Ready to use legal template

Drafted by experienced lawyers

Compliant with Filipino law

Ready to use legal template

Drafted by lawyers

Compliant with Filipino law

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Learn more about Architect Contract in Philippines

An Architect Contract defining the nature and scope of the architect’s tasks or interventions, and the terms of his remuneration. The responsibility of the architect is to be involved in all phases of the creation and construction of the space. In general, he is responsible for the management of the project. Download this Architect Contract template that contains all necessary clauses to protect you when carrying out an expensive real estate construction project. You can also download the Real Estate Purchase Agreement, the Construction Contract or even the Interior Design Contract depending on the nature of the work to be carried out.

Table of contents


What is an Architect Contract?

A legal agreement that defines the obligations and rights of the parties involved in a construction project is known as an Architect Contract. A detailed agreement between a corporation or developer and an architect is required.

An Architect Agreement guarantees that all parties understand what is anticipated, who will do what, how long the project will take, how much it will cost, and when it will be completed. Before work begins, it is also vital that all parties understand any deadlines or the procedure for scope revisions.

What is included in the Architect Contract?

Your Architect Agreement should explicitly specify all of your project’s terms, duties, parties, and deliverables. To accomplish so, you must develop a comprehensive document that includes all of the necessary sections.

The parties and project details

Your Architect Agreement’s cover page is created to identify each party participating in the contract. It is intended to serve as an introduction to the project (s).

In general, this area of the contract is where you would create a connection and your purpose to work with a customer or organization. It’s also a good idea to include the contract’s start date as well as both parties’ contact details, such as their address and phone number.

The list of services

You may wear multiple hats as a freelance architect, but that doesn’t imply you provide full-service solutions to all of your customers. As a result, you must properly document all of the services for which you are exclusively accountable. To ensure client satisfaction at the end of the project, we recommend you to be as transparent as possible.

As vital as it is to provide a list of the services you will give, it is as necessary to clarify the services you will not provide. Clients that want you to accomplish things outside of your architect’s scope are not unusual. You can escape any duties you weren’t compensated for if you mention the services you don’t provide.

The architect’s fees

Take the time to cover your rates and costs to ensure that you are fairly compensated. This area of your documentation should not only provide quantities, but also how you charge your client. Do you provide financing? Will you bill by the hour or by the project?

If you pick a fixed fee per project, your overall rate should be determined by the amount of time you expect to spend on the assignment. Remember to factor in the cost of supplies! While this strategy is sometimes the easiest, contractors may lose money if they underestimate their time.

When an architect charges by the hour, they must keep detailed records of every time spent on projects. This guarantees that proper remuneration is provided even if the project takes longer than anticipated. This strategy, though, may cause you to exceed a client’s budget, so you should disclose expected expenses in any situation.

The architect project's timeline

Your project timeframe is the next item to put in your architect agreement. When you take the time to construct a clear timeline for all of your projects, you can keep track of the schedule and progress for both sides.

While it may be tempting to write an attractive schedule in order to obtain a contract, you should also be realistic in order to avoid disappointment or disagreements. The creation of an accurate chronology is more vital. You can do so by thinking about:

➤ Architecture Services
➤ Your Schedule for Freelancing
➤ The Project's Purpose
➤ Your Boundaries
➤ Potentially Extenuating Circumstances

Terms for indemnity, liability, and insurance

Architects have several duties and may be involved in a legal battle if something goes wrong. This is especially true when it comes to the design process and project management.

As a result, we propose include an indemnification clause or insurance in your papers. The architect’s obligation should be confined to the project mentioned in the contract, according to your agreement.

What is the scope of work of an architect?

The following services must be provided by the Architect:

➤ Taking the client's requirements and creating the design brief
➤ Evaluation, analysis, and impact of present and/or planned development on the site's immediate surrounds
➤ Site design and development
➤ Design of structures
➤ Design of sanitary, plumbing, drainage, water supply, and sewage systems
➤ Electrical, electronic, communication, and design systems
➤ Design of HVAC and other mechanical systems
➤ Elevators, escalators, and so on
➤ Fire detection, fire prevention, and security systems, among other things
➤ Construction work inspection and assessment on a regular basis

Why do you need an Architect Contract?

