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Charlotte J. Burrie Civic Center Charlotte J. Burrie Civic Center

Contract Administration

According to professional guidelines as set forth by The American Institute of Architects, the architect is the owner's representative during construction and until project completion and final payment has been rendered. Specific responsibilities for architect, general contractor, and subcontractor are written into the contract documents. The architect has authority on aesthetic matters, and is authorized by the owner to visit the construction site at timely intervals and inform the owner as to progress and quality of the work, and endeavor to guard the owner against defects and deficiencies. However, it is the contractor's responsibility for "construction means, methods, techniques, sequences or procedures…and safety precautions," as delineated in contract documents.

The architect has the authority, as the owner's representative, to reject work that does not conform to the contract documents, and to request inspection or testing of the work in question. The architect is authorized to review, approve, or request changes in the "contractor's submittals such as shop drawings, product data and samples," to check for "conformance with information given and the design concepts expressed in the contract documents."

The architect may provide project representatives to carry out his or her responsibilities at the site. The architect also the right to review, reject, or approve the contractor's choice of subcontractors with reasonable cause.

At the core of these guidelines, the architect is the ultimate decision-maker of the aesthetic effect of the project as consistent and expressed in the contract documents.

Citations are quoted from The American Institute of Architects: AIA Document A201-1997.