Lawyer Monthly - January 2022 Edition

hat role does a contract administrator play in a construction project? This role is truly the nerve centre of the project. The Construction Contract Administrator (CCA) is responsible for developing, interpreting, reviewing, and enforcing all construction documentation. This includes managing quality assurance and quality control; bidding and negotiating procedures; construction observation and inspection; Division 01 contracts, which lay out the duties of the owner, contractors, and architects/engineers; General and Supplemental Conditions; all agreements related to the project, and enforcement and liability. What professionals are qualified to be a CCA? Individuals who possess deep knowledge and skill sets through education and experience make for good CCAs. While a qualified CCA does not necessarily need to be a licensed design professional, a certification earned through a respected and trusted professional organisation confirms someone has these critical, refined skill sets. W Construction Contract Administration: Documentation and quality assurance on any large-scale construction project is the responsibility of a construction contract administrator. Often, this person’s expertise is crucial in ensuring the completion of a project to its specifications, thus making their preparedness for the job a matter of vital importance. David Wojcik of Wojcik + Associates Architects shares with us some insight about this role and its importance for avoiding legal complications during and after construction. 70 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | JAN 2022 EXPERT INSIGHT In my experience, the Architect of Record (AOR) – the entity most intimately connected with the construction documents – makes for the most qualified CCA. Can you tell us more about the contract administration process at WAA? Delivering construction contract administration services is quite typical on large projects. However, I see substantially underserved markets in the residential, small commercial and hospitality project areas. The process starts with bidding assistance and contract phase tasks. When construction begins, a myriad of tasks are set in motion, including multiple site observations, documenting those observations with notes and photographs, preparing bulletins, documenting construction change directives and the architect’s supplemental instructions for necessary design changes, review and certification of contractor payment requests, responding to contractor requests for information, issuing clarifications, and reviewing and rejecting non-conforming work. At times, we are asked to administer the construction contract on projects where we are not the AOR. This happens when the client wants our knowledge and attention to detail to provide a high level of assurance that their expectations will be met. Some projects require Individuals who possess deep knowledge and skill sets through education and experience make for good CCAs. Why It Matters