Construction administration (CA) is the phase of an architect's or engineer's services that runs during construction. The design firm observes the work, reviews submittals, answers RFIs, evaluates changes, certifies payment applications, and determines substantial completion. CA is a design-side service; it is a different role from construction management.
What CA covers
The scope is set in the owner-architect agreement; in AIA Document B101-2017 it is §3.6, Construction Phase Services. The recurring duties:
- Site observation. Periodic visits to become generally familiar with progress and to check whether the work, when complete, will conform to the contract documents. Observation is not inspection or supervision; means and methods stay with the contractor.
- Submittal review. Checking shop drawings, product data, and samples for conformance with design intent.
- Responding to RFIs. Answering the contractor's written questions about the documents within the contract's response window.
- Changes. Preparing ASIs for minor clarifications and evaluating change orders and construction change directives for the owner.
- Payment certification. Reviewing the contractor's monthly application and certifying the amount the architect believes is due.
- Completion. Reviewing the punch list, determining substantial completion, and closing out the contract.
Why the phase matters to design firms
CA is where the design firm's exposure concentrates. Most of the correspondence that later surfaces in disputes, RFI responses, submittal actions, field reports, meeting minutes, and payment certifications, is produced during this phase, on deadlines, by people who are simultaneously running other projects. Firms that treat CA as an afterthought staff it thin and discover the cost in claims. Firms that treat it as a core service protect both the design intent and their fee.
Construction administration vs construction management
The names are close; the roles are not.
| Construction administration (CA) | Construction management (CM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who performs it | The architect or engineer of record | A construction manager or CM firm |
| Works for | The design contract with the owner | A separate CM contract with the owner |
| Core duty | Administer the design contract: observe, review, certify | Manage delivery: cost, schedule, trade coordination |
| Builds anything? | No | Sometimes (CM at risk holds the trade contracts) |
In one sentence: CA administers the contract from the design side, CM manages the construction itself. On projects with both, the architect still performs CA even though a CM runs day-to-day delivery.
Related terms
- Contract administration: the architect's formal role under the general conditions, the contractual core of CA.
- RFI and submittal: the two highest-volume CA workflows.
- Punch list: the closeout instrument CA ends with.
Frequently asked questions
Is construction administration the same as construction management? No. Construction administration is the architect's or engineer's service during construction, administering the design contract. Construction management is a delivery role, managing cost, schedule, and trade coordination, performed by a CM firm under its own contract.
Does the architect supervise construction during CA? No. The architect observes the work periodically and reports to the owner. Supervision, means and methods, and site safety remain the contractor's responsibility under the general conditions.
What does the architect certify during CA? Payment applications (the amount due to the contractor each period) and completion milestones, including substantial completion. Certification is a professional judgment based on observation, and the standard forms say so.
Is CA included in the architect's basic fee? Under standard AIA agreements, construction phase services are part of basic services, but scope varies by contract. Site-visit frequency, extended CA on delayed projects, and CM-led projects all change the picture; the owner-architect agreement governs.
Why do RFIs and submittals belong to CA? Both are contract-defined communications that require the design team's review or response during construction, so they sit inside the construction phase services scope.
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