Masonry Magazine June 1987 Page. 17
The next record to keep is a copy of all pre-job conference meeting minutes. These minutes generally outline the responsibilities of the members of the project, and clarify any particular project requirements. Keep and file negotiations pertaining to your subcontract agreement with the general contractor. Compare the subcontract agreement with these notes prior to signing the agreement. If no negotiations are held, you may be able to cross out certain areas of the subcontract agreement which appear too onerous. State any exceptions to the bid documents in the subcontract agreement.
A note of caution is in order at this point. If you are bidding to a general contractor previously unknown to you, you may want to include in your quote that your bid is based upon the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Document 401 Subcontract Agreement. General contractors frequently generate their own subcontract form which is written completely in their favor. To avoid this situation, use the AIA document which is more equitable to both parties.
Subcontract agreements should indicate a limited scope of work. Include your scope in your bid to the prime contractor. A limited scope of work might, for example, be evidenced by a statement that work will be performed in accordance with sheets M1-M15 of the contract drawings and Section 15 of the specifications. This statement will limit the amount of work that the prime contractor can require you to perform without a change order, even if additional
work is shown on other portions of the plans or elsewhere in the specifications. Once you have your contract obligations clarified, keep as your first item of job-related documentation a Contract Notification Checklist. Indicate on this checklist all areas of the contract's general and special conditions, as well as subcontract provisions that refer to written notice requirements for claims. Keep the list in your field office so that the people involved in the day to day field operations are aware of the requirements.
Before you begin work on any project, the first items you are required to give the general contractor or owner are the submittals and catalog information on material and equipment you plan to use. Keep track of the status on approvals of these items using a submittal log. Track the shop drawings so that you know which ones are still in the hands of the general contractor or the architect. You don't ever want to begin work on an area and subsequently find out that the equipment or material is not on the site, or, worse yet, that the shop drawings have not been approved. If the material is a special design, you may be delayed from 6 to 12 weeks while awaiting receipt. This delay could cause the general contractor to file a claim against you.
The most important document to be kept is the daily field report. During the performance of work on a project, claims avoidance begins with the documentation of all events that occur which were not anticipated. Note any delays associated with clari-
CONTRACT NOTIFICATION CHECKLIST
| TYPE OF CHANGE | CLAUSES IN CONTRACT (ARTICLE OR SECTION NO.) | CLAUSES IN GENERAL OR SPECIAL CONDITIONS | IS WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIRED? | WRITTEN AUTHORITY REQUIRED? BY WHOM? | NO. OF DAYS TO NOTIFY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acceleration | | | | | |
| Arbitration | | | | | |
| Bonds | | | | | |
| Change Orders | | | | | |
| Claims, Constructive Changes | | | | | |
| Cleaning-Up | | | | | |
| Coordination, Cooperation | | | | | |
| Cost, Pricing, Audits | | | | | |
| Cutting and Patching | | | | | |
| Damages for Delay | | | | | |
| Davis-Bacon Act | | | | | |
| Differing (Concealed) Conditions | | | | | |
| Disputes | | | | | |
| Drawing & Specifications | | | | | |
| Errors and Omissions | | | | | |
| Equitable Adjustments | | | | | |
MASONRY-MAY/JUNE, 1987 17