CRSI Technical Committee Manual

Transcription

1 CRSI Technical Committee Manual CRSI Engineering Practice Committee May 2010

2 CRSI Technical Committee Manual May 2010 Prepared by the CRSI Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) FOREWORD This manual has been prepared by the Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) to guide the operation of CRSI technical committees. The success of any committee effort depends largely on the administrative ability and initiative of the Chair. Chairs of CRSI technical committees are chosen for their demonstrated ability and knowledge in the field to be covered by the committee as well as for their administrative skills. Many details of committee operations are left to their judgment. For uniformity of operation and for coordination of activities of the many CRSI committees, some mandatory regulations are necessary for compliance with approved policies for the development of standards. These mandatory requirements for committee activities are found throughout the manual. They are stated in the positive language of shall or must, whereas suggestions are presented as should or may. The EPC is always looking for ways to improve and streamline committee procedures. Any comments are welcome. Comments can be sent to: Engineering Department Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute 933 North Plum Grove Road Schaumburg, Illinois fax: Copyright 2010 Published by the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute First Edition, First Printing, May 2010 Printed in the U.S.A. This manual, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute. Page i

3 CRSI Technical Committee Manual Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION DEFINITIONS Definitions and Terminology CRSI Documents TECHNICAL COMMITTEES General Engineering Practice Committee Technical Review Committee (TRC) Prohibited Technical Committees Consensus Industry Practices Lack of Dominance Percent Rule Target Committee Size Technical Committee Membership Membership Application for Membership Membership Classification Joint Committees Appointment Voting Member Responsibility Change Committee Membership Appeal of Membership Action Voting Members Qualifications Requirements Privileges Term Appointment Consulting (Non-Voting) Members Qualifications Requirements Privileges Term Appointment Committee or Subcommittee Establishment, Reorganization, and Discharge Establishment of a New Technical Committee or Subcommittee Establishment of a Technical Committee or Subcommittee Structure of Committee(s) and Subcommittee(s) Reconstituted Committee or Subcommittee Joint Committees and Committee Cooperation with Other Organizations Cooperation Joint Committees Rules Committee Organization Chair Subcommittees and Task Groups Committee Officers Page ii

4 3.8.1 Chair Responsibilities Chair Qualifications Candidates for Chair Chair Term Appointment of Chair Voting Privileges of Chair Multi-Organization Responsibilities Vice-Chair Secretary CRSI Staff Liaisons Absence OPERATING TECHNICAL COMMITTEES Committee Goals Development of CRSI Publications or Technical Products Level of Review Timelines, Deadlines, Responsible Parties, and Budgets Meetings Number of Meetings Open Meetings Virtual Meetings Procedures Rosters CRSI Antitrust Policy Meeting Agenda Meeting Minutes Quorum Committee Files Technical Committee Expenses COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS General Overall Procedure Document Types and Language Standards Handbooks and Manuals Technical Notes Position Statement Position Paper Review Draft Documents and Circulation BALLOTING COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS (for Consensus Documents Only) Voting Methods and Rules Proxy Votes Letter Ballots Letter Ballot Initiation Letter Ballot Format Letter Ballot Time Frame Letter Ballot Distribution Letter Ballot Votes Affirmative Votes Affirmative Votes with Comments Negative Votes with Reason Abstentions Page iii

5 Ballots Not Returned Comments from Non-Voting Members Letter Ballot Analysis and Further Action Updating the Letter Ballot Results Revising and Re-Balloting Formal and Informal Subcommittee Letter Ballots Meeting Ballots Consideration of Negative Votes Withdrawal of Negative Vote (no change to document) Unrelated to Ballot Item (no change to document) Non-Persuasive (no change to document) Persuasive (change to document) Appeals Ballot Summaries Passage of an Item via a Non-Consensus Process Balloting and Operating Procedures when CRSI is the Minor Sponsor DEVELOPMENT OF DOCUMENTS General Updating Existing Documents Reapproval Revision Withdrawal Using Outside, Paid Consultants on Technical Projects Submitting Documents for TRC Review Staff Editorial Review TRC review Review Comment Classifications Primary (P), Editorial (E), and Secondary (S) comments TRC Decision Document Approved Responding to TRC Comments Withdrawal of TRC Approval Document Not Approved Appeal Process PUBLICATION POLICY General Intellectual Property Units of Measurement Publication Format Copyright Branding EPC COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND OBJECTIVES Organizational Flowchart Standing Committees and Committee Numbering Structure Main CRSI Technical Documents and Consensus Level FORMS Membership on technical committees Membership application Meeting minutes Sample meeting minutes form Committee Meeting Request Page iv

6 Blank form Sample completed form Sign-Up Sheet and Antitrust Law Letter ballots Sample letter ballot BALLOTING EXAMPLES REFERENCES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute would like to thank the following sister concrete organizations for granting us permission to use selected portions of their technical and/or governance manuals: American Concrete Institute (ACI), Farmington Hills, Michigan; Precast / Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), Chicago, Illinois; and Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), Farmington Hills, Michigan. Page v

7 1 INTRODUCTION Founded in 1924, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) is a trade association that stands as the authoritative resource for information related to steel reinforced concrete construction. Serving the needs of engineers, architects, construction professionals, steel mills, detailers, fabricators, and placers, CRSI offers many technical publications, design aids, educational seminars, promotional activities, membership functions, and design award programs. CRSI members are manufacturers, fabricators and placers of steel reinforcing bar and related products, and professionals who are involved in the research, design and construction of reinforced concrete. Serving the construction market in the United States, Canada and Mexico, CRSI is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois with regional offices located across the United States. 2 DEFINITIONS 2.1 Definitions and Terminology For the purposes of this technical committee manual, the following definitions shall apply: ACI American Concrete Institute ANSI American National Standards Institute ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials Abstain The recognition that the voter is not qualified to render an educated opinion on the ballot item, either positive or negative. Active document - The latest published edition of a CRSI document. Active standard - The latest published edition of a standard. Addendum - An addition or supplement to a published document or portions thereof required before the complete revision and publication of the next edition of the document. Amendment - The correction of an error in substantive content in a published document that had been inadvertently approved by the required approval procedures. Committee - A generic term whose scope may include technical committees or subcommittees (see also Group) Consensus - The achievement of substantial agreement by the members of a group on issues put before or considered by the group. Consensus signifies the concurrence of more than a simple majority, but not necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered and that an effort be made toward their common resolution. Consensus body - The group that approves the content of a document or standard, and whose vote demonstrates evidence of consensus. For CRSI, the consensus body is defined as the specific technical committee having the assigned responsibility for the preparation and approval of a document or standard. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 1

8 Consulting Member A non-voting membership class on a committee. Refer to Section 3.4. CRSI Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute. Also referred in this document as the Institute. CRSI member A person in good standing that pays annual membership dues to CRSI through an individual membership (professional, student, etc.) or by virtue of their employment with a member company or organization paying dues to the Institute. Editorial change - A change in a document or standard that is not substantive (see substantive change). Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) Refer to Section Errata - A list of errors and their subsequent corrections introduced during the word processing stage after a document or standard has completed the approval balloting process. Errors in a document or standard s content, discovered after having been approved by the balloting process, shall not be considered as errata, but are considered Amendments. Ex-officio - Membership status by virtue of one's office on another committee (e.g., technical committee chairs serve as ex-officio on all of their subcommittees). Group - A generic term whose scope may include task groups to address a specific topic area (see also Committee) Inactive document - A document that has been superseded by a later edition, but is still accessible for archive or historical reference. Inactive standard - A standard that has been superseded by a later edition, but must still be accessible for archive or historical reference. Interest category A broad term used in the ANSI Essential Requirements document that defines a group of directly and materially affected persons representing, but not limited to, a producer, user, or general interest group contributing to a committee or standard. Where appropriate, additional interest categories should be considered and may consist of the following broad areas: a) consumer; b) directly affected public; c) distributor and retailer; d) industrial/commercial; e) insurance; f) labor; g) manufacturer; h) professional society; i) regulatory agency; j) testing laboratory; k) trade association. Joint Committee A technical committee sponsored by two or more technical organizations to address a topic of common interest and to avoid duplication of efforts. This committee will be populated by members of each organization. For example, ACI Committee Details of Concrete Reinforcement is a joint ACI-CRSI committee. See Sections 3.2.4, 3.6, and 6.7. Proxy - A representative assigned by a voting member of a committee to vote in the member s stead. Proxy voting is not permitted per Section Resolved negative - A negative vote cast by a member of a committee or a comment submitted as a result of public review where the negative voter agrees to change his/her vote or the negative commenter accepts the proposed resolution of his/her comment. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 2

9 Staff Liaison An employee (engineering staff member, regional manager) of or consultant to CRSI that serves in the capacity of being the staff member responsible for the particular committee, subcommittee, or task group. Subcommittee - A subordinate committee reporting to a technical committee. Substantive - Involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned. Substantive change - A change in a proposed document or standard that directly and materially affects the use of the document or standard. Some examples of substantive changes are: 1. Changing the terms shall to should, or should to shall; 2. Addition, deletion, or revision of requirements, regardless of the number of changes; and 3. Addition or deletion of mandatory compliance with referenced standards. Task group - A temporary group (committee) charged with a specific task. This group reports to a technical committee or may report to a subcommittee. Task groups usually have a finite duration until their task is completed and the group is disbanded. Alternately, task groups having an expanded scope can request a status change to a recognized subcommittee or (full) committee. Technical committee - A committee reporting directly to the EPC, synonymous with the term main committee. Technical committees may or may not have subcommittees reporting to them. Technical Review Committee (TRC) Refer to Section The Institute see CRSI Unresolved negative - Either (a) a negative vote submitted by a committee member, or (b) written comments submitted during public review expressing disagreement with some or all of the proposed document or standard, that have not been satisfied and/or withdrawn after having been addressed according to CRSI s approved procedures. Virtual meeting A meeting of a committee, subcommittee, or group conducted through electronic and/or telephonic means, where not everyone (voting member, etc.) is in-person, in one physical location. See Section Visitor - A generic term used to identify a person who is not a member of a specific committee or is not a CRSI member. Voting member A voting membership class on a committee. Refer to Section 3.3. Withdrawn standard - An obsolete standard that has been officially removed from publication and will not be revised. It may still have to be accessible for archival or historic purposes, but shall not be cited in new CRSI documents, standards, or publications. 2.2 CRSI Documents The various types of CRSI documents are to provide a flexibility of form, communication, and usage for both the technical committees and the users of CRSI documents. The type of CRSI document that is developed and titled is based on the technical content and intended use, not on the degree of consensus achieved. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 3

