Owners and developers hire contractors, architects and consultants on forms that often favor the other side. We review or prepare owner-side construction contracts, including AIA and ConsensusDocs agreements, so budget, schedule, quality and lien protection are covered. We coordinate the contract with your lender's requirements and with any lease work letter.
At a glance
- Practice
- Real Estate
- Pricing
- Flat fee, quoted before we start
- Included
- 6 deliverables
- Process
- 3 steps, one named attorney
- Where we work
- Slack, email or a call
When founders call us
The moments that usually bring a company to us for this work.
- 01
You are hiring a general contractor for a tenant build-out or new development
- 02
A contractor has proposed its own contract or a lightly edited AIA form
- 03
Your lender needs the construction contract to meet loan requirements
- 04
You are a landlord managing tenant improvement work under a lease
What you get
Scoped in writing before we start. One flat fee for all of it.
- Review or preparation of the owner-contractor agreement
- Review of pricing model, contingency, allowances and GMP savings terms
- Check of schedule, liquidated damages and substantial completion definitions
- Review of retainage, payment conditions and lien waiver requirements
- Review of warranty, insurance, bonding and indemnity terms
- Notes on lender and lease work letter requirements
How it works
- 1
Project intake
You send the proposed contract, budget, schedule and any lender or lease requirements.
- 2
Review
We mark up the contract from the owner's side for the project's state.
- 3
Attorney sign-off
A licensed attorney reviews the redline and memo, and we support negotiation with the contractor.
Mistakes we help you avoid
The ones we see most often, and catch before they cost you.
- Avoided
Paying without conditional lien waivers from the contractor and major subcontractors
- Avoided
A GMP with loosely defined allowances and contingency use
- Avoided
Vague substantial completion standards that start warranties and release retainage early
- Avoided
Insurance and bonding requirements that do not match what the lender requires
Owner-Side Construction Contracts: questions founders ask
AIA forms such as the A101 or A102 with the A201 general conditions are a common starting point, and many lenders and contractors know them well. They usually need owner-side modifications for the project and state.
Common tools include conditional lien waivers with each payment, final unconditional waivers at close-out, joint checks and payment bonds. Lien rules and waiver forms vary by state, so the contract should follow the project state's rules.
Retainage is a portion of each payment held back until the work is complete, to secure performance. Some states limit the percentage or set release deadlines, so the contract should follow the rules where the project is located.
Flat fee, quoted before we start. The quote depends on the contract and how much negotiation is expected.
Get a flat-fee quote for Owner-Side Construction Contracts.
A short call with an attorney. You leave with a written scope and one fixed price.
Book a call