Comparative Analysis between AIA and DBIA Contract Documents:.

Integrated Project Delivery has emerged as a popular in project delivery methods in the past decade partially, because construction projects have become more complex with tight budgets and more strenuous schedules. According to the American Institute of Architects (2007), "Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a project delivery approach that integrates people, systems, business structures and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimize project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction" (p. 2). IPD integrates project teams in order to take full advantage of the knowledge of all the project's key stakeholders. In response to this trend the American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a new set of transitional documents in 2008 including A195, B195, and A295, which are geared towards integrated design and construction. Particularly, AIA Document A295, General Conditions of the Contract for Integrated Project Delivery outlines the roles of the Owner, Architect, and Contractor with a number of similarities to the Design-Build Institute of America's (DBIA) Document No. 535, Standard Form of General Conditions of Contract Between Owner and Design-Builder. While there is very limited information available on whether or not any projects have been completed using one of AIA's new transitional documents, they have stirred up numerous questions among professionals in the industry in regards to they compare to DBIA, which is widely used set of documents. Thus, the objective of this paper is to compare AIA document 295 and DBIA document 535 to highlight the similarities and differences between the two documents. One of the main findings was that the AIA document is more prescriptive compare with the DBIA document, which is more flexible. This comparison contributes to the body of knowledge by allowing owners to make educated decisions regarding which document to use for their Design-Build projects. In addition, faculty and students will benefit by increasing their understanding about the content of both contract documents. Upon graduation, engineering and construction management students will enter the industry where they will most likely work on this type of projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]