10 Manual Accepted industry practice coalesced in one document representing the state-of-thepractice in a particular subject area. (i.e. CRSI s Manual of Standard Practice) Handbook Usually an engineering design reference used to simplify the engineering design process. (i.e. CRSI Design Handbook) Technical Note A single topic reference aimed at engineers, contractors, or architects used to simplify or explain the engineering design, construction inspection, field practices / methods, or other processes. These were formerly known as Engineering Data Reports (EDRs). Position Statement A concise, one-page document that specifically defines the Institute s official position on a particular topic. Position Paper - A position paper sets forth the CRSI s policy on one or more topics. A position paper also contains background information and discussion in order to provide a more complete understanding of the issues involved and the rationale behind the position(s) set forth. Guide - An organized collection of information or series of options that does not recommend a specific course of action. A listing of the main documents or publications of CRSI is included in Section 9.3. The table also indicates whether or not the document is considered a consensus or non-consensus document as established by the respective committee and Engineering Practice Committee (EPC). 3 TECHNICAL COMMITTEES 3.1 General Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) technical committees are assigned specific tasks for the benefit of CRSI members and the reinforced concrete industry, with a particular emphasis in the areas of engineering, manufacturing (industry practice), certification, education, and training. See Chapter 9 for the current Technical Committee structure and committee objectives Engineering Practice Committee On 27 April 2010, the CRSI Board of Directors re-affirmed the following motion: [that] Board recognizes the Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) to administer the technical committees related to the areas of engineering, manufacturing, certification, education, and training. EPC shall be responsible for establishing new committees, developing or revising mission statements, appointing Chairs, and discharging committees, provided that these actions are in accordance with Board policies. The CRSI Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) shall be generally responsible for the following as it relates to the technical committee structure: disseminating information to and from the CRSI Board of Directors; supporting the CRSI mission, including strategic and marketing goals and objectives by producing in a timely manner technical materials identified by the CRSI Marketing Committee and/or Regions as necessary for advancing the use of steel reinforced concrete in construction; CRSI Technical Committee Manual 4

11 providing strategic direction in the technical realm, including identifying flagship documents, committees and other technical materials, as necessary, to meet industry and membership needs; providing guidance and coordination to the subordinate committees, so the CRSI technical strategic goals are met; ensuring that proper review is performed for all work and knowledge generated from their subordinate committees, when requested; ensuring that the products of CRSI work are of a high standard; serving as a technical expert resource for CRSI in their areas of expertise; and conducting business in ways that foster high levels of participation by volunteer members of CRSI. Based on this policy, the EPC is responsible for managing the CRSI technical committees so that the needs of CRSI members and the reinforced concrete industry are met. EPC is responsible for establishing scopes, objectives, and schedules of publications Technical Review Committee (TRC) The CRSI Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) shall establish a Technical Review Committee (TRC) as appointed by the EPC Chair, Vice Chair, and CRSI Vice President of Engineering. The TRC membership shall be from the EPC and general committee membership, and represents a broad based spectrum of interests and expertise to critically review documents. The TRC size shall be kept manageable and not exceed the membership size of a Tier 3 committee. (See Table 3.1) The EPC and TRC are responsible for reviewing committee documents, and CRSI technical publications. Actions and publications of all technical committees are subject to the review and approval of EPC and TRC Prohibited Technical Committees The Engineering Practice Committee (EPC) administers the technical committees related to the areas of engineering, manufacturing, certification, education, and training. Interest Groups under the CRSI By-Laws shall not form independent technical committees under their interest group charter. Interest Groups shall recommend to the EPC the establishment of an open technical committee, subcommittee, or task group that satisfies a perceived need identified by the specific Interest Group Consensus The EPC should align its structure to the due process requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Due process means that any person (organization, company, government agency, individual, etc.) with a direct and material interest has a right to participate by: A. Expressing a position and its basis, B. Having that position considered, and C. Having the right to appeal. Due process allows for equity, fair play, and openness. Some technical committee documents and publications are to be developed by a consensus process as defined herein. Committee documents and publications, prior to finalization, are to be reviewed by the TRC, EPC, and CRSI staff. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 5

12 3.1.4 Industry Practices CRSI documents are to reflect industry practices to the greatest extent practical. Committee members are to be representative geographically and from CRSI member companies Lack of Dominance The CRSI Technical Committees shall not be dominated by any single interest category, individual, or organization. Dominance means a position or exercise of dominant authority, leadership, or influence by reason of superior leverage, strength, or representation to the exclusion of fair and equitable consideration of other viewpoints Percent Rule Voting membership for representatives from the same company or organization or its affiliates or joint ventures on any committee, subcommittee, or task group is limited to 10 percent of the full group s voting membership. In the case where the 10 percent rule would yield a fraction of a member, the voting member quantity shall be rounded up to the next whole number. As an example, if a committee size has 30 voting members, only three (3) voting member representatives can be from the same parent company or organization. As a second example, if a committee size is 15 voting members, only two (2) voting member representatives can be from the same parent company or organization. Exception to this rule requires approval from the EPC and the CRSI President Target Committee Size Voting membership on the committees, subcommittees, and task groups should be controlled so the group size does not become unwieldy. Groups with too many voting members can suffer from inactivity and never garnering enough ballot responses to achieve the requisite ballot passing rules for consensus. As such, the following target committee sizes for voting membership are recommended under the EPC: Description Examples Table 3.1 Recommended target committee sizes Tier Type Target Max. voting from Size (±) one entity (1) 1 Major committee 45 5 Produces major publication EPC, MSP 2 Mid-sized committee 30 3 Small committee, 3 subcommittee, task group (1) Refer to Section <15 2 R&D, MSP Subcommittees The EPC recognizes the importance of the voting members of a committee, and the various viewpoints, diverse interest categories, and regional practices that can be brought forth. It therefore becomes incumbent on the CRSI member companies to appoint internally the appropriate personnel for consideration as voting members to the various committees. Additional regional practices can be further represented by a consulting membership on the committee. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 6

13 3.2 Technical Committee Membership Membership CRSI technical committees have two primary categories of membership: full Voting Members and Consulting Members (non-voting members). See Sections 3.3 and 3.4, respectively. All employees of CRSI corporate members, as well as CRSI professional members, are candidates for voting membership on CRSI technical committees. An individual is to be classified as either a voting member or consulting member. A voting member classification on a committee is by appointment by the Chair and consulting membership is not. CRSI Staff Liaisons shall not be voting members of the technical committee. Consultants to an individual company or CRSI member company shall be eligible for committee membership recognizing their status as a CRSI professional member Application for Membership A prospective committee member is to submit a committee application to the respective committee Chair. Upon acceptance, the respective committee Chair will forward the application to the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering, EPC Chairman, and Membership Coordinator. See Chapter 10 for the application form Membership Classification The Chair of each committee is responsible for establishing the number of members on a committee following the guidelines established for committee size (Section ). The Chair shall also be responsible for the classification of committee members and for re-assigning inactive members to consulting members. The Chair is to periodically review the performance of committee members and to notify the CRSI Staff Liaison and Membership Coordinator of re-assignments. Membership shall not be re-assigned during a letter ballot Joint Committees When CRSI is the major sponsor of a joint committee, appointment of members follows CRSI guidelines. When CRSI is the minor sponsor of a joint committee, appointment of members follows the other society s guidelines. Written agreements may regulate membership of joint committees when a different arrangement is desirable Appointment The Chair may decline an application for voting member for various reasons, including lack of qualifications, the inability to attend committee meetings, committee balance, timing of a critical ballot, or committee size. The Chair may waive the attendance requirement under justified circumstances. Adding voting members just before conducting a letter ballot is not permissible because new voting members may not have knowledge of past committee discussions. Chairs should add new members on a regular basis and remove inactive members. Effective committees should have sufficient turnover so that new ideas are constantly considered. Initial appointment as a consulting member for a new committee member is often appropriate, prior to being elevated to having full voting membership after demonstrating that he/she is able to meet the requirements of a full voting member. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 7

14 3.2.6 Voting Member Responsibility Voting members are required to participate actively in the group s work by contributing information, completing assignments related to document review or production, promptly returning ballots, answering correspondence, and regularly attending meetings. The voting member shall notify the Chair in writing prior to the meeting if the voting member will be absent, in order to qualify for an excused absence. The actual time commitment will vary based on the group s work, activities, and requirements. Voting members who are not able to participate in the committee activities are encouraged to become a consulting member, or resign from the committee. Voting members can be deemed inactive if they fail to participate in three (3) consecutive group activities including, but not limited to, meetings and ballots. Voting members, who are unable to fully participate in a group s activities, and thus have been deemed inactive, will be assigned to a non-voting, consulting membership category at the discretion of the Chair. When a member s inactivity is documented, the Chair will notify the Staff Liaison, EPC Chair and CRSI Vice President of Engineering. Before changing a voting committee member to a non-voting, consulting member, the Chair is encouraged to discuss the situation with the individual voting member. Some groups may have special attendance requirements exceeding the minimum set forth in this document Change Committee Membership Committee members may resign or request a change in committee membership classification by notifying the Chair and the CRSI Staff Liaison. A committee member may request a change in status from voting member to consulting member, or from consulting member to voting member Appeal of Membership Action Individuals may appeal a membership action to the respective committee Chair, such as a change of classification from member to consulting member. The individual submits a written appeal to the respective committee Chair, who is responsible for forwarding it to the CRSI Staff Liaison, and the EPC Chair and Vice Chair. The committee s Chair, the EPC Chair and Vice Chair, and CRSI Vice- President of Engineering will review the appeal and recommend action to EPC. The individual may request to attend the EPC meeting where the appeal is considered. 3.3 Voting Members Qualifications Voting members are to be capable of completing objectives related to the committee mission Requirements Voting member are required to participate actively in committee work by contributing technical information, promptly returning all committee ballots, replying to correspondence, and attending committee meetings on a regular basis. See Section Voting Member Responsibility for further details on the expectations of this committee membership level. Student members cannot be voting members of a committee. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 8

