(This is for my architect friends.)
In Managing Project Risk: Best Practices for Architects and Related Professionals, James Atkins and Grant Simpson provide a great solution to a situation that many architects deal with. This is a longer quote from page 132 of the book, given Atkins and Simpson wrote it better than I ever could.
Although AIA Document A201 makes the lines of responsibility for planning the implementation of the work abundantly clear, and MASTERSPEC sets out specific requirements for accomplishing the task, some assert that a contractor’s change order is justified whenever information is not specifically expressed in the architects documents. As a result, contractors routinely make these assertions through the RFI process and inevitably write change orders to add information to the architect’s documents – information never rightfully required or intended to be there in the first place.”
For example, an architect has indicated “recessed fire extinguisher cabinet” on an interior wall elevation in the architectural drawings. While no specific dimensions are indicated for the cabinet location, the specifications list several acceptable manufacturers for the cabinet. Still, the contractor submits an RFI: “Please provide detail for cabinet framing in wall.”
In this instance, the contractor should provide the final answer, since the size and mounting detail of a recessed fire extinguisher cabinet varies with the manufacturer. The architect could not have precisely detailed the installation without knowing which manufacturer’s cabinet was to be used. Also, it is not necessary for the architect to provide a framing detail because the manufacturer’s literature describes how the cabinet is to be installed. If the architect answers the RFI with a framing detail, it is likely that the contractor will ask for additional money for the newly detailed framing, alleging that scope was added to the drawings. If the architect doesn’t answer the RFI, he or she risks being accused of not being responsive. One appropriate response is to suggest that the contractor honor the manufacturer’s instructions for the selected product.”
Given the average cost of processing and RFI ($1,080), we could all benefit from taking more responsibility for the details of our work.
Leave a Reply