The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced, at A’17 Conference on Architecture in Washington D.C. in April 2017,the release of the 2017 edition of the A201 family of documents. This release includes updated versions of the AIA’s flagship documents, developed for the design-bid-build delivery model. Working with industry representatives, the AIA Documents Committee updates this core set of documents every 10 years to help ensure that the AIA legal form and agreements reflect the latest changes and trends within the industry.  

Some of the major owner/architect changes include:

• 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.
• Agreements contain a fill point to prompt the parties to discuss and insert an appropriate “Termination Fee” for terminations for the owner’s convenience.
• Architect is no longer required to re-design for no additional compensation if he or she could not have reasonably anticipated the market conditions that caused the bids or proposals to exceed the owner’s budget.
• Services beyond Basic Services and identified at the time of agreement are now categorized as Supplemental Services, to avoid confusing them with Additional Services that arise during the course of the project.
• Agreements clarify how the Architect’s progress payments will be calculated if compensation is based on a percentage of the owner’s budget for the Work.

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.
• New provisions relating to direct communications between the owner and contractor.

Remember to review the full list of AIA 2017 A201 changes before starting your next build or project.