15 3.3.3 Privileges Voting members receive agendas, minutes, information on items being balloted, and correspondence; may express opinions and make motions during committee meetings; vote on all ballots; have the right to appeal committee action Term In general, voting members are appointed by the respective chairs and have no term limits. Specific committees may set term limits based on a document they are producing, tied to a specific schedule. For example, the Manual of Standard Practice is timed to be coincident with the ACI 318 Building Code cycle, and, as such, this committee will have a six-year term limit, prior to reformation Appointment Voting members are to be appointed by the Chair based on their personal knowledge and expertise. A member s affiliation or employment will be considered only as it pertains to the balance of interests. 3.4 Consulting (Non-Voting) Members Qualifications Consulting members are to be CRSI members in good standing or be members of a co-sponsoring organization in the case of a joint committee Requirements Consulting members are members who are interested in the work of a specific committee or group, but may not be able to fulfill the participation requirements. They may also be prospective voting members or applicants, but unable to be appointed as such due to balance and size limitations or other compliance requirements. Consulting members have no formal committee responsibilities. CRSI student members can be consulting members of a committee Privileges Consulting members receive agendas, minutes, information on items being balloted, and correspondence; may express opinions, but not vote, during committee meetings; may express opinions on ballots. Consulting members ballots will not be counted in the official tally and negatives from consulting members will be treated as comments only. Consulting members can serve on task groups Term Consulting members terms are indefinite. When possible, the Chair is to evaluate the participation of the consulting member and change their membership status to voting, if warranted. When an individual is no longer representing a CRSI corporate member or maintaining their professional membership, their consulting membership on technical committees is also terminated Appointment Consulting members are appointed by applying for consulting membership. A person applying for membership may be appointed as a consulting member by the Chair for a variety of reasons, including maintaining balance of interests within the committee or limiting membership during balloting of a committee document. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 9

16 3.5 Committee or Subcommittee Establishment, Reorganization, and Discharge Establishment of a New Technical Committee or Subcommittee EPC considers and approves requests to establish technical committees, or subcommittees, and appoints the committee Chair and recommends a CRSI Staff Liaison. The title and mission of the new committee or subcommittee are publicized Establishment of a Technical Committee or Subcommittee A new technical committee or subcommittee may be established by EPC or by the request of a CRSI member. The following information should be considered in order to establish a new technical committee: 1. Title and mission for the proposed committee / subcommittee; 2. Explanation of why a new CRSI committee should be established; 3. List of potential members; 4. Committee balance, where appropriate; 5. Candidates for the position of Chair; 6. List of goals of the proposed committee / subcommittee; and 7. Evaluation of existing committees / subcommittees Structure of Committee(s) and Subcommittee(s) Periodically, and no less frequent than every six (6) years, the EPC will reassess and merge committees; discharge committees; reconstitute committees; assess committee balances; refocus the direction of a committee or subcommittee; and/or change the mission statement of a committee or subcommittee. The rationale may include: completion of the committee s assignment, maintenance of documents, re-direction of committee activities over time, changing market conditions, or changes in the technical needs of the industry Reconstituted Committee or Subcommittee Members of an existing committee or subcommittee may be discharged by EPC and the Chair, and the committee or subcommittee reconstituted. Former group members may reapply to the reconstituted committee. 3.6 Joint Committees and Committee Cooperation with Other Organizations Cooperation CRSI technical committees can cooperate formally or informally with other organizations. If, however, that cooperation includes formal activities such as developing documents jointly, these activities are to be approved by EPC Joint Committees CRSI technical committees can become a joint committee with one or more other organizations, or participate jointly on a particular activity through a subcommittee. The following items are to be considered: 1. the activity is desirable and within the scope of CRSI; 2. the activity is consistent with the strategic interest of CRSI and members; 3. the activity avoids or minimizes duplication of effort; CRSI Technical Committee Manual 10

17 4. the activity accelerates the results; 5. the results of the activity will be more widely accepted; 6. the activity increases the likelihood of greater funds or minimized expenses; 7. the activity involves generally like-minded membership; and 8. CRSI will receive proper recognition of the activity. A joint committee or activity is to be initiated through EPC Rules The operational rules for a joint committee shall be determined prior to initiation of the activity. When CRSI is the main sponsor, this Technical Committee Manual is recommended. 3.7 Committee Organization Chair Each committee shall have a Chair and a CRSI Staff Liaison. Each committee chair will serve as a member of EPC. Chairs should keep the EPC informed of their committee activities and progress. All other committee officer positions are established at the discretion of the Chair. The size of the committee is influenced by several factors, such as the mission, balance, interests, geographical location of the committee members, and the committee tasks Subcommittees and Task Groups Subcommittees can be established to work on specific long-term committee activities, with EPC approval. Task groups can be established by the Chair and the work will last for a short period. The resulting work shall be reviewed and approved by the overseeing committee. Members of subcommittees and task groups are not required to be members of the main committee. 3.8 Committee Officers Chair Responsibilities The Chair is responsible for leading the committee to accomplishing the assigned work. The Chair has many specific responsibilities, including: 1. Initiation of membership actions, including appointment, recruitment, evaluation, changes of classification, and discharge; 2. Preparation and timely distribution of meeting agenda and minutes; 3. Conducting committee meetings; 4. Establishing task groups and subcommittees as needed; 5. Scheduling committee meetings; 6. Initiation of committee letter ballots; 7. Producing letter ballot summaries; 8. Submission of committee documents to EPC; 9. Posting appropriate committee documents on the website; 10. Providing leadership training for possible successors; and 11. Attending the EPC meetings. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 11

18 Chair Qualifications A Chair of a CRSI technical committee must be a member of CRSI. Prior service as vice Chair or secretary and membership on the committee should be considered when evaluating qualifications. A Chair is to be capable of performing those responsibilities outlined above and possess the following strengths: 1. Demonstrated ability and knowledge in the field covered by the committee; 2. Demonstrated leadership ability; 3. Administrative ability and initiative; 4. Time and facilities to perform the work; and 5. Ability to attend all committee meetings Candidates for Chair The present or outgoing Chair and CRSI Staff Liaison are to have several likely candidates identified for committee leadership should the Chair resign and/or when his/ her term is ending Chair Term EPC appoints a Chair for a three-year term. A Chair may be reappointed for one additional term. Unusual circumstances are required to justify reappointment of a Chair beyond six years, and must be approved by the EPC Chair and Vice-Chair, the CRSI Staff Liaison, and the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering. The Chair of the Manual of Standard Practice Committee and Engineering Practice Committee will be appointed for one six-year term subject to the unusual circumstances clause above Appointment of Chair When appointing a Chair, EPC shall consider: 1. Rotating the Chairs among all qualified committee members to keep committee output vigorous; 2. An individual does not Chair more than one CRSI technical committee at a time; and 3. All segments of the industry participate in committee activities Voting Privileges of Chair The Chair shall be entitled to vote when the vote is by written ballot and in all other cases where the vote would change the result. EPC generally recommends that the Chair abstain on meeting ballots, unless the Chair s vote influences the outcome of the item being balloted. For example, the Chair s vote may be needed to meet the minimum number of votes required by CRSI balloting rules Multi-Organization Responsibilities The Chair of each of the following CRSI committees is expected to be a member in good standing and active voting member of the following allied organization committees: CRSI Technical Committee Manual 12

19 Table 3.9 Multi-organization committee responsibilities CRSI Committee Allied Organization Committee EPC Engineering Practice Committee ACI Tolerances EPC.1 Sustainability Committee ACI Sustainability of Concrete EPC.2 BIM Task Group ACI Building Information Modeling of Concrete Structures EG2 Durability ACI Corrosion of Metals in Concrete EG3 Materials Properties / Bar Producers ASTM A Steel Reinforcement or ACI Steel Reinforcement EG4 Reinforcing Anchorage & Splices ACI Development and Splicing of Deformed Bars IPG2 Detailing ACI Details of Concrete Reinforcement (Joint ACI & CRSI) CG Certification Programs ACI 13 - Certification Programs Committee CG1 Epoxy Plant Certification ASTM A Steel Reinforcement The EPC Chair shall waive the CRSI Committee Chair s responsibility to serve on one of the required allied organization committees listed above if the Chair can demonstrate that a voting member of the Chair s CRSI Committee meets the allied organization committee requirements for the Chair. This waiver shall be formally requested and approved by the EPC Chair. Failure to comply with this requirement in a timely manner will constitute an abdication of duties by the committee chair, with a review and possible removal by the EPC Chair Vice-Chair Each Chair appoints a Vice-Chair for a term of three years. The selected Vice-Chair must be approved by the EPC Chair and Vice-Chair, the CRSI Staff Liaison, and the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering. The Vice-Chair is a voting member of the group and must meet the voting-member requirements set forth in Section 3.3. The Vice-Chair serves in the capacity of Chair if the Chair is absent from a meeting. Appointment as a Vice-Chair on behalf of a Chair does not imply that the Vice-Chair will be appointed as the next Chair. It is the Chair s responsibility to assign the duties of the Vice-Chair. For example, a Vice-Chair may also take minutes or serve as the secretary of the group, but this is not a requirement. Vice-Chairs will commonly assist the Chair in the many activities that take place to facilitate work Secretary Although not required, it is suggested that each Chair appoint a Secretary to the group. The Secretary should assist the Chair by recording, preparing, and distributing minutes of meetings, as well as assist with preparing ballots and other work as requested by the Chair. The Secretary shall be a voting member of the group and shall meet the voting-member requirements set forth in Section 3.3. There is no term limit for the position of Secretary, although this position can have the dual designation of Vice-Chair / Secretary. Appointment is at the sole discretion of the Chair. The CRSI Staff Liaison is not necessarily the secretary of the group, but will provide staff support to the Secretary. While it is not mandatory to have a CRSI member secretary, it is mandatory to record minutes of any official meeting. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 13

