Are You Managing Risks of Design/Build Teams or Contractor Terminations?

The AIA Trust published two risk reports to their website, one exploring the risks associated with contractor terminations and the other about the risks associated with design/build teams.

Contractor Termination Lawsuits: The Architect’s Risks and How to Manage Them, a risk report authored by Bryan Hale, Esq., is aimed at helping architects understand the variables when an owner declares a contractor in default of a construction contract.  These variables include the parties likely to sue the architect, the claims likely to be made by particular parties, the stages of a construction project most likely to foster disputes, and the legal defenses available to the architect.

The new risk report, To Have and to Hold, in Sickness and in Health: Strategies for Managing Risk on Design/Build Teams by Jonathan C. Shoemaker, is aimed at helping members understand the risks associated with participating on a design-build team in order to better assess and manage these risks. By considering how to choose the right partner, how to determine the right contractual structure for the design-build team, and how to manage the risks allocated to the design professional, the prudent architect will be better equipped when considering the pros and cons of participating in a design-build team.

The AIA Trust wants AIA members to gain a better understanding of defensive measures that they can employ in their practices and their contracts to lessen risk, avoid liability, and limit exposure.