In response to changes in the construction industry brought on by economic and market conditions and new green-building standards, ConsensusDOCS®, now a coalition of 31 members, released 11 new and updated standard form documents on January 19, 2011. The updated forms include some of the most frequently used owner/contractor agreements and subcontracts.

The ConsensusDOCS documents that have been revised include prime agreements for design-bid-build (200,205,240,245), design-build (410, 420), CM At-Risk (500), and the subcontracting agreements (750,751). The revisions include both long and short form agreements for those between the Owner and the Design-Professional, Owner and Constructor, and Constructor and Subcontractor. In addition, revised qualification statements for Contractors (221) and 721 (Subcontractors) were released. A minor revision to the ConsensusDOCS 300 Integrated Project Delivery Agreement was also made. New developments in building information modeling (BIM) and integrated project design (IPD) were key reasons in reassessing and refining these documents to accommodate and foster clearer communication between contracting parties.

In addition to revising the documents to better suit the current needs of the construction industry, ConsensusDOCS also introduced a few new documents. The new documents consist of the ConsensusDOCS 703 Standard Purchase Agreement, a form that provides terms and conditions and an order form for the purchase of material supplies. Furthermore, a new insurance exhibit was added for the ConsensusDOCS 725 Subsubcontract, a first-of-its-kind document in the industry. For legal comparisons and articles about the use of the various ConsensusDocs documents, click here. To view a redlined version of the changes to each form, click here.

Free ConsensusDOCS Webinar on Updates – March 31, 3-4:30 PM ET

To learn more about these changes, visit the ConsensusDOCS web site by clicking here or register for the free ConsensusDOCS webinar scheduled for March 31, 2011 from 3-4:30 pm ET that will review the updates to these documents. Participation is restricted to the first 500 participants. Register for the webinar by logging into the ConsensusDOCS website or by clicking here.

NASBP Supports Updates Made to ConsensusDOCS Documents

NASBP supports the updates and revisions made to the ConsensusDOCS forms. Chief Executive Officer Mark McCallum stated, “The difficult economic climate has underscored the importance of carefully-crafted, industry-accepted standard form documents. In such a climate, some parties may try to overreach on terms and conditions, adopting a short-term, and hopefully, short-lived strategy that ultimately is counterproductive to their interests,” he said, and added, “ConsensusDOCS® forms demonstrate the contract practices that fairly balance interests, benefitting construction projects and participants. Such a resource is invaluable to the construction industry. NASBP believes that the new agreement form editions come at an opportune time to expedite and stabilize industry transactions.”

To commemorate the launch, a live press announcement was held on January 19 in New York City followed by an informal celebration. Members of the ConsensusDOCS coalition, guests, and representatives of the press were in attendance. Engineering News Record magazine also announced the “earlier than expected changes” in an article celebrating the welcomed updates.

Standing (left to right): David Mendes (ASA), Stephen Rohrbach (ASA), Frank Monroe (PHCC), Brian Perlberg (ConsensusDOCS), Dudley Miles (ASC), Bob Pratt (ASPE), Frank Riggs (CFMA)
Sitting (left to right): Alan Watson (COAA), Eric Stenman (AGC), Phil Beck (AGC), Melissa Orien (COAA), Ted Argyle (COAA), Carole Bionda (ABC), Willcox Dunn (CMAA). Carrie Ciliberto of ConsensusDOCS took the picture.

Obtain samples and purchase ConsensusDOCS Documents at NASBP Discount

Sample documents are available on the ConsensusDOCS® website and the documents are also available for purchase. For convenience, ConsensusDOCS offers two ways to purchase the forms first, an annual subscription package and second, an a la carte Meter Mode system. Purchasing the subscription requires paying an annual fee, which allows unlimited access to the selected package for one year from its purchase. All subscription packages include access to updates and new releases as soon as they are available, and also unlimited printing of the contracts. The Meter Mode option offers convenient access requiring a $200 initial account deposit where document charges are debited from the account. The Meter Mode sytem allows users to download individual documents at their own pace, when they need them.

NASBP members, affiliates, and associates can receive up to 20% off their purchases of ConsensusDOCS standard contract documents if they insert the Partner Code, NASBP, and the Promotion Code, 400, when prompted during the purchase process from the ConsensusDOCS site.

NASBP is an endorsing organization of the ConsensusDOCS® coalition, an unprecedented effort by 31 industry organizations to identify industry best practices and to incorporate such practices in a new generation of consensus industry standard form documents.

For more information about how ConsensusDOCS can benefit the NASBP membership and their clients, click here.