20 3.8.4 CRSI Staff Liaisons All CRSI committees, subcommittees, and task groups shall have a CRSI Staff Liaison assigned to them by the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering. This is a non-voting position. In recognition of their potential technical contributions to a committee, CRSI staff members (not staff liaisons) may be appointed as voting members of a committee and the CRSI staff member must comply with all the voting requirements, such as participation. Also, any CRSI staff member who is a voting member of a group must act on his or her own behalf, and that person s votes do not necessarily reflect CRSI s position or views. In absence of a formal committee secretary appointed by the Chair, the CRSI Staff Liaison will be assigned the responsibilities of secretary, as addressed above in Section Absence When a Chair is absent from a meeting, the Chair shall appoint an individual to act as Chair in the absence of the Vice-Chair. 4 OPERATING TECHNICAL COMMITTEES 4.1 Committee Goals Each committee is to maintain a list of goals and tasks that support the mission assigned to the committee. It is required that every incoming Chair will institute a review of the past committee goals and modify them, as appropriate. The committee-focused mission statement and goals should be placed on the committee agendas and minutes. 4.2 Development of CRSI Publications or Technical Products A committee may prepare or maintain a CRSI publication within the mission of the committee Level of Review Appropriate technical committees shall have oversight of all CRSI technical publications and/or products. When initiating a new publication or product, or updating an existing publication or product, the committee shall determine, by majority vote, the level of review the product will receive: consensus (formal balloting), committee review (committee members given the opportunity to review by a pre-determined deadline), or staff review only. 4.3 Timelines, Deadlines, Responsible Parties, and Budgets When initiating a new publication or product, or updating an existing publication or product, the committee shall determine overall deadlines for final production, a timeline, and interim deadlines as necessary, and assign committee and/or staff members responsible for each part of the publication or product. The committee Chair, CRSI Staff Liaison, and Vice President of Engineering will prepare a budget estimate of direct expenses for production and distribution, and, where appropriate, an estimate of staff time necessary to complete the product. Once determined by the committee, this information shall be submitted by the Chair or CRSI Staff Liaison to the Vice President of Engineering, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, and Controller. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 14

21 4.4 Meetings Number of Meetings Regular meetings of the Committee shall be held preferably twice a year, or as often as necessary to carry out the business of the Committee. Special meetings of the Committee may be held at the call of the Chairman, with EPC approval, or at the written request of at least 50 percent of the voting interests of the Committee Open Meetings Technical committee meetings shall be open to all CRSI members and interested members of the public (visitors). Meeting protocol requires that only Voting Members of a committee be seated at the table; this will help avoid confusion as to the voting membership when meeting ballots are made. Consulting members and visitors are expected to sit around the perimeter of the room. Under special circumstances (i.e. small committee, big table), the committee Chair can invite consulting members and visitors to sit at the table Virtual Meetings Virtual meetings (electronic and/or telephonic conference calls) may be held at anytime. The content or subject of the virtual meeting shall be generally limited to the resolution of yes with comment (Y/C) or negative with reason (N) votes on a written ballot. Significant issues before the committee shall not be addressed or discussed in a virtual meeting, as these issues should be reserved for the regular, open, in person meetings. Where a quorum is needed for business to be transacted, two weeks notice is required for a virtual meeting. 4.5 Procedures This document and the current edition of Robert s Rules of Order should be used as a reference in the orderly conduct of committee business. In the event of a conflict, the procedures outlined in this document supersede those given in Robert s Rules of Order. 4.6 Rosters Committees and subcommittees, in coordination with their staff liaison, maintain a roster of their voting members through CRSI s membership database. These groups should also maintain a roster of their non-voting members and their classification. CRSI Staff Liaisons maintain and make alterations to all rosters. Roster changes are made in conjunction with the appropriate Chair(s). Task groups have no official roster requirements; however, chairs are encouraged to keep track of task group membership. Rosters and roster changes shall be communicated by the CRSI Staff Liaison to the Membership Coordinator. An official sign-up sheet will be distributed at every meeting. Committee voting members, consulting members, and visitors are expected to sign in as official recognition of their meeting presence. 4.7 CRSI Antitrust Policy All groups are required to review and abide by the CRSI Antitrust Policy as an agenda item at the beginning of every meeting. The antitrust policy must be available at all official meetings. A copy of CRSI Technical Committee Manual 15

22 the policy is located in Chapter 10. Committee agendas and minutes shall reflect adherence to this policy. 4.8 Meeting Agenda The meeting agenda is to be distributed approximately 10 days in advance of the meeting to all committee members and the CRSI Staff Liaison. Extra copies should be available at the meeting for committee members and visitors. 4.9 Meeting Minutes Meeting minutes are to be prepared that officially record deliberation, motions, resolution of negative votes (Section 6.4), and decisions reached during committee and subcommittee meetings. The minutes are to include the names of the committee members, consulting members, and visitors attending the meeting and the voting members not present. Minutes are to be officially approved at the next committee meeting. Draft minutes are to be distributed by the CRSI Staff Liaison to the committee members, EPC Chair, the Vice-President of Engineering, and office administrator approximately 30 days after the meeting Quorum To have an official meeting, a quorum must be present throughout a meeting. A quorum shall be 40 percent of the voting members on the committee roster at the time of the meeting in order to conduct official committee business. Quorums are based on the official roster of the group; the Chair and Vice Chair shall be considered in the quorum count. If a quorum is not present, the group may elect to have an unofficial meeting. Minutes should be recorded for unofficial meetings. Those minutes may be approved at the next official meeting of the group, with the group approving the actions suggested during the unofficial meeting, thereby making them official. Task groups do not have quorum requirements Committee Files The official committee files are to be maintained at CRSI headquarters Technical Committee Expenses CRSI does not assume any committee member expenses, except for those of CRSI staff members on the committee. 5 COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS 5.1 General The principal purpose of technical committees is to develop information related to the design, construction, manufacture, and use of steel reinforced concrete. Consistent with this purpose, technical committees develop documents that are published and maintained by CRSI. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 16

23 5.2 Overall Procedure The information in CRSI documents is developed from a variety of resources, including research, experience in design and construction, and with outside experts in the area of the committee mission. The committee organizes the information into the appropriate documents for publication. This process is a four to six-step process including: 1. Preparation of a new document or revision of an existing document; 2. If the document or product requires consensus, letter balloting of the draft document by the committee, according to the procedures of Chapter 6 and revision of the development in response to ballot responses; 3. Submission of the committee-approved document for TRC and EPC review, according to the procedures of Chapter 7; and 4. Revision of the document in response to TRC, EPC, and staff comments. When the document is processed as a CRSI Standard, two more steps are required: 5. A 45-day public discussion period; 6. Submission of committee-approved responses to comments received during the public discussion period. 5.3 Document Types and Language Throughout this Manual, the term document is used to address all committee works, whether published, being developed, or revised. Selected committee documents are processed through CRSI s consensus procedures, and are identified in Section 9.3. Different writing styles are used for different types of CRSI committee documents. Mandatory language is used when providing requirements that must be followed exactly as written, as in codes, standards, or specifications. The word shall is a mandatory term, as are imperative sentences. In general, guides, reports, handbooks, manuals, and technical notes are to be presented in nonmandatory language. Words such as can, may, or should are appropriate for use in nonmandatory language documents. A portion of these documents may use mandatory language, if the language is clearly delineated from the non-mandatory portion Standards Standardization is the most rigorous consensus process used by CRSI. It ensures the widest input and high overall quality assurance for a document. The CRSI standardization process emulates the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is given in Chapter 7. Documents can be identified as CRSI standards; however, the word Standard will not appear in the title. The phrase A CRSI Standard will appear on the cover of the document. CRSI standards are written in mandatory language and can be referenced by model codes, by authorities having jurisdiction over local building codes, or in legal documents such as project specifications. Certification programs shall be qualified and treated as Standards Handbooks and Manuals Handbooks and manuals provide information and guidance on how to apply codes in practice, and typically contain charts and tables to facilitate design and construction of reinforced concrete CRSI Technical Committee Manual 17

