The goal of completing construction documents can make it difficult for the preparer of the documents to see incomplete items, inconsistencies, and coordination issues. It is human nature to occasionally “see” details that are not there, if you thought about including them. The preparer’s familiarity with requirements and standards can actually cause a blind spot when it comes to reviewing his or her own work. The purpose of pre-construction independent review is generally not to find fault with the designer but instead to discover and highlight flaws that can be corrected before they become costly change orders during construction.

In too many cases, conflict between the architect and the contractor can rule a construction project, especially approaching and following the end of construction. In most cases, each party has invested heavily in time and effort to complete the project for a fixed price, and each party is interested in minimizing further costs. The result can be finger pointing that is frustrating for a building owner who sees a problem and wants it solved. Building issues that lead to owner dissatisfaction may be purely design issues, purely construction (or contractor) issues, or a result of the acts of both the architect and the contractor. An independent review can help sort out the responsibilities between or among the parties. An independent reviewer with the right experience will be familiar with contract language and related requirements that govern both the project designer and the contractor and will be familiar with the processes and procedures related to each throughout the duration of a building project. That experience and the reviewer’s objectivity that is free of vested interests can bring clarity to the dispute resolution process. In some cases, an independent reviewer’s honest assessment of a situation may determine that the owner got what he or she ordered and paid for in terms of both design and construction; and the owner will have to pay to change a condition.

If you have established clear program requirements and design criteria either before the architect started design or through meetings and correspondence with the architect during the design process, you probably have documented your needs and wants in a form that an independent reviewer can use to verify design compliance with your intent. The independent reviewer will need to know your intentions for the building design and then review the architect’s design with your intentions in mind. In some cases, it’s just a matter of translating the architect’s work into a message you can understand without waiting until you have paid for and can see a completed building. In other cases, a course correction may be needed to put the design on the right track for alignment with your goals.