Blogs

CCA-related content at AIA24

By Emma Tucker posted 30 days ago
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If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA24) this year (June 5-8 in Washington, DC), there is an official CCA workshop plus many more great sessions to consider! CCA events Wednesday: Architects in Work Boots WE104 | 9:30am-12pm | 2.5 LUs Do you know how to lead a project through construction contract administration? To have a successful project, you need an understanding of how this phase is managed. This workshop will provide strategic management insights and will present case studies to empower you to chart your career path. Learn more > Wednesday: Strategies to Mitigate CA Liability ...
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CCA-related content at A'23

By Emma Tucker posted 04-13-2023
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If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture (A’23) this year (June 7-10 in San Francisco), here are some sessions that may be of interest! Wednesday AEC Cares: Help us renovate Lark Inn at A'23 7:30am-4:30pm | Sign up at aeccares.com/volunteer On June 7, 2023, a group of volunteers will give Lark Inn, a shelter in the Tenderloin district, a massive makeover. Larkin Street Youth operates the shelter, a temporary home for young people ages 18-24. Come join us as we paint, build furniture, install lighting, organize, and give this space a beautiful upgrade! Together, a little effort from all of us can make great things happen. ...
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Top Resources for Construction Contract Administration

By Emma Tucker posted 10-04-2022
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Compiled by the 2022 CCA Leadership Group Continuing in the tradition of past compilations of tips and resources, we've pulled together a list of our top resources for those learning about and practicing construction contract administration. We'd love to expand on this list in the future - if you've got other resources that have proven invaluable, please email us at cca@aia.org or post about them on our CCA discussion board! Project-specific essential documents Owner-AE Contract (AIA B101/ B201) Construction Contract (AIA A101/ A201 and their variations) Contract Drawings and Project Manual Schedule GMP/Schedule of Values/Estimate BIM ...
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Selecting and specifying engineered wood flooring

By Joshua C. Rubin AIA posted 04-21-2022
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Selecting and specifying engineered wood flooring by Joshua Rubin, AIA Selecting and specifying finish materials for a project may seem straightforward and limited to the appropriateness of the application and the finish’s appearance. For some materials, that may be the case. However, the process of selecting and specifying finish materials is typically more involved, requiring consideration of multiple aspects of the material or assembly. Wood flooring, specifically engineered wood flooring, requires careful selection, evaluation, and scrutiny. Description - Hardness Appearance (color, graining, stain) of the top layer of hardwood, or lamella, ...
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"Ladder effect" in railings

By Joshua C. Rubin AIA posted 02-16-2022
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"Ladder effect" in railings by Joshua Rubin, AIA Ladder Effect - the idea that if you put anything resembling a ladder in front of a person, they will climb it. A 2007 report entitled Review of Fall Safety of Children Between the Ages of 18 Months and 4 Years in Relation to Guard and Climbing in the Built Environment” studied children’s ability and eagerness to climb. The report was commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center to clarify conflicting interpretations of guard climbing studies and injury data. The prohibition of ladder effect railings was originally included in the 2000 International Residential ...
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Knowledge Transfer aka the Bid Handoff

By Michael E. Plottel FAIA posted 06-10-2020
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Knowledge Transfer aka the Bid Handoff By Michael Plottel I like to describe design as the process through which an architect alchemizes the owner’s program (often initiated as generalized needs, vague wishes and hazy preferences) into a precise, tangible, constructed solution, with the help of a builder… …with the help of a builder : a small detail that is too often overlooked or ignored during design. Everyone appreciates the value of a good contractor, but we don’t necessarily understand the considerable discipline, mettle, skill, and art required of the builder to execute successfully. No matter what contract method you consider, lump sum, ...
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Delay claims (Republished with a pandemic update)

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 04-03-2020
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Delay Claims (Republished with a pandemic Update) By Bill Schmalz, FAIA Construction delays will almost always result in change order requests, and as architects, on most projects we may be obligated to review them not only for the requested additional time or money (or both) but also for whether the claim is justified. To determine justification, we need to understand the two categories of delay: inexcusable and excusable. An inexcusable delay is caused by the contractor’s team, which includes subcontractors and vendors. For an inexcusable delay, the contractor receives neither additional time nor additional money. Excusable delays are caused by forces ...
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The Lost Art of Dimensioning