24 structures. Charts, tables, and figures may also be used to illustrate the detailed steps in designing and constructing a concrete member or a structure. They may also include examples to illustrate specific design and construction methods. Handbooks and manuals can also be used to address the concepts and guidelines associated with "recognized industry practices." Handbook and manual language is to be non-mandatory. At EPC s discretion, handbooks and manuals can be published on the CRSI s website, or as hard copies. The committee is to maintain handbooks and manuals in accordance with Chapter Technical Notes A technical note is a narrowly-focused, single-topic report. A technical note presents specific direction on a particular issue, and may contain pictures, figures, and numeric examples. A technical note can cover topics such as design, construction, or can provide information on any aspect relevant to reinforced concrete technology. Technical note language is to be non-mandatory. At EPC s discretion, technical notes can be published on the CRSI s website, or as hard copies. As necessary, the relevant committee is to maintain their technical notes in accordance with Chapter Position Statement A position statement is used to designate a straightforward statement or declaration of CRSI policy on a particular topic or topics. Such statements usually are short and concise, and do not include background information or discussion relative to the policy. A position statement generally would not necessarily quote facts and figures developed by outside sources, and would not utilize a reference bibliography Position Paper A position paper is far more comprehensive than a simple declaration of the CRSI s Policy Statement on a particular topic or topics. A position paper sets forth the CRSI s policy on one or more topics. However, as the term implies, a position paper also contains background information and discussion in order to provide a more complete understanding of the issues involved and the rationale behind the position(s) set forth. A position paper frequently cites outside sources and may include a reference bibliography. A Technical Note could be used as a vehicle to convey the purpose of a position paper. 5.4 Review Based on the established review status and prior to publication, a document is to be submitted to the TRC, EPC, and/or staff for a final review. Reviews may be conducted concurrently. 5.5 Draft Documents and Circulation Prior to EPC approval a document shall be clearly marked as a draft document. Only the Chair is to circulate the draft outside the committee. Similarly, the TRC Chair, EPC Chair, and/or CRSI staff may distribute the draft to obtain advice or to ensure that all interested parties are given an opportunity to express viewpoints, when appropriate. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 18

25 6 BALLOTING COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS (for Consensus Documents Only) 6.1 Voting Methods and Rules Two methods of voting are used by CRSI technical committees to prepare new documents and to revise, reapprove, or withdraw existing documents: 1. Letter ballots consist of one or more items. Each item may include as much information as desired: an entire document, a chapter, a section, several sections, a paragraph, a sentence, or other information. In case of multiple items, each item passes or fails separately. 2. Meeting ballots consist of only one item. This one item may include as much information as desired: resolution to all, several, or one negative vote; responses to all, several, or one EPC or public discussion comment, or other information. For each meeting ballot, one item passes or fails individually. Meeting ballots allow for flexibility in separating information that causes the ballot to fail, in reorganizing information included in the ballot item, and in re-balloting immediately the information that has consensus. Several meeting ballots can be voted during one committee meeting. CRSI s consensus process consists of three rules applicable to letter and meeting ballots: Table 6.1 Consensus voting rules Rule Description Use The 1/2 rule At least 1/2 of all eligible voting Letter ballots for technical members* must cast an affirmative vote committees The 40% rule At least 40% of all eligible voting Meeting ballots for members* must cast an affirmative vote technical committees The 2/3 rule The number of affirmative votes must be at least twice the number of negative votes Letter and meeting ballots *Eligible voting members means all voting members on the committee roster, not the number of members who voted. Chapter 11, Balloting Examples, gives several examples of balloting committee documents following the procedures given in this chapter, including letter ballots, meeting ballots, and consideration of negative votes Proxy Votes Proxy voting is not allowed on committee letter or meeting ballots. 6.2 Letter Ballots A letter ballot is an official written action to determine if an item has the consensus of a technical committee. A letter ballot contains one or more written proposals or items submitted by the Chair to the members for voting. Members have the following voting options: affirmative (Yes), affirmative with editorial comments (Yes with comment), negative with reason, or abstention. (Refer to Chapter 10 for a sample committee letter ballot.) Members are expected to return a vote on each item of a letter ballot. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 19

26 A letter ballot must be used to approve a new document or revise, reapprove, or withdraw an existing document. A letter ballot may be issued containing only one item on a complete document, containing several items on independent parts of a document (such as chapters or sections), or containing one or several items on a revision to a document. A letter ballot on an item supersedes previous ballots on that item. A summary of the letter ballot process is shown in Fig Figure 6-1 Analyzing letter ballot results and passing of ballot items. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 20

27 The final letter ballot is defined as the last letter ballot that completed the document allowing the committee to submit it for EPC or TRC review. A clean-up letter ballot to find all negative votes from previous ballots non-persuasive is not considered a final letter ballot Letter Ballot Initiation A committee Chair can initiate a letter ballot at any time or a voting member can call for a letter ballot by making a motion at a committee meeting. To pass such a motion, a majority of voting members present at the meeting must vote affirmatively. The results of letter ballots must be reported in the minutes of the next committee meeting Letter Ballot Format The Chair formats the letter ballot items as deemed suitable. One effective method is to format documents or sections of documents with page and line numbers. Committee members can then reference the page and line numbers when making comments. If the ballot is electronic, use the Adobe.PDF file format, which is consistent from computer to computer (unlike word processing files). The Chair may request that members submit comments in a table or spreadsheet Letter Ballot Time Frame All letter ballots must specify a closing (canvas) date, which should be no less than 30 days from the date of initiation. To specify a balloting period shorter than 30 days, the Chair must obtain approval from the EPC Chair. In such a case, the Chair must ensure that all voting members received the letter ballot and had the opportunity to vote. An acceptable method is for the Chair or CRSI Staff Liaison to contact any voting member who has not responded a few days before the ballot closes. The maximum number of days that may be specified for a balloting period is 45 days. The Chair may extend the closing date, for example in a case of insufficient number of ballots received by the closing date. All voting members must be notified in the case of an extension and given the opportunity to vote or change their existing vote. All votes received, including negative votes received during the extended voting period, shall be included in the ballot analysis. Votes received after the closing dates are not considered Letter Ballot Distribution A letter ballot shall be distributed to all committee members. A letter ballot can be distributed by mail, fax, or . Copies of the letter ballot shall be sent to the EPC Chair, CRSI Staff Liaison, and CRSI Vice-President of Engineering Letter Ballot Votes Voting members, including the Chair, are expected to vote on every letter ballot issued. A vote should be submitted using mail, fax, or Affirmative Votes A letter ballot must allow for members to submit affirmative votes. Affirmative votes require no further committee action. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 21

28 Affirmative Votes with Comments A letter ballot must allow for members to submit affirmative votes with comments. An affirmative vote with comment is considered as an affirmative vote when determining if a ballot passes. The committee Chair must review all comments. If a comment is editorial and appropriate, the Chair has the authority to implement the change, and no further action by the committee is required. If the Chair believes that the comment is not editorial, or if there is doubt, the committee must ballot to approve any changes suggested by the voter. The Chair may also decide to relegate the issue to new business to be addressed in a later edition of the document. To ensure that a comment is resolved for the document being balloted, a voting member must cast a negative vote Negative Votes with Reason A letter ballot must allow for members to submit negative votes. If a member casts a negative vote on a letter ballot, the reason for the negative vote must be explained in writing to receive committee consideration. The voter must provide alternative wording or solution that would satisfy the voter s concerns. All negative votes cast on a letter ballot must be considered by the committee, using the resolution procedures described in 6.4. If the negative voter does not provide a reason for the negative vote, does not provide alternate wording, or does not provide a solution that would satisfy the voter s concern, the vote is recorded as a negative without comment. A negative without comment is considered as an abstention when determining if a ballot passes, does not need to be resolved by the procedures given in 6.4, and requires no further action by the committee Abstentions A letter ballot must allow for members to submit abstentions. Abstentions can impact ballots because only affirmative and negative votes are counted when applying the 2/3rds rule to determine if a ballot passes. If too many voting members abstain, the ballot will not receive enough affirmative votes to meet the 1/2 rule. Voting members usually abstain if they do not have enough relevant expertise to cast an educated vote or if they have a conflict of interest with the item being balloted. Voting members do not have to provide a reason for casting an abstention Ballots Not Returned Although expected to vote, a member may not return a vote on a letter ballot. Their ballot is recorded as not returned. An unreturned ballot is considered as an abstention when determining if a ballot passes, and an unreturned, individual ballot therefore can impact the result of the ballot in the same manner as an abstention. If too many voting members do not return a ballot, that ballot will not receive enough affirmative votes to meet the 1/2 rule Comments from Non-Voting Members Consulting members may submit comments on letter ballot items. The comments are not counted in the final ballot tally, do not affect the outcome of a ballot item, and do not have to be resolved. However, these comments must be distributed to the committee for consideration. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 22

29 6.2.5 Letter Ballot Analysis and Further Action Once the ballot is closed, the committee Chair reviews all votes received on individual items of a letter ballot and determines if each item satisfies the 1/2 and 2/3 rules, which must be satisfied for an item to pass by letter ballot. Items of a letter ballot that have not passed must be re-balloted by another letter ballot or withdrawn. The Chair must notify the committee of the letter ballot results, including all editorial comments and negative votes received. Further action by the committee may be required. In addition to meeting the 1/2 and 2/3 rules, all negative votes with reason cast on a passing ballot item must be considered by the committee, using the procedures described in Updating the Letter Ballot Results Resolving negative votes using the procedures described in 6.4 may change the final vote tally. Therefore, even if a ballot item initially fails to satisfy the 1/2 and 2/3 rules, the Chair may try to resolve the negative votes resulting in possible passing of the ballot item. In some cases, resolved negative votes on the initial ballot item are recorded as affirmative votes, and in other cases, they are recorded as abstentions Revising and Re-Balloting The Chair may decide that too many negative votes have been received on one, several, or all items of a letter ballot to attempt resolving them, or that the ballot has identified major deficiencies in the document. In either case, the committee needs to revise and re-ballot the affected items. In this case, the Chair shall inform the committee members that the document or a portion of the document will be revised and re-balloted, and that this will void the original results of one, several, or all items of the letter ballot. Each letter ballot on an item supersedes the previous ballot on the same item, so the negative votes from the previous ballot do not have to be resolved Formal and Informal Subcommittee Letter Ballots Committees that have subcommittees as described in Section 3.5 shall establish procedures for subcommittee letter ballots. The Chair may require subcommittees to follow all of CRSI s consensus procedures. Because any item proposed by the subcommittee must be balloted by the main committee to be accepted, there is no requirement that negatives on subcommittee ballots be resolved. The general objective is to seek consensus within the subcommittee and ensure that reasons for unresolved negative votes on subcommittee ballots are forwarded to the full committee. 6.3 Meeting Ballots A meeting ballot is a vote taken at a physical meeting in response to a motion made by a voting member. A meeting ballot is an official action of the committee and may only be used to resolve negative votes submitted on a previous letter or meeting ballot, approve the committee response to EPC or TRC review comments, or approve the committee response to a public discussion comment. A meeting ballot shall not be used to ballot a new document or new revisions to a document, or to reapprove or withdraw an existing document. The 40% and 2/3 rules must be satisfied for an item to pass by meeting ballot. Negative votes, with reason, cast must be considered by the committee using the procedures described in 6.4. The results of meeting ballots must be reported in the minutes of the meeting. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 23

