At last week’s national conference, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) launched five new sustainable project documents, as well as an updated scope of services documents for LEED certification. The documents were developed using AIA’s flagship Contract Documents and incorporating concepts and model language from its “Guide for Sustainable Projects,” which was introduced at last year’s conference.
I had the chance to talk with Kenneth Cobleigh, managing director and counsel for AIA Contract Documents, who says that AIa recognized the need for structure in the planning process for green projects. “We reached out to industry contacts–the USGBC, trade groups, etc.–for feedback on last year’s sustainable project guide, and worked with our current documents to incorporate specific elements from the guide into the new sustainable project documents.”
Cobleigh explains that the new documents create a process from inception to completion for laying out a path to achieve an owner’s sustainable objective. “The documents create a process to identify and implement measures and steps that need to be taken by everyone involved in a sustainable project,” he says.
While the documents are created for the design-bid-build project delivery method, Cobleigh says the concepts addressed in the new documents and in the sustainable projects guide are applicable across all the different delivery methods.
The new Sustainable Project documents are:
- A101-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and Contractor, for use on a Sustainable Project where the basis of payment is a Stipulated Sum
- A201-2007 SP, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction, for use on a Sustainable Project
- A401-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Contractor and Subcontractor, for use on a Sustainable Project
- B101-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect, for use on a Sustainable Project
- C401-2007 SP, Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and Consultant, for use on a Sustainable Project
The sixth document, B214-2012, Standard Form of Architect’s Services: LEED Certification, is for primary architects who are retained as owner consultants for LEED certification in conjunction with a standard owner-architect agreement.
The next step, Cobleigh says, is updating the D503-2011, “Guide for Sustainable Projects,” to include information about the new IgCC and LEED 2012.
Also introduced at this year’s conference, was AIA’s new education and training portal, a one-stop, easy-to-access site that will house all of the AIA Contract Documents education programs and learning materials for contractors, builders and architects.
“Many of America’s contractors, architects, owners, developers and other building professionals have told us they need a one-stop educational resource where they can learn more about AIA Contract Documents and software,” says Molly Lindblom, managing director of AIA Contract Documents. “The New AIA Contract Documents’ Education Portal will advance AIA’s commitment to meeting the needs of every career stage and serve as a valuable tool in the marketplace.”
Additionally, the AIA announced the inclusion of six new documents to its popular Documents-on-Demand service. The latest additions, which bring the total number of documents available to 98, cover aspects of all common project delivery methods used by the building industry to support construction and design projects.
The new documents are:
- A141-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Design-Builder
- A142-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Design-Builder and Contractor
- A441-2008, Standard Form of Agreement Between Contractor and Subcontractor for a Design-Build Project
- B142-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Consultant where the Owner contemplates using the design-build method of project delivery
- B143-2004, Standard Form of Agreement Between Design-Builder and Architect
- C441-2008, Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and Consultant for a Design-Build Project.
“The latest additions to Documents-on-Demand round out our service and offer users an even more robust suite of documents along with the same anytime, anywhere access they have enjoyed for years,” Lindblom says. “With 98 documents to choose from, Documents-on-Demand has become the popular choice for anyone needing a quick standard agreement or form from the trusted authority in construction documents.”
