Sponsor Responsibility
Under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the sponsor is responsible for accomplishing project engineering and design. The sponsor shall use qualified technical resources to accomplished project design and to prepare a bid package that complies with Federal, State and local regulations and standards. The project design shall incorporate sound engineering principals along with accepted "Best Practice" design considerations and methods.
FAA Standards
By accepting an AIP grant, the sponsor agrees to adhere to FAA standards that are presented in various applicable Advisory Circulars (ACs). A listing of applicable ACs is attached to each grant agreement.
Unless specifically approved in writing by the FAA , the Sponsor must apply all applicable FAA standards to the project design without modification. Non-standard design elements that are deemed not acceptable to the FAA are ineligible for AIP participation.
FAA Review
Sponsors, along with their consultant, are strongly encouraged to consult with the FAA prior to commencement of project design. This coordination will establish the limits of AIP eligibility and thus hopefully limit any misdirected work that may be declared ineligible after the fact.
The primary purpose of the FAA's review is to verify that applicable FAA standards are being applied as well as to make a determination regarding the limits of AIP eligibility. The review is generally limited to eligibility determinations and review of critical project elements such as the safety plan, pavement details, airfield marking details and airfield signage details.
FAA approval with plans and specifications is based on a combination of a FAA cursory review and the submittal of a satisfactory executed sponsor certification. The FAA review shall not be construed as the Sponsor’s/Engineer’s quality control review. The FAA will not typically review detailed engineering and quantity calculations, however such documentation shall be made available if so requested by the FAA.
Any review and approval by the FAA does not relieve the Sponsor or the engineer of the responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, and technical content of the plans and specifications.
The sponsor and their consultant shall allow sufficient time for the FAA to conduct an appropriate review. This may vary per size and type of project. Generally, a review time frame of 2-3 weeks is requested.