30 6.4 Consideration of Negative Votes Negative votes received on letter or meeting ballot items that have otherwise passed must be considered and resolved by the committee. Resolution not required: Negative votes, with reason, on items that do not result in new or revised wording in a committee document do not have to be resolved and no further committee action is required. These are: 1. Negative votes on administrative items, such as selecting the day and time of the next meeting; 2. Negative votes without comment received on a letter ballot (recall, the voter must provide alternative wording or solution that would satisfy the voter s concerns per Section ); 3. Negative votes that have been withdrawn; 4. Negative votes on finding an initial negative unrelated; and 5. Negative votes on finding an initial negative non-persuasive. Resolution required: Negative votes on items that result in new or revised wording in a committee document must be resolved, and require further committee action. These are: 1. Negative votes on letter ballots to approve new or revised wording to a document; 2. Negative votes on letter or meeting ballots to approve changes to a committee document in response to EPC or TRC review comments or public discussion; and 3. Negative votes on letter or meeting ballots to make a change to a committee document in response to a persuasive negative vote. Methods of resolution: A negative vote is resolved when the committee has reached consensus through letter or meeting ballot on appropriate action to take. A negative vote may be resolved in three ways: 1. The committee may ballot to decide that the reason for the negative vote is unrelated to the balloted item; 2. The committee may ballot to decide that the reason for the negative vote is non-persuasive to the committee; 3. The committee may ballot to decide that the reason for the negative vote is persuasive to the committee, and is satisfied by changing the balloted item. The balloted resolution of negative votes must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Figure 6.1 provides a summary of the process for resolving negative votes Withdrawal of Negative Vote (no change to document) In some cases, the voter is willing to withdraw the negative vote. When a voter withdraws a negative vote, no changes are made to the document, and the Chair records the vote in the final vote tally as an affirmative or abstention in accordance with the voter s wishes. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 24

31 The voter s decision to withdraw a negative vote may be on the condition that the committee considers the item as new business. This item must be recorded in the committee minutes and listed on the agenda for future meetings until it is resolved. A voter may withdraw a negative vote during a committee meeting or in writing between meetings. Changes to a vote must be recorded in the meeting minutes Unrelated to Ballot Item (no change to document) A Chair, through a letter ballot, or a voting member, at a meeting, may make a motion that the stated reason for the negative vote is unrelated to the item being balloted. By letter ballot: The Chair issues a letter ballot with an item to find the reason given for a negative vote unrelated and provides information to support this position. The ballot item must satisfy both the 1/2 and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot item do not need to be resolved. By meeting ballot: During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion that the reason given for a negative vote is unrelated and provides information to support this position. The committee discusses the motion and then votes. The ballot must satisfy both the 40% and the 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot do not need to be resolved. If the ballot to find a negative vote unrelated fails, the negative vote must be resolved under Section or 6.4.4, or the committee must decide to develop and ballot an alternative to the item balloted. If the ballot to find a negative vote unrelated is successful, the ballot s results and the committee s reasons must be reported in the meeting minutes. The vote is recorded in the minutes as an abstention Non-Persuasive (no change to document) The Chair, through a letter ballot, or a voting member at a meeting, may make a motion that the stated reason for the negative vote is non-persuasive. By letter ballot: The Chair issues a letter ballot with an item to find the reason given for a negative vote nonpersuasive, and provides information to support this position. The ballot item must satisfy both the 1/2 and 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot item do not need to be resolved. By meeting ballot: During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion that the reason given for a negative vote is nonpersuasive and provides information to support this position. The committee discusses the motion and then votes. The ballot must satisfy both the 40% and the 2/3 rules to pass. Negative votes on this ballot do not need to be resolved. When a ballot to find a negative vote non-persuasive fails, the negative vote must be resolved under Section 6.4.4, or the committee must decide to develop and ballot an alternative to the item balloted. The ballot results must be reported in the meeting minutes. When a ballot to find a negative vote non-persuasive is successful, the ballot results and the committee s reasons must be reported in the meeting minutes. The original negative vote is recorded in the minutes as a non-persuasive negative. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 25

32 6.4.4 Persuasive (change to document) Unless the negative vote is withdrawn, is found to be unrelated, or is found to be non-persuasive, the negative vote must be considered to be persuasive. The committee must vote to approve a change to the document in response to the negative vote. By letter ballot: The Chair issues a letter ballot with an item to accept the proposed change. The ballot item must satisfy both the 1/2 and 2/3 rules to pass of the committee members. Negative votes on a successful ballot item must be resolved by another letter ballot or by meeting ballot. By meeting ballot: During a meeting, a voting member makes a motion to accept the proposed change. The committee discusses the motion, considers suggested amendments, and then votes. The ballot must satisfy both the 40% rule and the 2/3 rule to pass. Negative votes on a successful ballot must be resolved by another meeting ballot or by letter ballot, unless the negative voter agrees that formal resolution of the negative vote is not required. Such an agreement shall be recorded in the minutes. When a ballot to change a document in response to a persuasive negative vote fails, the negative vote must be resolved under 6.4.3, or the committee must decide to develop and ballot an alternative to the item balloted. When a ballot to change a document in response to a persuasive negative vote passes unanimously, including an affirmative vote from the voter who cast the original negative, the original negative is recorded as an affirmative. Otherwise, the vote is recorded in the minutes as a negative. When a document is revised in response to a persuasive negative vote, report in the meeting minutes that the negative was found persuasive, and give the approved change and the vote count Appeals A member whose negative vote is found unrelated or non-persuasive must be notified in writing of the right to appeal. A note in the minutes is sufficient notice of this right. The appeal must be submitted to EPC and must state whether it is based on technical or procedural grounds. The appeal cannot be submitted before the committee balloting on the document is complete. Appeals are handled in accordance with Chapter Ballot Summaries The results of all letter and meeting ballots must be given in the committee minutes, as minutes are the official record of committee actions. If a separate ballot summary of a letter ballot was mailed to the committee, it must be attached to the minutes of the next meeting. Alternatively, the text of the minutes can summarize the ballot results. Additionally, a formal ballot summary must be submitted to the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering for each letter ballot. For documents requiring standardization, a copy of each voting member s ballot from the final ballot shall be submitted along with the ballot summary. A ballot summary allows a complete ballot history to be maintained at CRSI headquarters during the development and processing of a document to publication. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 26

33 The ballot summary must include: 1. A list of the items balloted; 2. The date the ballot was initiated; 3. The closing (canvas) date; 4. A list of voting members at the time of the final ballot; 5. For each item, the initial vote tally, including: A. The number of affirmative votes; B. The number of affirmative with editorial comment votes; C. The number of negative votes and names of each negative voter; D. The number of abstentions and names of voters who abstained; E. The number of ballots not returned and the names of voters who did not respond; and F. The resolution of each negative, including a summary for subsequent letter or meeting ballots. 6. For each item, the final vote tallies if any votes changed due to consideration of negatives. A copy of the CRSI Web ballot page along with documentation on resolution of negative votes is sufficient. 6.6 Passage of an Item via a Non-Consensus Process For non-consensus documents only, an alternate and expedited review process is allowed. This review process shall be applicable to non-consensus documents only, such as, but not limited to, technical notes, technical publications by others, and committee documents of secondary importance (this may includes field procedures, means and methods, etc.). The process is as follows: A minimum of 50 percent of the eligible voting committee members shall return a ballot vote, A minimum of 75 percent of the votes shall be affirmative (Yes votes (Y), or Yes votes with comment (Y/C)), A steering committee consisting of four members (committee chairman, EPC Chair, TRC chair, and CRSI Vice President of Engineering) shall be authorized to resolve negative votes and yes votes with comment. The resolution of negative votes among the steering committee members shall be unanimous. The steering committee shall distribute the final document to the committee for information only. The decision of the steering committee is final, unless a formal appeal is submitted to the Engineering Practice Committee within 30 days of document approval and distribution. 6.7 Balloting and Operating Procedures when CRSI is the Minor Sponsor When CRSI is the minor sponsor of a joint committee, the balloting and operating procedures are determined by the major sponsor. All items approved by the joint committee are submitted to the CRSI Vice-President of Engineering for review by EPC and the TRC. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 27

34 7 DEVELOPMENT OF DOCUMENTS 7.1 General After a new or revised document has been successfully balloted by the technical committee (Chapter 6), the Chair must submit the document for review by the Technical Review Committee (TRC), unless the document is classified only for staff review. Review comments are to be resolved by the committee to the satisfaction of TRC. After approval by TRC, CRSI will publish or issue the document. A document s re-approval requires a successful ballot by the committee and the submission of balloting and updating documentation to TRC for review. The document itself that is submitted for re-approval is not reviewed by TRC. This chapter details the steps required for the successful publication of technical documents. 7.2 Updating Existing Documents Committees are expected to revise, reapprove, or withdraw an existing document within eight years from its original publication date. In some instances this timeframe is condensed to a six-year period to correspond with model building code updates. TRC or EPC may instruct CRSI staff to remove these documents from inventory. If the committee does not revise, recommend reapproval, or recommend withdrawal (7.2.3) of a document within the eight-year period, TRC or EPC may reapprove or withdraw it without committee recommendation Reapproval The committee may decide to reapprove a document because the information in an existing document, while not new, is still relevant and valid. The committee is required to letter ballot the reapproval. The reapproval may include updating references and minor editorial improvements of notation, terminology, metrication, or other similar items. A reapproval must not include substantive changes. The committee must submit their recommendation for reapproval of the document to the TRC and EPC for approval. The recommendation should include a letter ballot summary (6.5) and a statement that technological progress at this point does not require revision, or that the document is currently being revised but the revision is not complete. A summary of the updates to the document should be included. Generally, TRC reviews only the committee s ballot summary and the summary of updates. A reapproval does not change the year of adoption but the note: Reapproved. with the year of reapproval is added to the document number Revision The committee should revise a document when the information in the document requires updating. The committee must letter ballot revisions according to Chapter 6 and submit the document to TRC and EPC for review. Upon adoption of a revised document, the existing version is automatically withdrawn and no action is required of the committee. Committees are to provide reason statements for their revisions, including background information and explanations of the significance of the revisions Withdrawal The committee should recommend withdrawal of the document when the committee determines that the information it contains is obsolete and it should not be revised, or the subject of the CRSI Technical Committee Manual 28

