What must the architect do with certificates of payment?

• A. Sign and deliver payment certificates to the contractor
• B. Review and certify the amounts due and issue certificates of payment
• C. Provide unaudited estimates to the owner
• D. Approve only after owner approval

Answer: (B)

The key idea is the architect’s duty to determine and certify the amount owed for work performed. In this contract framework, the architect reviews the contractor’s application for payment, checks that the work billed aligns with the contract documents, accounts for approved changes, and considers any deductions for incomplete work or retainage. After this review, the architect issues a certificate of payment for the amount that is due to the contractor. This certification becomes the basis for the owner to pay the contractor.

This isn’t just about signing a document or delivering a pay certificate without review, which would bypass verification. It also isn’t about providing unaudited estimates to the owner, since the amount must be certified as due after proper review. And the architect’s action does not require owner approval before certification; the architect acts as the owner’s agent to certify the payment amount, with the owner able to dispute or withhold payment if warranted.