ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the roles of the contract administrator, the contractor and the client, outlining their duties and rights. It looks at some of the provisions in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Building Contracts that aim to ensure best practice management procedures are applied to projects. The contract administrator is appointed by the client, and its duties and liabilities are owed to the client as set out in its terms of appointment. The RIBA Building Contracts are clear that the contract administrator remains responsible for any integration. The contractor is also required to ensure that its design meets the client’s requirements. The RIBA Building Contracts contain an option to set a strict liability obligation, in place of reasonable skill and care. The RIBA Building Contracts place more emphasis on management, and have more provisions concerning meetings, co-ordination and communication, than do other equivalent contracts.
