On March 4, ConsensusDocs will launch its updated and redesigned ConsensusDocs website with its online store of the more than 100 ConsensusDocs standard form contract documents. Any new accounts created with ConsensusDocs will instantly have the free Pre-qualification & Bond Forms package of forms, as well as access to sample documents and the ability to collaborate with other ConsensusDocs users. In addition to the 11 ConsensusDocs bond forms, listed below, the package includes these pre-qualification forms: 220, 221, 222, 421, and 721. ConsensusDocs accounts will need moved to the new site; and, therefore, they will not be available from Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET to Monday, March 4 at 6 a.m. ET. The article, below, by Amy Hager, Director at ConsensusDocs, gives some insight concerning the updates to the ConsensusDocs technology and how they came about.
Eleven ConsensusDocs Bond Forms
| 1. |
ConsensusDocs 260: Performance Bond Form (coordinated with agreements between contractor and owner) |
| 2. |
ConsensusDocs 261: Payment Bond Form (coordinated with agreements between contractor and owner) |
| 3. |
ConsensusDocs 262: Bid Bond |
| 4. |
ConsensusDocs 263: Warranty Bond (coordinated for the agreements between contractor and owner) |
| 5. |
ConsensusDocs 470: Design-Build Performance Bond (Surety Liable for Design Costs) |
| 6. |
ConsensusDocs 471: Design-Build Performance Bond (Surety Not Liable for Design Costs) |
| 7. |
ConsensusDocs 472: Design-Build Payment Bond (Surety Liable for Design Costs) |
| 8. |
ConsensusDocs 473: Design-Build Payment Bond (Surety Not Liable for Design Costs) |
| 9. |
ConsensusDocs 706: Subcontract Performance Bond |
| 10. |
ConsensusDocs 707: Subcontract Payment Bond |
| 11. |
ConsensusDocs 760: Subcontract Bid Bond |
The NASBP membership can save 20% on ConsensusDocs document subscription packages
Because NASBP is an endorsing member of ConsensusDocs, the NASBP membership receives 20% off of their purchase of ConsensusDocs subscription packages from ConsensusDocs at https://www.consensusdocs.org/ when they provide the following discount code when prompted during purchase, Promotion Code: NASBP100. For more information, visit https://www.consensusdocs.org/ and nasbp.org.
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Lessons Learned from the ConsensusDocs Coalition Technology UpgradeAs we welcome 2019, a fundamental piece of the ConsensusDocs Coalition will be changing–our technology. The ConsensusDocs Coalition was built on collaboration and the sharing of best practices to provide a better contractual foundation and reduce costly risk contingencies. While creating the terms and conditions of the contracts remain the focus of the coalition, providing easy access for ConsensusDocs subscribers and use of the contracts is equally important. Sharing our technology story ties back to our core values of collaborating to improve the industry.
A Little Background
The ConsensusDocs Coalition was formed in 2007 to provide standardized contracts that are fair and balanced. Its mission states: “ConsensusDocs® is a coalition of associations representing diverse interests in the construction industry that collaboratively develops and promotes standard form construction contract documents that advance the construction process. ConsensusDocs and its endorsing organizations are committed to assuring that its documents serve the best interests of the construction project and the construction industry.” Even though the contracts and the coalition’s mission are very “low tech,” that doesn’t mean technology isn’t an important function to achieve the coalition’s goals.
Lesson 1 – Don’t Let Technology Sit on a Shelf
Technology isn’t something you can “do” every few years and let fall by the wayside in the interim. It is always important to adjust technology through minor improvements to functionality and User Experience (UX). Small updates allow for technology to adapt to users’ wants and needs. Major updates or rollouts are hard for internal staff to execute and even harder for customers as they must make major adjustments to use the service while continuing to run their day-to-day operations.
Situations arise, and in some cases a major overhaul is required for one reason or another. This latest technology update for ConsensusDocs is a large one, and our best piece of advice is—be flexible. Even though our new technology is more intuitive, it will take time for users to adjust to the new look and feel. As a back-up, the “old technology” will be available to customers in a limited capacity during the rollout so they can continue using the documents with minimal interruption.
Going forward, ConsensusDocs will be on a platform that allows for minor tweaks and improvements. It is in our technology plan to adjust the technology as needed—just as the coalition does with our documents. As it states in the ConsensusDocs Procedures, “ConsensusDocs recognizes that the construction industry is constantly evolving, shaped by customer demands, government requirements, the economy, etc. Thus, any endorsing organization may propose that an existing document is reviewed and revised sooner than the five-year schedule.” Having a similar goal for technology is imperative for any organization, and particularly for the movement that the ConsensusDocs Coalition is working towards achieving.
Lesson 2 – Ease-of-Understanding and Ease-of-use
Another fundamental belief of the ConsensusDocs Coalition is to provide a better contractual foundation to build, written in plain English, instead of legalese, allowing for construction practitioners to understand. Offering the ConsensusDocs community technology that engages and empowers users is a large task. With users’ skill levels ranging across the board, how can one technology serve the majority? Knowing not everyone in the construction contracts process considers themselves a “tech guru,” it was important to allow all skill levels to have an enjoyable experience. Therefore, it was important to execute a strategy with the latest technology update that allows all skill levels to feel comfortable navigating the website and ConsensusDocs technology.
Even though the new site is intuitive, we know some users will navigate it more easily than others. As a result, bite-size training videos and guides are important. Knowing that some are visual learners, guiding them step-by-step with a video will be best. Others will better understand the technology with written instructions.
Lesson 3 – The Integrated Project Delivery Method Has Great Advice
As described in the ConsensusDocs 300 – Multi-Party Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Agreement, “a core team at both the project management and project development levels is created to make consensus-based project decisions to increase project efficiency and results.” Having the core team set early in the process is key to any project.
Once the core team was formed, discovery for the technology project began and took almost twice as long as what was originally expected. Thus, the project was delayed technically before it began. But we were in a better position to recommend a large improvement to the configuration of the system, resulting in a change in scope. Once a new scope was created, the project progressed in record time with very few issues along the way. Having that core team in place early allowed for the full understanding of the importance of adjusting the scope to produce a better product while holding our feet to the fire to stay as close to schedule as possible, or risk having a project that is never actually completed.
Positioning for the Future
Technology should provide all stakeholders with the opportunity for engagement and innovation. As the ConsensusDocs Coalition continues to publish industry standardized contracts, coupled with the best education and resources focused on the construction contracts industry, the technology our users subscribe to will be of higher quality. By allowing our customers and the community to provide feedback and express their needs, we will be able to achieve the mission set forth by our founders–to represent the best interest of the industry for the more than 300,000 companies and individuals served by our 40 participating associations.
This version of this article was originally printed in January-February 2019 issue of
Design Cost Data magazine.
This article is by Amy Hager, Director at ConsensusDocs, who joined the Associated General Contractors of America marketing department in 2008. As the director at ConsensusDocs, she is able to bring her skill sets under one organization to help the construction contract industry grow. She can be reached at ahager@consensusdocs.org. For more information about ConsensusDocs, visit
https://www.consensusdocs.org/.