35 document is adequately covered in another document. A letter ballot of the committee is required. The recommendation for withdrawal should include a statement that, in the judgment of the committee, the document is no longer useful or amenable to updating. The committee s recommendation and related ballot summary must be submitted to the EPC Chair and CRSI Vice- President of Engineering for review by the TRC. It may still be available from CRSI as a historical document. 7.3 Using Outside, Paid Consultants on Technical Projects The CRSI President and Vice-President of Engineering are responsible for selecting and engaging all paid contractors and consultants on technical projects. If a group believes that using a paid contractor or consultant would be beneficial to completing work overseen by the group, the CRSI Staff Liaison brings the matter to the president and vice president for review. If use of a contractor is approved, the CRSI Staff Liaison coordinates with the committee to define scope, schedule, deliverables, and approximate budget, and issues a Request for Proposal (RFP). In some instances, it may be more beneficial to the Institute to identify 2 or 3 experts in a given area, and secure proposals from these individuals. The group may participate in reviewing and evaluating the proposed scope, schedule, and deliverables in bids received, but does not get involved in the price or terms of the proposal or in reviewing the contract. After the contract is established, the CRSI Staff Liaison monitors compliance, coordinating with the group to assess contractor performance. When the work is complete, the CRSI Staff Liaison closes out the contract. 7.4 Submitting Documents for TRC Review All materials required for submitting consensus documents for TRC review shall be submitted to CRSI Vice-President of Engineering at least six weeks before a TRC meeting. Submitting the document by the deadline does not guarantee placement in the next TRC document review cycle. TRC typically selects the documents to review in the order received. With the submittal, the Chair shall include: 1. An electronic copy of the document (editable version, in MS Word); 2. Statement of the type of document (5.3) being submitted; 3. A ballot summary of the final letter ballot(s) (6.5); and 4. A summary of revisions to the existing document in the case of a revision. 5. The committee is encouraged to provide a list of at least three potential external reviewers for the document (refer to 7.6 for the qualifications of external reviewers). Documents prepared by joint committees may be subject to the review procedures of the sponsoring organizations. Required submissions to such organizations should be discussed with staff for coordination. 7.5 Staff Editorial Review TRC has directed staff to perform an editorial review of each document that is submitted for TRC review. Staff reviews the document for grammatical errors, misspelled words, and ambiguous statements. All staff-recommended editorial changes are sent to the Chair for approval. Staff CRSI Technical Committee Manual 29

36 reviews shall be included in project timetables and deadlines. Once the Chair and staff have agreed upon editorial items, staff submits the edited document to TRC for a review. 7.6 TRC review One of the most important functions of TRC is the review of technical committee documents. TRC reviews documents for: 1. Technical content and correctness; 2. Potential conflicts, duplications, and overlaps with other CRSI documents; and 3. Clarity of presentation. The submitted document is sent to select or all members of TRC and to selected external reviewers, who are experts on the subject matter, and who are not members of the committee submitting the document. This group will be referred to as a review group (RG) for the specific document, operating under the auspices of the TRC. The committee is strongly encouraged to identify external reviewers for their document and submit these names to the TRC. CRSI staff may also forward the document to the relevant coordinating committees to help identify conflicts, duplications, and overlaps between other CRSI documents. Reviewers are given four weeks to review the consensus document and submit comments. TRC will review the entire document, even if only one section has been revised. The committee must identify changes, which will be indicated to the TRC reviewers (7.4) Review Comment Classifications TRC Reviewers or the RG classify each of their comments as primary (P), editorial (E), or secondary (S) and also provide specific page and line number references for each comment, or label them as Page 0 and Line 0 for comments that apply to the entire document Primary (P), Editorial (E), and Secondary (S) comments Review comments are divided into three categories: primary, editorial, and secondary. Primary (P) comments identify technical issues that the committee must address before publication of the document; Editorial (E) comments identify editorial issues that the committee must address before publication of the document; and Secondary (S) comments identify technical or editorial issues that should be addressed either in this document or the next revision of the document. Reviewers do not have to provide revised text for P comments. It is up to the committee responsible for the document to provide revised text that will satisfy the P comment. 7.7 TRC Decision After the RG meeting with the committee representative, the RG makes a recommendation to TRC regarding the document. TRC considers the recommendation and makes a decision on the document: CRSI Technical Committee Manual 30

37 1. Document is approved for publication, contingent upon satisfactory response to TRC review comments in a timely manner; or 2. Document is not approved for publication, and it is returned to the committee for revision, re-balloting, and resubmission (commonly called 3R ). The committee is notified of TRC s decision, and the official TRC review comments are sent to the committee for consideration Document Approved When the document is approved, the committee should act by its next meeting or before to prepare a response to each TRC review comment; TRC approval is withdrawn after two years if no responses to TRC review comments are submitted Responding to TRC Comments The committee must document their response to each TRC review comment. The committee can agree with a P or E comment and make an appropriate change to the document or disagree with reason. When the committee disagrees, a detailed reason statement for the disagreement must be documented. The committee can agree with an S comment and make a change to the document, disagree (no documentation is required), or agree to take the issue up as new business. All responses to TRC comments must be approved by the committee by either letter ballot or meeting ballot, regardless of whether the response resulted in a change to the document or not. After the document has been revised in response to TRC review comments, the following shall be submitted to the CRSI Staff Liaison: 1. The revised document in electronic format (editable version), including original artwork; 2. The committee responses to the TRC review comments (Refer to Chapter 10 for sample committee responses to TRC review comments); and 3. A ballot summary on the responses to TRC review comments. When adequate compliance with TRC review comments is verified, staff proceeds with either preparing the standard or publication, whichever is appropriate. Materials will be submitted to the Vice-President of Marketing and Communications to be placed in the production schedule Withdrawal of TRC Approval Technical committees must respond to TRC review comments within two years of the review, otherwise the TRC approval is withdrawn. In such case, the committee must resubmit the document for TRC review and respond to a new set of TRC review comments. In exceptional cases, TRC may extend the time frame for acceptance of the committee responses, upon written request from the committee Chair with detailed explanation of the reasons Document Not Approved If the document is not approved by TRC, the committee is usually expected to revise, re-ballot, and resubmit the document to TRC. The decision not to approve is usually the result of major deficiencies in the document. Therefore, TRC expects a comprehensive effort by the committee before the document is resubmitted. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 31

38 When a document is not approved, the TRC review group (RG) will indicate what they believe is necessary to revise the document. Although TRC expects the committee to address issues raised during the TRC review when revising the document, the committee is not expected to respond individually to each of the P, E, and S comments. 7.8 Appeal Process The adoption of committee documents in progress or provisions of published committee documents may be appealed. Appeals of documents in progress may be made on technical or procedural grounds. Appeals of published documents may be made only on technical grounds. Because appeals are normally heard at CRSI technical meetings, all appeals must be submitted in writing to CRSI staff at least six weeks before the meeting for inclusion on the agenda of the hearing committee. 8 PUBLICATION POLICY 8.1 General As a technical institute, CRSI s intent is to disseminate knowledge related to the design, construction, and quality manufacture of steel reinforced concrete. The goal of CRSI publications is to strengthen the knowledge base of the steel reinforced concrete industry and CRSI member companies. This chapter is not applicable for periodicals. 8.2 Intellectual Property As part of their participation in CRSI activities, CRSI committee members contribute to the group s work products, including written documents. All work products of CRSI committees belong to CRSI. By participating in CRSI committees, CRSI committee members acknowledge that the rights to such work products, including any copyright, reside with CRSI. As a matter of editorial style, all publications will include an alphabetical listing of all members of the committee by member classification on the inside cover page of the document. 8.3 Units of Measurement English (ft-lb) units are the preferred unit type for CRSI publications. Any conversions to the International System of Measurement (SI) should conform to the latest version of ASTM SI10-02 IEEE/ASTM SI 10, American National Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System. In making hard conversions, due consideration shall be given to uniformity among CRSI publications and to availability of metric products for concrete construction. All documents are to be provided with a SI unit conversions table in the back. 8.4 Publication Format All technical committee documents may be published in electronic and/or hard-copy formats, and are made available for purchase at the discretion of CRSI staff and EPC. 8.5 Copyright CRSI has a legal obligation to comply with all trademark, copyright, and permission laws of the United States. CRSI will attribute content and honor copyrights. All contributors to CRSI works CRSI Technical Committee Manual 32

39 must sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement, which details CRSI s copyright policy. It is the responsibility of the contributors submitting materials for publication by CRSI to obtain the necessary permissions for use of all text and figures. CRSI will provide the necessary forms for use by the contributor. All materials developed remain the property of CRSI and may not be used without permission. 8.6 Branding CRSI s brand has been in existence since 1924 and is nationally recognized. CRSI staff is responsible for maintaining brand consistency throughout CRSI s body of works. The overall responsibility for setting the CRSI brand belongs to the CRSI staff. The CRSI publishing department is responsible for implementing CRSI s brand into all CRSI works. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 33

