AGC members unanimously vote against A201 Endorsement

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) announced on October 12 that its board of directors unanimously voted not to endorse the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) A201 (2007 edition) General Terms and Conditions document. This marks the first time in 50 years that an edition of the document did not merit AGC's endorsement. "Our members believe that the A201 does not reflect the collaboration that is necessary for a successful project," said AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr. AGC conducted extensive member outreach for more than three years through its chapters, committees, and divisions, as well as an owner-advisory group before reaching an endorsement decision. In particular, AGC chapters throughout the United States urged AGC not to endorse the document. AGC's members expressed deep concerns that the new edition does not fairly balance risk among all parties but instead significantly shifts risk to general contractors and other parties outside of the design profession. The membership also warned that the A201 did not positively serve the industry as a standard document. "Fundamentally, the A201 mandates a command-and-control approach that is in stark contrast to the more collaborative and innovative direction of our rapidly changing industry," said Sandherr. "However, we hope to renew stronger collaborative efforts with AIA to develop documents to better serve the industry." The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States. AGC represents more than 32,000 firms, including 7,000 of America's leading general contractors, and over 11,000 specialty-contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with AGC through a nationwide network of chapters. Visit the AGC Web site at www.agc.org. AGC members are "Building Your Quality of Life."