Responsible Person in Charge

Prior to beginning work, the LG and TxDOT will each designate a Responsible Person in Charge (RPIC) for the project. Each agency's RPIC shall be documented in writing within the project files and communicated to the other agency.
The person designated as being in “responsible charge” is required to be a public employee who is accountable for the project. The LG's RPIC must be a full-time employee of the LG. TxDOT’s RPIC must be a full-time employee of TxDOT who is also a registered professional engineer.
Each RPIC is expected to be able to perform the following duties and functions for their agency:
  • Administer governmental project activities, including those dealing with cost, time, adherence to contract requirements, construction quality and scope of federal-aid projects;
  • Maintain familiarity of day-to-day project operations, including project safety issues;
  • Make or participate in decisions about changed conditions or scope changes requiring change orders or supplemental agreements;
  • Visit and review the project on a frequency that is commensurate with the magnitude and complexity of the project;
  • Review financial processes, transactions and documentation to ensure safeguards are in place to minimize fraud, waste and abuse;
  • Direct project staff (agency or consultant) to carry out project administration and contract oversight, including proper documentation; and
  • Be aware of the qualifications, assignments and on-the-job performance of the agency (LG or TxDOT) and consultant staff at all stages of the project.
These requirements do not restrict an agency's organizational authority over the person designated in “responsible charge,” and they do not preclude the sharing of these duties and functions among a number of public agency employees. They also do not preclude one employee from having "responsible charge" of several projects and directing project managers assigned to specific projects. The term “responsible charge” in this section is used in the context intended in
23 CFR §635.105
. It may or may not correspond to its usage in state laws regulating licensure of professional engineers. Any change in RPIC during the course of the project shall be documented in writing within the project files and communicated to the other agency.