(a) The authority and the department shall amend the cooperative agreement required by Section 30952 to incorporate the project oversight and control responsibilities described in this section relative to the construction of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, as described in Section 30917, and the state toll bridge seismic retrofit program, as described in Section 188.5 as that section read on January 1, 2005.

(b) The department shall develop specifications and bid documents and invite bids and award contracts for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, as described in Section 30917, and the state toll bridge seismic retrofit program projects. All contract specifications and bid documents shall be reviewed and approved by the authority prior to their release.

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(c) The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, created pursuant to Section 30952.1, shall implement a project oversight and project control process for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge project and the state toll bridge seismic retrofit program projects. The committee’s project oversight and control processes shall include, but not be limited to, reviewing bid specifications and documents, providing field staff to review ongoing costs, reviewing and approving significant change orders and claims (as determined by the committee), and preparing project reports.

(d) The authority may contract with, and oversee, one or more consulting firms to provide the services described in subdivision (c) and subdivision (a) of Section 30952.1. All contracts shall be reviewed and approved by the committee prior to their execution. The authority’s expenses incurred for project oversight and control services may be reimbursed by toll revenue collected pursuant to Section 30916, 31010, or 31011.

(e) To ensure that the department manages the risks associated with the toll bridge seismic retrofit projects, the department shall, at a minimum, take all of the following actions:

(1) Establish a comprehensive risk management plan that clearly defines roles and responsibilities for risk management and addresses the process by which it will identify and quantify project risks, implement and track risk response activities, and monitor and control risks throughout the duration of the project.

(2) Quantify the effect of identified risks in financial terms.

(3) Develop and maintain documents to track identified risks and related mitigation steps.

(4) Regularly update its estimates of capital and capital outlay support costs.

(5) Regularly reassess its reserves for potential claims and unknown risks, incorporating information related to risks identified and quantified through its risk assessment processes.

(6) Regularly integrate estimates for capital, capital outlay support costs, and contingency reserves into a programwide report.

(7) Ensure that reports to the Federal Highway Administration and others reflect current data and provide an accurate representation of the project’s status.

(8) When unexpected events occur, quickly inform the committee created in Section 30952.1 describing the effects of these key events on the project’s overall budget and schedule.

(Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 71, Sec. 7. Effective July 18, 2005.)