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 03-05-2020
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The Lost Art of Dimensioning By Bill Schmalz, FAIA, CSI, LEED AP Today’s architectural interns don’t have it easy. Compared to when I entered the profession, they have to know a lot more stuff—and a lot of different kinds of stuff. For one thing, they have to learn 40 years of architectural history that I didn’t (because it hadn’t happened yet). And they have to know about accessible design, sustainable design, and resilient design—all of which we should have been paying attention to 40 years ago but mostly weren’t. And then there’s the technology. Just the number of software programs that interns need to master is daunting: Revit, AutoCAD, Word, Excel, ...
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Documenting construction meeting minutes

By Yu-Ngok Lo FAIA posted 01-15-2020
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Documenting construction meeting minutes By Yu-Ngok Lo, AIA Those of us who have been in weekly construction meetings (also known as owner, architect, contractor (OAC) meetings) are no strangers to construction meeting minutes. These minutes are essential, administratively and legally. Even if we have super-human memories (and most likely we don’t), minutes are necessary to document what was discussed in construction meetings, because all the attendees will have different memories of what happened. Meeting minutes record for posterity what of importance happened and what was decided at the meeting. Meeting minutes also keep track of items that require ...
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Differentiating between QA and QC

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 06-13-2019
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Differentiating between QA and QC By Bill Schmalz, FAIA A CCA white paper submitted June 4, 2019 In casual conversation, we often use terms imprecisely. We assume—usually correctly—that the people we’re talking to understand what we mean, even though we aren’t quite saying what we mean. For example, architects often say “CA” or “construction administration,” even though architects don’t administer the construction; they administer the construction contract. The correct terms, construction contract administration, and CCA are slowly gaining traction in the industry (note that the AIA has a CCA Knowledge Community). But even those of us who know better ...
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Words have power

By Eric O. Pempus FAIA posted 04-18-2019
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Words have power By Eric O. Pempus, FAIA, ESQ., NCARB, ORSA A CCA white paper submitted April 18, 2019 Misuse of terms in agreements and other construction industry documents include referring to a design professional as a “Contractor,” and misusing the word “all” when it has the effect of expanding the subject in a sentence. Your client is requiring that your design firm sign their version of an Owner-A/E agreement. The Owner’s agreement states your firm will be referred throughout the document as the “Contractor.” Why does this happen, and does it matter? Many clients have engaged construction contractors for property improvements in the past, and ...
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Discussion and strategy sharing take focus at Innovation Day symposium

By Jeffery Lee Reynolds AIA posted 04-18-2019
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Attendees network at the Symposium reception at AIA National. Image: Emma Tucker Discussion and strategy sharing take focus at Innovation Day symposium By Jeff Reynolds, AIA On March 11, the Construction Contract Administration knowledge community hosted its inaugural symposium at the AIA National Headquarters in Washington, DC. The advertised focus of the event was to explore the ways that technology is influencing the entire building delivery process. However, much like architecture practice, bringing an array of ideas and backgrounds together led to some great discussion on the symposium sessions, and general construction phase services for design ...
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An architect’s field reports

By Michael E. Plottel FAIA posted 12-04-2018
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An architect’s field reports By Michael Plottel, FAIA, LEED AP A CCA white paper, submitted November 6, 2018 Almost no one ever reads a field report, except when things go really wrong. Think of field reports as the “black box recorder” of the construction process, or the unsung hero of effective construction contract administration. The architect—via the field report—tracks progress, monitors conformance to design intent, provides a record of work underway, and (when methodically kept) offers protection in disputes stemming from builder errors and omissions. Keeping a consistent record of field activities across your entire practice is a good ...
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Informed Consent

