Construction Administration
364
resources
3B
Emerging Professional’s Companion | www.epcompanion.org
Changes to the construction documents can be made in the form of a
descriptivenarrative,amodieddrawing,oramodiedsectionofthe
specications.Anydocumentthatischangedandreissuedmustconform
totheappropriatestatestatutesgoverninguseofthedesignprofessional’s
seal.
Changes in the construction contract sum or completion date can be
madewithoutthecontractor’sconsentbyusingaconstructionchange
directive (CCD). This document is used when the owner and contractor
have not agreed on proposed changes in the contract sum or time. It
was developed to address changes in the work that, if not expeditiously
implemented, may delay a project. Upon receipt of the completed CCD, the
contractor must promptly proceed with the change in the work described.
It is recommended that a CCD be converted to a change order after the
change in the contract sum or time has been determined.
Managing and Reviewing Submittals
Construction project submittals are prepared by the contractor and reviewed
by the architect or an appropriate consultant. They include shop drawings,
product literature, product samples, test reports, operating instructions
and maintenance manuals, warranties from product suppliers and
manufacturers, and designs or design calculations prepared in response to
aperformancespecication.Thesematerialsareusedtodemonstratehow
the contractor proposes to conform to the project design requirements.
As the holder of the prime design contract the architect is responsible for
managing the distribution of submittals to all his or her consultants. This
includes managing the routing of submittals and staying on top of time
sensitive review schedules.
It is important that the contractor be required to provide a submittal
schedule along with the construction schedule early in the project. On
some projects, providing this information is a prerequisite for processing
therstapplicationforpayment.Thearchitectreviewsthesubmittal
schedule to determine if the sequences and time allowed for review are
reasonable. A maximum time for submittal review is often stipulated in the
owner-contractor agreement, and it is important to determine if the time
allowedissufcient.Forexample,receivingalargenumberofsubmittals
at one time could make effective review impossible within the contracted
time constraints. Also, if submittals for project detailing such as doors,
frames, and hardware are not submitted at the same time, review will take
much longer. A time period commonly stipulated for submittal review is 10
business days.
Submittalsmustbeloggedandtrackedwhentheyarriveinthearchitect’s
ofce.Untimelysubmittalreviewisapopularbasisforclaimsfordelay,
andasubmittallogcanbecomethearchitect’sbestsourceforverication
of submittal activities. Such a log can be maintained in hard copy or with a
software management program. If a program is provided by the contractor,
make sure the activities and tracking protocols of all participants are
included in the log. Be sure to keep an up-to-date copy of the submittal log
in a secure location as a backup.
AIA Contract Documents
View the list of sample contract
documents and resources for
interns.
AIA Document G712™, Shop
Drawing and Sample Record,
is a standard form the architect
can use to log and monitor shop
drawings and samples.
RFIs & Supplemental
Instructions
AIA Document G716™, Request
for Information, is a 2004
addition to the AIA family of
documents, although it has been
in use in the industry for many
years. The new document is
generic and can be used by the
owner, architect, or contractor
to request information from any
other party.
AIA Document G710™,
Architect’sSupplemental
Instructions, is a form architects
can use to issue additional
instructions or interpretations
or to order minor changes in
the work that do not change the
contract sum or time.
Autodesk
®
Buzzsaw™isan
online project collaboration
service designed to manage
building project information. It
can be run within the Microsoft®
Internet Explorer browser or as
a stand-alone executable.