Who forwards warranties, records, and related documents for owner review and issues the final certificate for payment?

• A. The architect
• B. The contractor
• C. The owner
• D. A joint inspection board

Answer: (A)

The architect serves as the contract administrator and representative for the owner, handling project closeout and payment certification. Part of this role is to gather and forward warranties, maintenance manuals, guarantees, and other record documents to the owner for review as the project wraps up. The architect also issues the final certificate for payment after confirming that the work is complete and all contract conditions for final payment have been met. The contractor submits payment applications, but it is the architect who certifies payments. The owner doesn’t issue the final payment certificate, and a joint inspection board isn’t a standard element of the AIA A201 process.