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 08-28-2018
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Informed consent By Bill Schmalz, FAIA A CCA white paper, submitted July 7, 2018 Two principles form the bedrock of professional ethics: (1) acting in the client’s best interests, and (2) ensuring that clients make decisions while understanding the risks inherent in those decisions. Professionals—including physicians, lawyers, psychologists, and accountants— are able to satisfy both principles by using informed consent . To see informed consent in action, let’s use physicians as an example. When a physician discovers her client has a condition that requires surgery, it’s not her place as a professional to order him to have the surgery. The ...
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Reviewing the schedule of values: What architects should look for

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 02-09-2018
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Reviewing the schedule of values: What architects should look for By Bill Schmalz, FAIA A CCA white paper, submitted November 7, 2017 For most construction projects, the architect has an essential monthly task: reviewing the contractor’s application of payment. But for all but the most simple projects, how is the architect to determine if the work is, say, 45% complete, as the contractor claims, or only 40%? Since overpaying contractors can result in problems at the end of the project (for owners and architects, of course, but also for contractors [1] ), this is a serious matter. To make a reasonably accurate estimate of how complete the project ...
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RFIs: What’s good, what’s bad & what’s ugly about them

By Eric O. Pempus FAIA posted 02-09-2018
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RFIs: What’s good, what’s bad & what’s ugly about them By Eric O. Pempus, FAIA, Esq. A CCA white paper, submitted January 10, 2018 A simple definition of an RFI, or “Request for Information”: A written and/or graphic communication from a general contractor to the A/E during construction (i.e., after the owner-contractor agreement has been executed), seeking information related to the contract documents prepared by the A/E. This information may concern a wide range of topics, including interpretations, clarifications, additional information, or the discovery of previously unknown or concealed conditions. The A/E’s response to the contractor should ...
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CCA-KC 10 best practice tips for 2018

By Jane E. Cameron FAIA posted 02-07-2018
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With thanks to Susan Heersema, Bill Schmalz, Sara Beardsley, Robert Wyatt, and Lucas Tryggestad for their contributions. 1. Always keep an electronic record of decisions made and issues discussed on site. If a detail is altered, issue a drawing or sketch so there is no confusion about it later (and if necessary, get it approved by the authorities having jurisdiction). Remember: Some large projects take several years to construct from start to finish, and memories can be short! 2. Require (in Division 01) that the contractor format the submittals schedule in checklist format, organized by specification section, and sequenced in a ...
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Delay claims

By William J. Schmalz FAIA posted 09-21-2017
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Delay claims By Bill Schmalz, FAIA A CCA white paper, submitted July 22, 2017 Construction delays will almost always result in change order requests, and as architects, we are obligated to review them not only for the requested additional time or money (or both) but also for whether the claim is justified. To determine justification, we need to understand the two categories of delay: inexcusable and excusable. An inexcusable delay is caused by the contractor’s team, which includes subcontractors and vendors. For an inexcusable delay, the contractor receives neither additional time nor additional money. Excusable delays are caused by forces ...
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Collaboration between architect and contractor

By Paul J Potts posted 09-21-2017
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Collaboration between architect and contractor By Paul Potts A CCA white paper, submitted July 24, 2017 Introduction Until the 1970s, architects in the United States were immune to construction lawsuits other than those brought by the owner. This allowed the architect to have a significant role during construction to ensure the design intent was realized and to protect the owner from defective workmanship and deficiencies in products without fear of being sued by the contractor. This immunity broke down when jurists and judges began to question whether it was fair to give architects complete immunity from lawsuits even where personal injury ...
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Site Photography

By Eric O. Pempus FAIA posted 06-12-2017
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Site Photography By Eric Pempus, FAIA A CCA white paper, submitted June 6, 2017 3.6.2 EVALUATIONS OF THE WORK 3.6.2. The Architect shall visit the site … to become generally familiar with the progress and quality of the portion of the Work [ italics added] completed, and to determine, in general, if the Work observed is being performed in a manner indicating that the Work, when fully completed, will be in accordance with the Contract Documents. — AIA B101 Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect As they become “generally familiar with the progress and quality of the Work,” architects customarily, although not required ...
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