If the contractor is to provide engineering or architectural services, what responsibility lies with the contracted architect of record for the project?

• A. The architect and owner must specify all design and performance criteria that the services must satisfy.
• B. The contractor alone determines the criteria.
• C. The design professional sets the criteria with input from the city.
• D. No criteria are required.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that defining what must be designed and how it must perform is a task shared by the owner and the architect of record, not the contractor. When the contractor provides engineering or architectural services, the design and performance criteria—often described as the project’s program or owner’s requirements—must be established by the owner in collaboration with the architect. This ensures the contractor’s work is guided by clear, approved objectives and performance standards reflected in the contract documents. The contractor then uses those criteria to develop means, methods, and coordination to meet them. The city may provide codes and regulations, but they do not replace the responsibility to specify the project criteria.