Observation and Inspection
Observation and Inspection
This domain tests the contract administrator's site role. The central distinction is observation by the architect or contract administrator versus inspection by the contractor, testing agency, or code official. The exam looks for accurate limits on the architect's authority and accurate contractor responsibilities.
Core rules
- Under standard general conditions, the architect visits the site at intervals appropriate to the stage of construction to become familiar with progress and quality and to determine conformance. The architect is not required to make exhaustive or continuous inspections.
- The contractor supervises and directs the work, controls means and methods, and is responsible for construction safety. The architect's observation does not shift those duties.
- Inspection includes contractor QC, special inspections, testing-laboratory sampling, and code enforcement. The contractor normally gives notice before work is covered so required inspections can occur.
- The architect may reject nonconforming work and may require additional inspection or testing. If the work conforms, the owner normally pays for the additional testing; if it does not, the contractor normally pays.
- Field reports should record date, weather, personnel, work observed, instructions given, tests witnessed, nonconformances, and photos. A field report is a record, not an approval of the work.
Worked example
The architect visits once a week and sees flashed windows before cladding closes them. After occupancy, leaks appear at several windows. The owner claims the architect should have caught the defect. Reasoning: the architect's duty is periodic observation, not continuous inspection or supervision of means and methods. The contractor remains responsible for installing flashing per the documents. The architect must act on nonconformance actually observed, document it, and require correction; the architect is not a guarantor of every concealed detail. If the architect had observed defective flashing and failed to reject it, that is a different issue.
Traps that cost marks
- Saying the architect "supervises" or "inspects all work."
- Signing the contractor's daily log as if it were the architect's approval.
- Relying on the contractor's inspection report as the architect's observation.
- Rejecting work orally without a written field report or nonconformance notice.
- Forgetting that additional testing has a cost-allocation rule.