Summary: The AIA announces the release of six new documents including a first of its kind building information model hands-on tool. AIA Contract Documents newest release offers two new integrated project delivery documents, two new design-build documents and a new on-site project representation document.

Six New AIA Contract Documents Available
The AIA released six new contract documents on October 17, including a new building information modeling (BIM) exhibit, two new integrated project delivery (IPD) agreements, two new design-build agreements, and a scope of services document. These new documents, collectively called the 3.5 Release, build on the AIA’s 120 years of experience in defining the contractual relationships in the design and construction industry.

“We understand that the design and construction industry is evolving, and we are pleased to lead the way by introducing new documents that provide a road map for navigating BIM and IPD,” says Suzanne Harness, AIA, the managing director and counsel of AIA Contract Documents. “This latest release continues the AIA’s longstanding tradition of providing documents that are easy to use, reflect current industry practices, and fairly balance all parties’ interests.”

New BIM Exhibit
The first of its kind in the industry, the new E202-2008 was written by industry practitioners as a practical tool for managing the use of BIM across the entire project. Among other things, it sets the requirements and authorized uses for BIM content and identifies BIM authors at five progressive levels of development. It also establishes protocols for model ownership, conflict resolution, storage, viewing, and archiving. Although written primarily to support a project using IPD, E202-2008 may also be used with more traditional methods of project delivery.

“For the first time in the industry, this new AIA tool effectively allows users to work in partnership and assign responsibilities to successfully manage a BIM model. All parties can specify and understand each other’s level of development within the model and reference it with confidence at any time,” says Jim Bedrick, vice president of Virtual Building and Design at Webcor Builders in San Mateo, Calif. “So the bottom line is, all team members know what they can expect from each other with this new AIA BIM Exhibit.”

A free sample of the E202-2008 BIM Exhibit is available on-line.

New IPD agreements
The two new IPD agreements, C196-2008 and C197-2008, round out the IPD Single Purpose Entity (SPE) family of AIA Contract Documents and provide the contractual structure the SPE needs to secure funding and to design and construct the project. These agreements take care of the details, such as how insurance will apply, how members may be paid for their services and limit their liability, which costs are “allowable,” how a member can earn profit through incentive compensation, and what happens at the end of the project.

New Design Build (DB) Agreements
These two new design-build agreements, A441-2008 and C441-2008, complete the AIA’s Design-Build Family of documents by communicating down to the architect’s consultants and to the subcontractors the essential provisions of the original 2004 agreements. They address contractor/subcontractor and architect/consultant relationships, including respective rights and responsibilities, roles, communications, compensation, dispute resolution, and payment. In developing the new agreements, the AIA followed its standard practice of soliciting input and feedback from across the industry to ensure that the new agreements would address stakeholder interests.

New On-Site Project Representation Document
The new On-Site Project Representation scope of services document, B207-2008 (formerly B352-2000), adds to the more than 30 existing AIA Contract Documents B-Series documents for use in establishing agreements between owners and architects. The B207-2008 document provides agreement on the number of architect’s representatives stationed at the project site, the services to be performed, and the owner’s responsibilities. B207-2008 eliminates the need to create a custom scope of services document, thus saving time and money.

Format and availability
The new documents will be available electronically in AIA Contract Documents software beginning October 17, as well as in paper form (E202-2008 will only be available in AIA software). The software allows users to generate and customize Microsoft Word files for easy collaboration and distribution.

AIA Contract Documents software can be purchased on-line. Documents in paper form are available through the AIA’s full service distributors. For a listing of full service distributors and pricing information, visit AIA.org.