The documents produced by the AIA are the most widely used standard form contracts in the construction industry. They facilitate communication among all the parties involved in construction, which makes it easier to produce a high quality project in a timely and economical fashion.
AIA documents are fair.
AIA contracts and forms are consensus documents that reflect advice from practicing architects, contractors, engineers as well as owners, surety bond producers, issuers and attorneys. AIA documents balance the interest of all the parties, so not one interest, including that of the architect, is unfairly presented.
AIA documents reflect industry practices, not theory.
Where practices are inconsistent or no guidelines for practices exist, the AIA documents provide a consensus-based model for practitioners to follow.
AIA documents reflect changing construction practices and technology.
AIA documents are revised regularly to accommodate changes in professional and industry practices, insurance and technology.
AIA documents reflect the law.
AIA documents are revised and updated to incorporate changes resulting from court interpretations and rulings, legal precedent, and nuances.
AIA documents are flexible.
AIA documents can be easily modified to accommodate individual project demands. Such changes are easily distinguished from the original, printed language.
AIA documents are easy to interpret.
AIA documents use the commong meaning of words and phrases. Industry and legal jargon is avoided whenever possible.
Document Summary
The AIA Documents Synopses is a quick reference for determining the appropriate uses for each of the contracts administrative forms published by the American Institute of Architects. That purpose naturally presumes independent judgment on the reader’s part, as well as advice of counsel. This introduction is intended to provide an overview for readers who are not yet familiar with the AIA documents.
There are over 80 AIA contracts and administrative forms in print today. The ancestor of all of these was the Uniform Contract, an owner-contractor agreement, first published in 1888. This was followed, in 1911, by AIA’s first standardized general conditions for construction. The 1997 edition of AIA Document A201 is the fifteenth edition of those general conditions.
Many Practices common in the construction industry today became established through their inclusion in AIA’s general conditions and its other standardized documents. Arbitration, the one-year correction period, and the architect’s role in deciding disputes are just three of these. And while the AIA documents have had a profound influence on the industry, the influence also runs the other way. The AIA regularly revises its documents to take into account recent developments in the construction industry and the law. New standardized documents for design/build and for different types of construction management have been published in recent years, and documents for international practice are now under consideration.
Because the AIA documents are frequently updated, users should consult an AIA component chapter or obtain a current copy of the AIA Contract Documents Price List to determine the current editions.
The documents’ relationship to the industry influencing it, and in turn being influenced by it-is paralleled by their relationship to the law. The AIA documents are intended for nationwide use, and are not drafted to conform to the law of any one state. With that caveat, however, AIA contract documents provide a solid basis of contract provisions that are enforceable under the law existing at the time of publication. Case law on contracts for design and construction has for the past century been based largely on the language of AIA standardized documents and contracts derived from them. These court cases are listed in The American Institute of Architects Legal Citator. Recent cases are summarized, and all cases are keyed to the specific provisions in the AIA documents to which they relate.
Sample copies of the entire set of AIA standard forms of agreement and related documents are contained in
The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice and companion CD.