General and Supplemental Conditions
General and Supplemental Conditions
This domain tests the risk allocation in the general conditions and how supplemental conditions change it. The exam expects you to know the standard topics, the notice and claims rules, and the order of precedence between documents.
Core rules
- General conditions are the standard terms incorporated into the owner-contractor agreement. Common families include AIA A201, EJCDC C-700, and ConsensusDocs 200. They allocate duties among owner, contractor, and architect.
- Supplemental conditions are project-specific amendments. They may add insurance limits, liquidated damages, termination rights, or dispute procedures. They should be coordinated with the general conditions; a direct contradiction creates an interpretation problem.
- Typical general-condition topics: architect's administration, contractor's supervision, owner's obligations, changes, payment, time and delays, claims and disputes, insurance and bonds, hazardous materials, and termination.
- Notice requirements are strict. Under AIA A201, a claim generally must be initiated by written notice within 21 days after the claimant first recognizes the condition giving rise to the claim, and work must continue. Supplemental conditions may change the period; the project documents must be checked.
- Termination for cause follows a notice and cure process. Termination for convenience is not a breach and is handled under the agreement's payment formula.
Worked example
A contractor hits unforeseen rock and tells the architect about it orally at the weekly meeting. It submits a written claim 30 days later. The architect denies the claim. Reasoning: the general conditions require written notice within the stated period, commonly 21 days. Oral notice at a meeting does not satisfy the writing requirement unless the contract says otherwise. The claim is barred or at least at risk, even if the rock was genuinely unforeseen. The contract administrator should document the notice date and check any supplemental modification.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming all general conditions are identical and skipping the project's actual edition.
- Missing a notice deadline because the issue was discussed orally.
- Assuming supplemental conditions always override the agreement; check the order of precedence.
- Confusing termination for convenience with termination for cause.
- Ignoring flow-down clauses that apply the same notice rules to subcontractors.