Why Contract Administration by an Architect Is Critical for Your Project

Contract administration ensures that your construction project is executed according to the terms of your building contract. Some clients consider skipping an architect during this stage, but doing so is essentially leaving the success of your project to chance. Are you prepared to take that risk?

The Architect’s Role in Contract Administration

Pre-Construction

• preparing the contract documents
• arrange for signing and execution of the building contract documents by the building contractor and owner

Construction

• report regularly to the client regarding time, cost and progress of the project
• visit the site periodically to observe the general conformance of the construction works with the building contract documents and instruct the building contractor regarding design quality control, materials selections and performance in regard to the building contract documents
• arrange, attend and arrange for recording of site meetings at regular intervals
• review shop drawings and submissions by the building contractor
• provide the building contractor with instructions, supplementary details and clarification of the contract documents
• coordinate the construction services provided by other specialist consultants
• assess and determine variations and obtain client approvals where required
• assess and determine the building contractor’s progress claims and issue progress certificates
• assess the building contractor’s claims for extensions of time
• adjust prime cost and provisional sums and other monetary sums
• instruct the building contractor in regard to incomplete work and rectification of any defects
• assess and determine practical completion and issue the notice of practical completion
• other Construction services as shown in Schedule A

Post Construction

• during the defects liability period, instruct the building contractor in regard to incomplete work and rectification of defects
• if required, advise the client and coordinate the procedure for the rectification of any defective work by others
• assess and determine final completion and issue the final certificate

If you have a project in mind, we’d love to hear about it. You can reach us here.