40 9 EPC COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND OBJECTIVES 9.1 Organizational Flowchart May 2010 Version CRSI Technical Committee Manual 34

41 9.2 Standing Committees and Committee Numbering Structure Committee No. Engineering Group (EG) EG1 EG2 EG3 EG4 EG5 EG6 Committee Name Design Aids & Codes Durability Materials Properties / Bar Producers Reinforcing Anchorage & Splices Research & Development Sustainability Industry Practice Group (IPG) IPG1 Manual of Standard Practice (MSP) IPG1.1 Bar Supports Subcommittee IPG2 Detailing IPG3 Placing Certification Group (CG) CG1 CG2 CG3 CG4 CG5 CG6 Proposed Future Committee Structure Epoxy Plant Ironworkers / Placer Foreman Reinforcing Steel Bar Producing Mill Adhesive Anchor Field Inspectors Fabricators (& Detailers) Education & Training Group (ETG) ETG1 Student / Practitioners CRSI Technical Committee Manual 35

42 9.3 Main CRSI Technical Documents and Consensus Level Document / Publication Design Handbook Reinforcing Bar Detailing Manual of Standard Practice (MSP) Placing Reinforcing Bars Position Statements Reinforcing Bars: Anchorages & Splices Technical Notes Reinforcing Bar Testing Document Type Non-consensus Consensus Consensus Consensus Consensus Consensus (per committee approval) As required by committee Consensus CRSI Technical Committee Manual 36

43 10 FORMS 10.1 Membership on technical committees Membership application Individuals complete this form to apply for membership on technical committees Meeting minutes Sample meeting minutes form 10.3 Committee Meeting Request Blank form Sample completed form 10.4 Sign-Up Sheet and Antitrust Law 10.5 Letter ballots Sample letter ballot Chairs distribute this form with the document. CRSI Technical Committee Manual 37

44 CRSI Technical Committee Application Date Personal Information Last Name First Name Middle Initial Job Title Company / Affiliation Mailing Street Address City State Zip Code Country Main Telephone Number Mobile Number Fax Number Professional Registration (i.e. PE, SE, EIT) and State(s) Other Professional Organizations School (for student members) Other Committee Memberships CRSI Committee Membership (please check the committees you are interested in joining) Engineering Group (EG) Certification Group (CG) Design Aids & Codes EG1 Epoxy Plant CG1 Durability EG2 Ironworkers / Placer Foremen CG2 Materials Properties / Bar Producers EG3 Reinforcing Anchorages & Splices EG4 Education & Training Group (ETG) Research & Development EG5 Education (Student / Practitioners) ETG1 Industry Practice Group (IPG) Engineering Practice Committee EPC Manual of Standard Practice (MSP) IPG1 Sustainability EPC.1 Bar Supports Subcommittee IPG1.1 Construction Practices Task Group EPC.2 Reinforcing Bar Detailing IPG2 Placing Reinforcing Bars IPG3 A voting member of a CRSI technical, educational, or certification committee is expected to contribute technical information, return ballots promptly, comment on draft reports, & attend at least one committee meeting a year. Complete this form (front & back) to apply for membership on the committee(s) of your choice.

45 Experience Information 1. What contributions can you make to the work of this CRSI committee? (attach separate sheet(s) if needed) 2. Brief statement of experience related to the work of this committee. 3. Background and accomplishments in construction, design, education, or other fields. 4. Inventions, publications, innovations, or types of construction experience. 5. Describe your service on technical committees of other organizations (if any).

46 Meeting Minutes Committee: Engineering Practice Committee Fall 2009 Date: Monday 19 October 2009 Time: 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Location: Swissôtel, Chicago, Illinois Members Neal Anderson CRSI Present: Jamie Bartlett Baker Concrete Construction Dave Grundler asa Jay Hetherington CMC Americas (Secretary) Dennis L. Hunter Gerdau Ameristeel (Chair) Tom Murphy Cascade Steel David Horton CMC Rebar VA W. Brice Wager Gerdau Ameristeel Members Not Michael P. Adams The Valspar Corporation Present: Tony Buck CMC Fontana Steel Keith Dixon Free State Steel, Inc. Ronald D. Flach Titusville Fabricators Inc. Andy Gaines Dayton Superior Marty E. Lancial CMC Steel Arizona Gregory D. McVeigh Trowbridge Steel Co. Peter Zdgiebloski CMC Rebar Visitors: Mark Agee Whitacre Engineering Manuel Alvarez CMC Steel Texas Howard Bennion Pacific Coast Steel John Turner CRSI 1. Call Meeting To Order Chairman Dennis Hunter called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m. and welcomed the committee members and guests to the session. There were 7 committee members and 4 guests in attendance. 2. Roll Call and Self-Introductions Introductions were made with each individual introducing themselves. A sign-up sheet was distributed. The Antitrust Law handout was noted by Chairman Hunter. He indicated the meeting would be conducted in accordance with the antitrust requirements elaborated in the document. 3. Review and Approval of Minutes Upon a motion by Dave Gundler and a second by Tom Murphy, the minutes of the EPC meeting held on March 6, 2009 received unanimous approval by voice vote.

47 Body of Minutes New Business: ACI 131 will be added to our agenda. 9.1 Neal Anderson gave a Power Point presentation addressing the Ballot Voting system we will begin using for all committees. This will formalize the voting and make CRSI a more consensus organization. Voting members must return their ballots by the deadline date so there is consensus and a quorum is attained. 9.2 The Technical Committee Operations Manual is being revised to create balance and avoid dominance. We will also look at size of each committee. The last revision of this manual was in A proposed mock-up will be presented in Phoenix. 9.3 A task group was formed to study the ANSI Process on certification. The members are Chairman Brice Wager, Neal Anderson, Scott Humphreys, and Curtis Glenn. They will develop the information needed to establish a certification program. 10. Arrangements for Next Meeting: The next meeting will be on March 10, 2010 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe Arizona. 11. Adjournment: A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Jamie Bartlett and seconded by Tom Murphy. A standing vote adjourned the meeting at 11:40 a.m. Respectfully Submitted by: /s/ Jay A. Hetherington Jay A. Hetherington Secretary

48 Committee Meeting Request Date Chairman Chair CRSI Staff Liason Committee, Sub- Committee, Task Group CRSI Meeting Meeting Location Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute 933 North Plum Grove Road Schaumburg, Illinois fax: Is this a: ( ) new request ( ) modification of existing request Meeting Information Number of committee members expected to attend Number of visitors expected to attend Type of meeting desired ( ) Open ( ) Closed Estimated meeting length Scheduling Conflicts Top Three Committee Meetings to Avoid 1) Other Meeting Requests: 1) Preferred Day & Time of your Committee Meeting All 3 dates and times required 1st Choice Day & Time: 2nd Choice Day & Time: 3rd Choice Day & Time: Audio & Video Equipment Requirements ( ) No A/V Required ( ) Laser Pointer 2) 3) 2) 3) Day & Starting Time (use format: 3/29/2010 1:30 pm) ( ) LCD Projector ( ) Podium and Microphone ( ) Screen ( ) Lavalier Microphone ( ) TV / VCR ( ) Overhead Projector ( ) Flip Chart ( ) Phone Conferencing ( ) Other Requirements: April 2010

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50 Committee Meeting Sign-In Sheet Sheet Chairman CSRI Staff Liason Date of Committee Meeting Location Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute 933 North Plum Grove Road Schaumburg, Illinois fax: By signing in on this attendance list, for the committee meeting listed above, I acknowledge that I am aware, and will comply with and abide by the Antitrust Laws statement on the back side of this sign-up sheet. Name Affiliation Committee Member? Visitor? October 2008

51 Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute COMPLIANCE WITH ANTITRUST LAWS Background Information Association and professional society members, as well as officers, directors, agents and staff, need to have an understanding of antitrust laws and how these laws apply to their activities. If they do not, they may be subjecting themselves and their organizations to costly governmental investigations and prosecutions with a potential for fines and jail terms, or a costly private treble damage lawsuit. Special Areas of Concern Here is a list of subjects which should not be discussed at meetings or elsewhere or be the subject of any type of agreement, whether formal or informal, express or implied, among competitors: 1. Prices to be charged to clients and/or customers by suppliers. 2. Specific methods or even informal discussions by which prices are determined. 3. Terms and conditions of sale such as credit or discount terms. 4. Profit levels... i.e., here s what our members need to do to make money. 5. Whether a company s pricing practices are unethical, improper, etc. 6. Coordination of bids or requests for bids or requests for proposals. 7. Production levels or schedules. 8. Division or allocation of markets, territories or customers, (i.e. you have XYZ and I get MNO. ) 9. Refusal to deal with a customer or supplier. 10. Approved list of customers or suppliers. 11. Anything that could restrict free and open trade in the marketplace, and other related topics as appropriate. (This is to be given to all attendees at CRSI Chapter/Regional business meetings whenever legal counsel is not present at the meeting.)

52 Committee Ballot Form Cover Sheet Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute Committee: Ballot Item(s): Issue Date: Canvass Date: Send Ballot to: Manual of Standard Practice Chapter 3 (text and illustrations) CRSI Staff Liaison (or Committee Please find attached a voting template for the ballot item referenced above. Please use a NEW line in the table for EACH comment by using the insert line or row function in the table. Voting shall use the following standard notation: Y Y/C N A Yes I vote to approve the ballot item Yes with Comment - This approval should not be contingent upon committee adoption of the editorial comments. Negative I do not approve the item. Negative votes must be accompanied by a statement of reason and should also have suggested changes which, if adopted, would satisfy the objection. Negative votes without a reason or comment will not be considered. Abstain I am not qualified to render an opinion on the ballot item, either positive or negative. Reviewer: Company / Organization: Date Submitted: