AIA publishes updated residential projects contracts and condo guide

The contract documents program of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released updated residential contracts for both single-family residential and multi-family residential or mixed-use projects. It also published an updated version of their Condominium Project Guide, which is available for free without a documents subscription.Revised Residential Documents The revised residential documents are B107-2020, Standard... Continue Reading →

October 27, 2020 0

EJCDC publishes 2020 editions of E-500 and E-570

The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) recently published revised versions of E-500, Standard Form Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services, and E-570, Agreement Between Engineer and Subconsultant for Professional Services.E-500 Main Agreement UpdatesE-500 is a comprehensive standard contract for engineering design services and related construction phase engineering and administrative services. The terms... Continue Reading →

June 18, 2020 0

AIA commissioning services agreement updated

Earlier this year, the AIA published C203-2017, Standard Form of Consultant’s Services: Commissioning. The document has been significantly updated to reflect changes in the industry that have taken place since the prior version. The changes include: provisions describing the consultant’s role to help prepare the owner’s project requirements; detailed description of the consultant’s commissioning plan;... Continue Reading →

December 5, 2018 0

Using AIA scope documents for non-traditional design services

Shortly after releasing the 2017 versions of the traditional owner-architect agreements, the AIA Contract Documents Committee published detailed scope of services agreements that assign professional duties to supplement or replace traditional services. These AIA specialty services documents can be added to any base owner/architect agreement to form a contract. B201-2017, Standard Form of Architect’s Services:... Continue Reading →

September 13, 2018 0

Check out these new AIA documents

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released nine new standard contract documents, including a new owner/consultant agreement, the C103–2015, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Consultant without a Predefined Scope of Consultant’s Services, and two accompanying scope of service exhibits. The C103 establishes expectations between an owner and a consultant on a project.... Continue Reading →

January 19, 2016 1

The uniform location of subject matter should guide information placement

Construction contracts typically include several components. Key business terms are found in the agreement form, which are then modified by the general and supplementary conditions and the drawings and specifications. In addition, key contract-related information is sometimes included in bidding documents, such as instructions to bidders and bid forms. For years, there was no generally... Continue Reading →

June 22, 2015 0

New AIA design-build contracts released

As design-build keeps increasing market share in the project delivery process, more often than not architects and engineering firms are relegated to subcontractor status. Often, the contracts used reduce the amount of services provided by professionals, target professionals for all of the professional liability exposure (even though design-builders should carry professional liability insurance), and create... Continue Reading →

November 21, 2014 0

Does your risk increase if you aren’t retained during construction?

Your client wants to save money and opts not to pay for your involvement during the construction phase of the project. Does this increase your risk? Absolutely! It increases your risk as well as your client’s. Construction documents are never 100% complete and accurate. If you’re not involved during the construction phase, you lose the... Continue Reading →

September 3, 2014 0

Why being asked to sign a “subcontract” should raise a red flag

While there is nothing inherently wrong with a design professional being referred to as a "contractor" or “subcontractor,” the use of these terms may be an indication that the contract being offered is one that is more appropriate for hiring someone to build the project, rather than retaining a design professional or surveyor. Contractors have... Continue Reading →

July 29, 2014 0

EJCDC Issues New Standard Contract

The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) has republished its standard E-500 form contract (Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services). It is the comprehensive standard contract for engineering design services and related construction-phase engineering and administrative services. The terms and content of the 2014 edition are coordinated with the recently published 2013 edition... Continue Reading →

April 7, 2014 0