The Tango Between General Contractors and Architects

General contractors and architects are hired by the property owner to work toward a common goal during construction projects, and yet the two sides do not always see eye to eye. One major point of disagreement is when it comes to materials.

"Both parties serve two very different purposes," said Chris Ring, of NACM's Secured Transaction Services. "The architect comes up with a design that is pleasing to the eye, and that design has to be translated to the general contractor who is in charge of the actual building. Those two worlds can easily collide."

The root of arguments between architects and contractors comes down to good design versus cost and time management. Few architects believe contractors propose material substitutions that serve the client's best interests, while most contractors report they best serve clients by ensuring the projects stay within budget and schedule, according to a report from the American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America.

"As an architect working for a GC, I've noticed that the details I used to draw (when I was a young architect) are no longer in the construction documents and are now required as 'shop drawing' submittals from my subcontractors," one respondent wrote. "Scope definition that was part of my job as a young architect has unintentionally become the responsibility of the general contractor (me) and my subcontractors. The specifications for design-bid-build projects are incomplete, incorrect, or, at their worst, unedited. It has led to major disputes on the construction site. I spend most of my time correcting the design when we are in the middle of construction."

Architects are focused on designing a structure that stands out and that vision does not always carry over to the contractor. For example, "when freedom tower was built, the architecture was specified and we knew it was going to be a huge project," explained Jerry Drake, CCE, director of credit and collections at Apogee Services, Inc (Owatonna, MN). "The glass that went into the building was super thick and big."

But if an architect and contractor can't agree on where to purchase the material or exactly what type, it can cost a lot of time and money. Ultimately, it's the property owner who has the final say of what material to purchase, but both parties try to plead their best case. "The architect may be looking at a supplier whose material is aesthetically pleasing but is not made by a dependable supplier, and the general contractor may try to convince the architect to switch to a replacement, especially if they already have a relationship with a certain supplier. We are kind of at the mercy of the architect in this case."

As a creditor, you don't want to sell that special material to just anyone, he added. "Sometimes the subcontractors who are hired by being the cheapest bidder are people who won't perform well on the job. If they aren't credit worthy, we try and get every protection we can and as a last resort will walk away."

-Annacaroline Caruso, editor in chief