Contract disagreements are unavoidable. A written contract guarantees that each party has recourse in the event of a disagreement. A normal contract will cover the needs of the owner, the extent of services offered by the architect, the money to be paid, who owns the service instruments, and termination.

The scope of the job, the pay offered and its conditions, the project timetable, insurance needs, correction of work terms, and terms connected with changes in the scope of services or work are all topics that small company owners should consider.

The contract should cover the owner’s basic project requirements, the owner’s budget, the owner’s schedule, the architect’s design and construction phase obligations, basic and additional compensation such as an early completion bonus, ownership of service instruments, both parties’ right to terminate services, and the standard operating procedure for a termination.

What are the responsibilities of an Architect?

1. Offer consumers counseling services

Aside from architectural services, they also provide counseling or advising services to customers in order to assist them achieve the best potential conclusion with their construction.

They advise customers on the various stages of construction sites and the best type(s) of design for the building. In this way, they ensure that their clients obtain the greatest potential results from their initiatives.

Similarly, an architect meets with the customer to discuss the project’s goals and various design alternatives in order to assess their feasibility during development.

2. Create a design (or designs) for a construction project

Architects are in charge of designing building projects. They have vast experience drawing or creating, among other things, apartments, office buildings, and shopping malls.

They are also capable of developing customised designs as envisioned by the customer, as well as advising on the advantages and disadvantages of such concepts.

3. Design development and planning

Following the completion of the final building plan, the architect plans and creates the design in conjunction with other construction professionals. They guarantee that the plumbing, construction, ventilation, electrical, and heating systems are all in working order.

4. Understanding and applying various housing laws to construction work

Every state has its own set of regulations or ordinances that control the construction process. An architect is responsible for understanding these guidelines and incorporating them into the design as it is created.

This will help the client avoid future issues with the government or the law, particularly if the issue is connected to how the structure was constructed.

5. Identifying the features of the construction site in order to understand its restrictions and potential.

An architect is also in charge of visiting the construction site to assess its restrictions and opportunities.

This is an important activity that is frequently completed in order to deliver excellent work to the consumer.The architect studies or inspects the site to determine the feasibility of constructing the proposed construction. He evaluates the likelihood of the structure’s success once completed.

Following that, he advises the buyer on the advantages and disadvantages of constructing on the site.

Architects who have earned land surveying certification will be able to assess how well the soil can support the weight of the building in order to create a solid foundation and structure.

6. Assist customers in securing government approval.

In any state, you must acquire approval from the state government before commencing construction work. This can be done by obtaining a building permit or license.

Architects are usually in responsible of securing government licenses on behalf of the client, depending on the structure and scale of the project to be created. They typically present the structure’s plan to the government for study and research before granting approval.

What are the client's responsibilities?

In conjunction with the project and the Architect’s engagement, the Client must meet the following requirements:

1. Specify the project requirements.

2. To provide papers proving property lease/ownership.

3. Create a site plan to a reasonable size, indicating borders, contours at acceptable intervals, existing physical features such as any existing roads, footpaths, trees, structures, existing service and utility lines, and such lines to which the proposed service can be linked. If such information is not readily available, the Client should organize for and pay for a vital information survey/collection.

4. To supply the architect with reports on soil conditions and testing, or to pay for their production.

5. To provide specific conditions/statutory requirements/codes of practice/rate schedules, etc., that must be followed.

6. To pay all legal costs, taxes, security deposits, and expenditures.

7. To follow the professional advice of the Architect and make no changes to the drawings or paperwork without the Architect’s consent.

8. Paying the architect’s invoices within one month of receiving them.

9. On the advice of the Architect, choose a Construction Manager (Clerk of Works/Site Supervisor or Construction Management Agency if the project is large and difficult).

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