Modifying AIA Contract Documents: Advanced Strategies for Owners, Developers, and Contractors
Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
Intermediate
- work Practice Area
Real Property - Transactions
- event Date
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
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This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
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This CLE course will provide construction counsel with advanced strategies for amending and modifying standard AIA contract documents. The panel will outline how counsel for owners, developers, and contractors can best modify these standard construction agreements--including drafting global riders to ensure consistency--to enhance project profitability and protect client interests.
Mr. Manhart is a Shareholder at Perkins Thompson and a member of the Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy, Construction Law, Litigation, Banking and Financial Services, and Business and Corporate Law practice groups.
Mr. Rubinstein is Co-Chair of the firm's Construction Law group, and a member of the firm's Litigation and Professional Liability groups. He regularly represents public and private clients, as well as insurance companies and their insureds, in complex commercial disputes, with an emphasis on matters involving construction issues and financial professionals. Mr. Rubenstein has practical industry experience in both the construction and financial services industries, having worked at a Manhattan construction management firm and at "Big 6" accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, LLP, before beginning his practice as a civil trial lawyer.
AIA contract documents are the industry standard for managing contractual relationships in construction and design projects.
But despite their widespread use, AIA standard contracts often fail to protect the interests of particular clients. The AIA documents usually do not address with specificity many elements of highly individualized construction projects, such as pre-construction services, leases, contingencies, and insurance specifics. Failure to address these fundamental issues can place the entire project in jeopardy and trigger the potential for costly litigation.
Further, because of the differences between individual projects, the needs of different owners, and variations in specific jurisdictions, the AIA standard form agreements often require modification. But the AIA standard documents are highly complementary and designed to avoid overlaps and gaps in the rights and duties of the contracting parties. Consequently, counsel must carefully consider amendments because a change to a provision in one section or document may require a corresponding modification in another to avoid inevitable conflicts and inconsistencies.
Listen as our authoritative panel of construction lawyers provides insights and practical guidance for amending and modifying standard AIA contract documents--including drafting global riders to ensure consistency--to enhance project profitability and protect client interests.
I. Overview of AIA documents and the 2017 revisions
II. Common AIA contract issues and gaps
III. Advanced drafting strategies
A. Revising existing provisions
B. Inserting additional clauses
C. Incorporation by reference of additional documents
D. Cross-referencing
E. Global riders
F. Examples
IV. Final considerations
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What are the most common problems with the AIA standard contracts?
- What is missing in the AIA documents?
- What are best practices for modifying and amending these forms?
- In what ways are AIA documents incomplete?
- How can counsel incorporate RFPs and LOIs?
- How can global riders be drafted to modify the standard AIA contracts?
- What are best practices for ensuring project-wide consistency?
- What practical drafting strategies will reduce the likelihood of disputes and offer significant advantages if disputes arise?
