Construction Support

Bidding Assistance | Construction Quality Assurance | Geoelectric Liner Leak Detection | Mobile/Field Laboratories | Soil/Construction Materials Testing

Since its inception, GLA has been providing responsive, high quality Construction Support Services on a wide range of projects in both the public and private sectors. Our personnel assist clients during construction and ensure projects are adequately staffed and supported throughout their design, bidding and contracting, construction, and regulatory approval.

GLA specializes in developing a complete range of project-specific, on-site construction observation and testing services to ensure that each project is built to design specifications. As a result of our hands-on experience in construction management (CM) and construction quality assurance (CQA) services on numerous projects, GLA’s professionals know what to look for and how to mitigate potential problematic situations before they result in costly delays.

GLA’s construction support services include:

Bidding assistance
Construction quality assurance
Geoelectric liner leak detection
Mobile/field laboratories
Soil/construction materials testing

Bidding Assistance

GLA’s team of specialists is committed to providing the highest standard of service and results to meet individual project and client needs. Services include:

Preparation and review of project manuals
- General conditions
- Bid solicitation
- Bid instructions
- Technical specifications
Bid support
- Bid administration
- Conducting pre-bid meetings
- Responding to requests for information during bid preparation
- Assistance with bid evaluation
Project scheduling
Engineer’s construction cost estimates
CQA plan preparation
General project coordination
Regulatory liaison during construction if needed to implement changes and after construction with submittal of the as-built report

Construction Quality Assurance

GLA’s staff have provided daily observation, testing, and documentation for thousands of industrial projects including mines, earthen embankments, liquid containment structures, landfills, residential and commercial developments, and industrial processing facilities. Upon completion of construction, we provide documentation, certifications, and as-built reporting to support approval by regulatory agencies.

Our field technicians are experienced with geomembrane non-destructive/destructive methodologies, field soils testing and evaluation of soils/synthetic interfaces, single- and double-ring infiltrometer permeability testing, and documentation and report generation.

Quality assurance observation and testing expertise includes the following materials:

Soil and rock
Low hydraulic conductivity soil liner
Drainage media geosynthetic clay liner (GCL)
High density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes, geotextiles, geocomposites, and geogrids
Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) geomembranes
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) geomembranes
Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE – Hypalon) geomembranes

Geoelectric liner leak detection

Geoelectric liner leak detection (also known as liner integrity surveys, leak location surveys, electrical leak location surveys) is a method of verifying the quality of installed geomembranes by locating leaks using electrical methods. Leaks can be found both before and after cover material placement, on bare or water covered geomembranes. Many regulatory agencies are adding leak detection as a requirement for new construction. GLA has more than two decades of providing construction quality assurance (CQA) services on liner systems, and this experience has shown that leak detection surveys have the potential to save our clients a substantial amount of time and money by detecting seaming failures, punctures, cracks, cuts, tears, or other leaks in their installed containment systems.

When it comes to Geoelectric Liner Leak Detection Services, GLA has several key advantages:

Geoelectric leak detection experience on over 177 million square feet of liner, comprising over 4,000 acres of new and existing geomembrane installations.
Expertise in both construction quality assurance and leak detection services, enabling our CQA-trained leak detection team to survey a site with a quality assurance (QA) mindset.
Final reports are reviewed by licensed professional engineers.
Cost effective and reliable service and quick mobilization from local office areas.

GLA performs the following American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) survey methods:

Bare Geomembrane Surveys
- Water Puddle Method (ASTM D7002)
- Arc Testing Method (ASTM D7953)
- Spark Testing Method (ASTM D7240) (conductive geomembrane)
Covered Geomembrane Surveys
- Dipole Method with earth as cover material (ASTM D7007)
- Dipole Method with water as cover material (ASTM D7007)
- Dipole Method (mapping leaks) (ASTM D8265)

For further information, contact:

Ryan Berquist, PE
530.272.2448

Erik Olhoffer
530.272.2448

Mobile/Field Laboratories

GLA maintains a full complement of field testing equipment for construction quality assurance testing, groundwater and soil sampling, aquifer testing, and geophysical testing. Testing is conducted using the most up-to-date test standards available. For long-term projects we have the capability to set up an on-site, mobile laboratory providing rapid, cost-effective testing services for our clients.

All nuclear density gauge and neutron probe equipment is maintained under full licensure with the State of California Department of Health Services Radiologic Health Branch, and all field personnel have received nuclear gauge safety training.

Soil/Construction Materials Testing

GLA has four full-service geotechnical laboratories that provide soils, rock, geosynthetics, and other materials testing. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Sparks, Nevada; Anaheim, California; and Grass Valley, California, these laboratories provide testing for a wide range of public and private clientele—from local construction companies to worldwide mining companies. GLA laboratories offer standard and specialized laboratory services for geotechnical, geosynthetic, and materials testing. In addition to supporting GLA’s engineering services, the laboratories also provide testing for other engineering consulting firms, construction companies, and government agencies.

GLA’s testing facilities are certified by:

AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials)
CCRL (Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory)
Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE)
Geosynthetics Research Institute (GRI)
California Department of State Architecture

Laboratory testing includes: