Owner's consultants vs architect's consultants: know the difference before the ARE tests you on it. In this episode, we break down who hires who on a construction project, where the liability falls, and why getting this wrong can cost you your career.
Every project has two teams of consultants. The architect's team designs what's going to be there. The owner's consultants deal with what's already there, the land, the soil, the surveys, the environmental hazards. That distinction sounds simple, but the liability implications run deep.
We break down the existing versus proposed framework, the hard rules about never hiring a geotechnical engineer or surveyor as the architect, and the difference between basic coordination and supplemental coordination services. We also cover why "coordinate" and "manage" mean very different things in contract language, and how AIA B101 handles reasonable reliance on owner-provided information.
📝 Key Topics Covered:
Owner's consultants vs architect's consultants
The existing vs proposed framework for identifying consultant responsibility
Why architects should never hire the geotech, surveyor, or hazmat consultant
Basic coordination vs supplemental coordination
The coordinate vs manage vocabulary distinction
AIA B101 reasonable reliance on owner-provided information
Professional liability insurance exclusions for ground conditions
How this shows up on PcM, PjM, and CE exams
⏱️ Chapters:
(0:00) Introduction
(2:47) Two Types of Consultants
(17:24) Owner's Responsibility for Existing Conditions
(20:33) How This Shows Up on the Exam
(22:41) Wrap-Up
📖 Read the full blog post and show notes: Owner's Consultants: Know Where Your Liability Ends
📝 Download the free study notes: Free Owner's Consultants Study Notes
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