The AIA A201 General Conditions is structured to provide for both single prime and multiple prime contract projects. It is used in partnership with the A101 (Stipulated Sum), A102 (Cost Plus Fee/GMP), or A102 (Cost Plus Fee) Owner/Contractor Agreements. A201 Article 6 provides the framework for Contractor coordination with the Owner's separate contracts.
MasterSpec provides for more explicit detailing of the scopes of the separate prime contractors in several sections in the Division 01 General Requirements. Section 01 12 00 Multiple Contract Summary provides a location for a description of the scope of each prime contract and the identification of the Project Coordinator (frequently but not always the General Construction Contractor). Section 01 31 00 Project Management and Coordination provides details on the coordination activities between the separate prime contractors. Section 01 50 00 Temporary Facilities and Controls spells out the assignment of temporary facility installation and operation among the separate primes (always a sticking point on these projects).
The Architect typically does not assume responsibility for assigning work to the various trades (A201 Para. 1.2.2). Multiple prime contracts are an exception. The specifications, and to some extent the drawings themselves, need to delineate the scopes of work of the separate contracts very specifically, with special attention to certain crossover areas that may not be enforced by trade habits. These include early site work vs. underslab preparation by general building; trenching for facility service trades; interface between electrical contract and equipment installers; responsibility for data/comm wireways; and building controls in general. This requires careful coordination work with the engineering disciplines, who hopefully have done this before. An owner budget line item for contract interface contingencies is unavoidable; hopefully your Owner, who is trying to realize savings by avoiding the perceived general contractor markup, is realistic about this.
You can assume that in the absence of a Construction Manager that administration of multiple prime contracts will require significantly more time and effort on the Architect's part.
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Philip Kabza AIA
Partner and Dir Technical Services
SpecGuy
Charlotte NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-18-2011 08:34
From: Karin Cooper
Subject: Multiple Prime Contracts
I am seeking advice on managing Multiple Prime Contracts: General Trades, Mechanical/Plumbing, and Electrical. The Owner expects that the General Trades contractor will coordinate the work and the schedule for the project. Is there an AIA Owner-Contractor agreement that addresses the coordination required between contractors? Any tips on modifications to the specs that will clearly delineate the work?
Any advice is appreciated.
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Karin Cooper AIA
Project Architect
U. P. Engineers & Architects Inc.
Houghton MI
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