The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced today the results of its 2008 Market Surveys Report which gauges the industry's opinions and ongoing experience with AIA Contract Documents. The AIA surveyed architects, commercial contractors, owner/developers and construction attorneys six months after making updates to its Contract Documents and launching Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide (The Guide). The survey results show that one of the top perceived benefits of AIA Contract Documents is that the documents are widely-accepted in the construction industry, a benefit that is bolstered by findings that the respondents’ choice is to use standard documents that are accepted across the industry. The additional top benefits include that using AIA Contract Documents saves time and that they are fair and balanced for all parties.
Of the entire sample of lawyers, contractors, owners, architects and developers, 89 percent agreed that AIA Contract Documents are widely-accepted in the construction industry. In addition, two-thirds of respondents, including 82 percent of commercial contractors, agree that the documents are written to be fair and balanced for all parties, and nearly 8 in 10 construction law attorneys use the documents to save time.
“AIA Contract Documents are the most respected and widely-used standard documents in the design and construction industry,” said Molly Lindblom, managing director Contract Documents American Institute of Architects. “We work with a cross section of the industry to ensure our agreements fairly balance the interests of contracting parties. These survey results represent the AIA’s commitment to providing documents that benefit the entire industry.”
As the design and construction industry evolves, AIA Contract Documents continue to be regarded as the “industry standard” because of the introduction of resources, such as The Guide, which reflects changes in the industry and provides a road map for navigating this new delivery model. The AIA also recently released two types of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Agreements and will be introducing an SPE Member Services Agreement and SPE Owner Agreement this fall.
For more information about AIA Contract Documents or to download The Guide, visit www.aiacontractdocuments.org.
