Florida Construction Lawyer Blog
The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) contract documents, which are generally regarded as the construction industry standards, are updated by the organization every 10 years, and the 2017 update released earlier this year contains considerable changes from the 2007 editions.
The changes in the documents directly impact the roles and responsibilities of each of the parties in construction and design contracts. Some of the major owner/contractor changes include:
- New exhibit with comprehensive insurance and bonds provisions that can be attached to many of the AIA owner/contractor agreements.
- Expression provision in the AIA A201-2017 General Conditions addressing the rights of the contractor and the obligations of the owner in the event of a loss on the project if there is no property insurance procured.
- New provisions relating to direct communications between the owner and contractor.
- Revised provisions pertaining to the owner’s obligation to provide proof that it has made financial arrangements to pay for the project and the contractor’s rights related thereto.
- Simplified provisions for the contractor to apply for, and receive, payments.
- Single Sustainable Projects Exhibit that can be used on any project and added to most AIA contracts to address the risks and responsibilities associated with sustainable design and construction services.