Small Firm Exchange

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Small Firm Round Table .
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The Small Firm Round Table will be meeting with the Contract Document Staff in March. What is working for you in our contract documents and what would you like to see changed or added?
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Linna Frederick FAIA
Principal
Frederick & Frederick Architects
Beaufort SC
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Jane:

First, congratulations on your elevation to Fellowship.

As far as Contract Docs, five years ago the Component Partnerships Committee recommended that the AIA develop a series of single page documents for very simple projects that could be mass marketed to Home Depot, Lowes, etc.  This serves as both a source of revenue, plus it creates an awareness in a mass market about the profession and AIA.

I would strongly suggest that Small Firm Roundtable make this happen.
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Walter Hainsfurther FAIA
Kurtz Associates Architects
Des Plaines IL
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I agree with Walter - simple single page documents for small projects would be extremely helpful. 

I would also like to offer another suggestion, although I suspect it will not be popular with the bean counters at AIA.  I believe that the contract documents are one of the biggest benefits offered to the profession - contracts are a vital part of doing business.  My suggestion is to add value to the AIA membership by lowering the cost, to members, of the contract documents and raising the cost to non-members.  I believe that if the pricing structure was sent to actually encourage joining rather than discourage joining, we would all be better served.  Non-members should pay substantially more for the documents created by an organization they've chosen not to support.

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Mark T. Humitz, AIA LEED AP
Project Manager
Cornwell Architects
Traverse City MI, 49686
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-16-2012 09:21
From: Walter Hainsfurther
Subject: Contract Documents


Jane:

First, congratulations on your elevation to Fellowship.

As far as Contract Docs, five years ago the Component Partnerships Committee recommended that the AIA develop a series of single page documents for very simple projects that could be mass marketed to Home Depot, Lowes, etc.  This serves as both a source of revenue, plus it creates an awareness in a mass market about the profession and AIA.

I would strongly suggest that Small Firm Roundtable make this happen.
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Walter Hainsfurther FAIA
Kurtz Associates Architects
Des Plaines IL
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