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Philip Kabza AIA
Partner and Dir Technical Services
SpecGuy
Charlotte NC
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Amen, Mr. Odom. If IPD and BIM contractual agreements mean that owners will no longer benefit from the architect's efforts to provide competitive pricing, or that owners will receive the quality of construction the constructors are willing to deliver rather than that level of quality that, in the architect's professional judgment, is appropriate, then we have left our clients behind in our desperate attempts to remain temporarily employed.
I learn of more and more projects being issued without written specifications that stipulate product and installation quality. Apparently the architects have no fee for specification preparation, or do not know how to prepare them, and instead leave it to the industry to deliver whatever level of quality those contractors and suppliers involved are willing to deliver.
The chickens will come home to roost when an unhappy owner being sued for a building user personal injury discovers that state statutes still assumed that architects exerted control over key elements of design and construction, even when they had turned them over to the constructors that claimed they knew better. Then they discover that their liability insurance carrier thought so as well.
The best contractors welcome solid quality requirements and enforcement, as they resolve many of their subcontract disputes. Those contractors that treat full professional architectural services as a source of conflict rather than value need instead to negotiate work with one of the other types of architects - those that do half of their job for half the fee and all the liability.
Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2013 09:40
From: Darrel Odom
Subject: Reducing Architect-Builder Conflicts
If you are looking out for your client, you will have numerous conflicts with contractors. If you don't care about your client and are happy to let your fee rise as the cost of construction rises, then you and the contractor will be bosom buddies with very few conflicts. One of the greatest benefits for an owner is that an architect can arrange things where there is real competition at almost every level of the pricing process and (during construction) he can help assure that the owner does not get less than he has contracted for. In order to do that, you will be fighting against the contractor, his subs, and all of their suppliers trying their best to maximize their profits. That generates conflicts between the architect's role and the construction team. That is a good thing.
Unfortunately, that baby is being thrown out with the bath water as the Integrated Design Process grows in popularity.
Very few projects need to give up competitive pricing to allow the constructors to come on board well before the final pricing is determined. That makes life easier for the architect, more expensive than necessary for the owner, and the constructing team loves it. It is called "a license to steal" in the contractor world. The fewer conflicts they have with Architects the more money they make.
JMVHO
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Darrel Odom AIA, LEED AP
President
Odom Peckham Architecture, Inc.
Little Rock AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-05-2013 19:49
From: Linda Reeder
Subject: Reducing Architect-Builder Conflicts
This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Firm Round Table and Small Project Practitioners .
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Owing to different incentives, priorities, and other issues, architects and constructors working on the same project can find themselves in conflict. What conflicts have you had, and how have you learned to mitigate them in future projects? How have they affected your projects? If you haven't had any conflicts, what's your secret? I am collecting strategies and lessons learned for future publication and/or an AIA Convention program. If you are willing to share your experiences, please contact me at lindaATlindareederarchDOTcom or 203-789-8377.
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Linda Reeder AIA, LEED AP
Principal
Linda Reeder Architecture, LLC
New Haven CT
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