management
Correct Answer
A claim is generally an assertion by the contractor that it is owed additional
compensation. A claim typically results from a proposed change order that the
owner has rejected.
Page 2 of 24
, Question 9
Performance Evaluation of Building Project Contractors and Subcontractors
Correct Answer
Upon completion of a building project that exceeds $150,000, public agencies in
Massachusetts, including state agencies, cities, towns, and other public jurisdictions,
are required under M.G.L. c. 149, § 44D, to complete and submit to DCAMM a
standard contractor evaluation form for each general contractor and each
subcontractor that was a sub-bidder on the project.
Question 10
Entitlement analysis:
Correct Answer
The first step in considering a proposed change order submitted by the contractor
is determining whether the contractor is entitled to the additional time and/or
compensation that it seeks.
-Only if the public owner concludes that the contractor is entitled to additional
compensation and/or time should it take the time to quantify that entitlement.
Question 11
M.G.L. c. 30, § 39M
Correct Answer
You may dispense with the normal bidding procedures for public works
construction projects and construction materials contracts subject to M.G.L. c. 30, §
39M, only in cases of "extreme emergency caused by enemy attack, sabotage or
other such hostile actions or resulting from an imminent security threat, explosion,
fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado and other such catastrophe."
-You must obtain a written waiver of the public notice requirements from DCAMM.
Page 3 of 24
