Small Project Design

Five days ago a member of this community added a new discussion post entitled "How to determine architect's fee in sub-division project." I received notice of it via e-mail that included the post in its entirety, as I assume all members of this community did. However, the moderator(s) of this community have not yet seen fit to allow the post to be visible here or to be the subject of direct discussion (I assume the release via e-mail was unintentional or out of their control).

My question: Since the post did not recommend, mention or solicit specific fee amounts, what is the problem with the post? Are members of the AIA enjoined from educating themselves and others on how to perform the common business task of establishing a fee for service? Is this anything less than censorship on a vital business subject?

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Sean Catherall AIA
Senior Project Manager
DAVE ROBINSON ARCHITECTS
Salt Lake City UT
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Thank you for your question, Sean!  Hopefully, I can help clarify and assuage any concerns. 

A fellow AIA SPP member flagged the posting from a few days ago.

These discussion forums are all self-moderating, meaning any member of the group has the ability to flag content as inappropriate or as spammy.  Once flagged, the post will be hidden for a brief time while under review.

At the request of the member who flagged it, the original post was forwarded to our Office of General Counsel for review.  This was done to ensure that the posting was consistent with federal antitrust law and the Institute's antitrust compliance policy.  This is of particular concern to avoid the kind of Justice Department investigation and lawsuit that in 1990 resulted in a consent decree, with court-ordered Justice Department oversight over the AIA for a ten-year period.

The General Counsel has reviewed and approved the release of the posting. You can find it at its original link here: http://network.aia.org/discussions/viewthread/?GroupId=181&MID=15927

The original poster and the concerned member have both been contacted in an effort to answer any questions and hear the concerns they may have about the post. 

Thank you for your vigilance and active participation in the discussions! Feel free to contact me directly at the office if you have any other concerns or questions.

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Ann Harris
Manager, Knowledge Communities
Washington, DC
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