17  Special Inspections

17.1  The Service Provider shall carry out all Special Inspections in accordance with this Schedule 7, the Highways Structures Code and the Special Inspection Strategy for the relevant Contract Year (to which the Special Inspection relates).

17.2  No later than four (4) months prior to the commencement of each Contract Year following the first Contract Year, the Service Provider shall submit to the Authority a revised Special Inspection Strategy pursuant to the Review Procedure and a copy of any risk assessments used in the development of all revised Special Inspection Strategy.

17.3  The Service Provider shall comply with the guidance on Special Inspections provided in BA 63 Inspection of Highways Structures (4) and BD 63 Inspection of Highway Structures (5) when developing each Special Inspection Strategy.

17.4  The Service Provider shall carry out a Special Inspection as required to comply with but always in the following circumstances:

(a)  when a particular problem is detected during a Principal Inspection or General Inspection of the Structure, Bridge or Tunnel or of a Structure, Bridge or Tunnel of a similar construction type;

(b)  on particular structural forms or types, such as cast iron Structures or Bridges, post tensioned Structures or Bridges, or Structures strengthened with bonded plates;

(c)  on Bridges that have loading or other forms of restrictions on use such as the restriction of traffic on Bridges;

(d)  when the necessary frequency or access arrangements for a particular Part of the Structure, Bridge or Tunnel are beyond those available for General Inspections or Principal Inspections;

(e)  on, during and after the passage of an Abnormal Load over a Bridge;

(f)  following the collision of a vehicle with a Structure, Bridge or Tunnel;

(g)  following a flood or high river flow in order to check for scour or other damage;

(h)  to check for specific concerns, including concerns over the quality of previously used batches of rebar or concrete; and

(i)  where a post tensioned Bridge has a regime of Special Inspections implemented as a result of an earlier investigation or a Special Inspection is required in accordance with BA 50 (Post-tensioned Concrete Bridges, Planning, organisation and methods for carrying out Special Inspections (3)).

17.5  The Service Provider shall ensure that all Special Inspections undertaken from the commencement of Year 19 until the Expiry Date shall include an assessment of whether the Structures, Bridges and/or Tunnels (to which the Special Inspections relate) comply with the Expiry Condition Requirements and the Service Provider shall provide to the Authority a written report detailing such assessments.