All posts in Certificate for Payment

in category Architectural Projects, Certificate for Payment, General Contract Administration, Schedule of Values, Substantial Performance and 0 comments.

Site photos with purpose

A good photograph is knowing where to stand – Ansel Adams

How many times have you taken site photos and then once back in the office you realize that the photos are missing parts of the room, details or some other information you desperately need that minute? Have you ever sent a junior on site to take progress photos, but when you see them it’s obvious that the photos won’t be of much help to certify that progress claim? Great shots of the footing, but what about the rest of the building?  Here are a few suggestions that will help to improve the process of taking better site photos. Read More…

in category Certificate for Payment, Change Orders, Contractor, General Contract Administration, Schedule of Values and 0 comments.

Quick guide to cash allowances

Cash Allowance 1

You are designing a renovation to an airport departures terminal, and a constant problem in the design process has been the excessive amount of time required to obtain approvals and finalize details from the many stakeholders in the project (including airport authorities, security agencies, airlines and many others). You are behind schedule, the tender deadline is nearing and the design for the ticketing counters is still in progress. It doesn’t look like you are going to obtain review and approval to proceed in time to make the deadline. What do you do? Postpone the tender? This is a case where a cash allowance may come to your rescue. Read More…

in category Certificate for Payment and 0 comments.

Contemplation before certification

Bus Man MedCertifying a payment should not be a mindless rubber stamping of a contractor’s progress claim. Instead, it should be a contemplative process where you step back, take a breath and think! Believe it or not, certifying a payment requires time to contemplate on the Project Drawings, specifications, contracts, schedule of values, site visits, change orders, and the arithmetic. It is a holistic process that brings together many aspects of the project. Read More…

in category Certificate for Payment, General Contract Administration, Schedule of Values and 0 comments.

God is in the details – SOV

god-is-in-detailsSo how do you objectively evaluate and approve a progress claim that is accompanied with a schedule of values that contains broad categories such as concrete, windows and doors, or my favourite general requirements.

How do you know doors and windows are 50% complete? If there is only one dollar value for all doors and windows in the project, you don’t know how much the doors are versus the windows versus the hardware.  (Hopefully the hardware doesn’t cost as much as the door.) Or even the difference between the exterior doors or interior doors. These questions are a must, that you really need to ask the contractor right at the start before certifying any progress payments. Read More…