As Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Architects, which regulates architectural practice in our province, I recently shared some of our resources related to public procurement—including the free, downloadable OAA Contract Suite 2021.
Now, in this followup article, I want to explore how you can use these balanced, standardized contracts and guides as tools for your architectural services projects. When it comes to RFPs, they can assist you with elaborating project scope, finding consistency in terminology, and managing expectations between your team and your future project consultants.
These contracts were developed in consultation with construction law specialists, insurance experts, architects, and clients to yield template documents that are aligned with industry standards as well as fair and balanced approaches for all parties involved. In other words, these customizable contracts designed not solely for our members, but rather for anyone in the public realm requiring architectural services. This includes, of course, OPBA members.
As the regulatory body for the architecture profession in Ontario, the OAA prioritizes serving and protecting the public interest. This encompasses a commitment to promoting balanced procurement processes.
Streamlined Solutions for Architectural Projects
Widely used throughout the construction industry for architectural services, standard contracts provide a consistent language and framework for agreements between owners, architects, contractors, consultants, and subconsultants. Appending an OAA standard contract to an RFP for architectural services brings many benefits. It builds trust, simplifies the bidding and contracting processes, and saves time. By including standard contracts in RFPs, project stakeholders promote clarity and collaboration while ensuring fairness and mitigating risks.
True to its name, the OAA Contract Suite 2021 consists of several contract templates. The two main types—OAA 600-2021 A (long-form contract) and OAA 800-2021 A (short-form contract)—are designed to be used between an OAA Certificate of Practice holder and a client for any of your architectural projects.
OAA 600-2021 A (OAA Standard Form of Contract for Architect’s Services) provides a comprehensive framework for more complex projects, covering a range of provisions and considerations to ensure a detailed and fair contractual relationship between all involved parties. This contract addresses roles, responsibilities, liabilities, and dispute resolution while adhering to regulations and industry best practices, simplifying the project process.
OAA 800-2021 A (OAA Standard Short Form of Contract for Architect’s Services) serves as the condensed version of the long-form contract (i.e. OAA 600). It has been specifically designed for smaller-scale projects where a more streamlined and simpler approach is sufficient.
Corresponding usage guides and instructions for these contracts, which provide background information on how to fill out and use the templates, can be found in the links above. However, for a better overview of the OAA, these standard contracts, additional tools on our website, and items to consider when putting RFPs together for architectural services, I invite you to attend a special webinar hosted by my colleagues next month as part of the OPBA Talks sessions.
Registering for the OAA/OPBA Webinar
On October 19, from 10:00 to 11:30, two members of the OAA’s Practice Advisory Services (PAS) team, AllenHumphries and Mélisa Audet, will provide valuable insight for procurement specialists by showcasing our Association’s roles, tools, and processes used to put together the free standardized contracts. They will also pinpoint key items for consideration when assembling RFPs.
You can register now for this online event, which will explore the mandate of the OAA (and how it relates to other regulated professions such as lawyers and engineers). Allen and Mélisa will highlight the use of these standard contracts in your procurement team’s architectural RFPs, and offer ways our PAS team can support your organization.
To this end, in addition to registering for the webinar, I invite OPBA members to explore the OAA Website to learn more about qualifications-based selection (QBS), the hosting of architectural design competitions, and how to connect with our Practice Hotline that can address your questions related to a wide range of issues pertaining to the architectural profession and to the practice of architecture.
These resources are there to support you in safeguarding the ethical, efficient, and effective expenditure of public funds while also leading the way for quality-built projects that perform to the highest standards.
Kristi Doyle, Hons BA PPA, has served with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) for more than three decades, and been its Executive Director since 2011. Among her leadership duties, she supports the OAA’s governing Council in strategic decision-making as well as policy analysis and development. Kristi is actively involved with the other Canadian architectural regulators in dealing with issues of mutual interest and concern at a national level as well having been integral in the development and implementation of a number of national initiatives and programs. Kristi is a member of the Board of Directors of the Construction & Design Alliance Ontario (CDAO). She holds an Honours Degree in Public Policy and Administration from York University. She can be reached at kristid@oaa.on.ca.