Identifying the Services You Need

The experiences of others may be instructive up to a point, but every project is unique. Your architect is prepared to advise and assist you in tailoring the array of professional services available to meet your needs and expectations.

Most building projects require design and construction documents, assistance in securing a contractor, and evaluation of the progress and quality of construction. The services an architect can provide for you-in-house or through consultants-may include facilities programming; marketing and economic feasibility studies; budgeting and financing packages; site-use and utilities studies; environmental analysis; planning and zoning applications; preparation of materials for public referenda; special cost or energy analysis; tenant-related design; special drawings, models, and presentations; and facility operation services after project completion.

Not all services must be provided by the architect. Some owners have considerable project-planning, design, and construction expertise and may be fully capable of undertaking some project tasks themselves. Other owners find it desirable or necessary to add other consultants to the project team to undertake specific tasks. Discussion with your architect will be necessary to establish who will coordinate owner-supplied work or other services provided beyond the scope of the architect's agreement.

The AIA publishes a wide variety of standard form agreements with different approaches to defining a scope of services. From the most commonly used document, AIA Document B141, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect, to documents used for special purposes, the scope of services offered in the AIA documents range from the typical to highly customized applications. You may choose from a variety of formats that come prepackaged or à la carte, which are called designated services. The B141 documents offers a choice of multiple scope packages that may be substituted for one another and that deal with a range of situations, from the typical to the highly specialized. This approach gives you the flexibility to customize the scope of services that meet your particular needs.

Customization, however, may create more complexities than you want. Other prepackaged AIA documents, such as AIA Document B151, Abbreviated Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect, offer only one option in the scope of services. In the B151 document, the services are divided into two categories-basic and additional services. The services within these categories may also be modified to meet your needs.

Services Required

The best strategy is to sit down with your architect and identify the services needed. Recognize that even when a number of services are designated at the outset, other services may be required once you are under way. For example, you may require zoning approvals or you may wish to do economic analyses of a new energy-saving system. Other services may be added to an existing agreement at any time. You should set aside a contingency budget to fund changes in the services required from your architect. Tips for recognizing required services include:

The specifics of your project will guide your choice of agreement form. The B141 scope of services approach requires up-front discussion to set the project's parameters, which, in the long run, will prevent misunderstandings. B163's designated-services approach requires a little more effort up front, as it involves the decision of which of the 83 possible services to include. However, designating services brings discipline and clarity to the process of deciding who will do what.

Contract administration services are a case of spending a penny to save a dollar. Once you have approved the design , you want it built as it was designed. Your architect can administer the contract between you and the contractor. This means evaluating work for compliance with the drawings and specifications; approving shop drawings, materials, and product samples; reviewing the results of material tests and inspections; approving the contractor's requests for payment; handling requests for design changes during construction; and administering the completion, start-up, and close-out process of your project. Getting the building that was designed-and on budget-is important. Attaining that goal requires considerable experience, time, and effort. Ask your architect.

Disputes that arise during construction need to be decided quickly and effectively. Under the AIA standard form contracts, your architect serves as the initial arbiter of disputes between you and your contractor. If the architect's decision is unacceptable to either party, the AIA standard forms call for formal mediation, with arbitration to follow if mediation does not succeed. Both are ways of resolving disputes without the delay and expense of courtroom proceedings.

An agreement for evaluation of facility operation-perhaps a joint inspection by you and your architect within one year after the building is occupied-will help to serve as a checkup that the building is being used and maintained properly.

What If There Are Too Many Unknowns?

Sometimes, the owner and the architect may discover that too little is known about the project to determine the full extent of professional services in advance and proceed to a contractual agreement based on a known set of services. If this is the case, engage the architect to provide project definition and other predesign services first, with remaining phases and services to be determined later.

NEXT: Negotiating the Agreement