The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – British Columbia (ACEC-BC), the AIBC, and the Province of British Columbia are pleased to announce the release of standard contracts for architectural and engineering design assignments. The contracts – based on national standard form agreements – support fairness, transparency, and efficiency for architectural and engineering consultants and government. User guides are available for each agreement.
Overview of Agreements
Architectural Agreement – The new standard architectural agreement is based on RAIC Doc 6 2022. Where appropriate, Supplemental Conditions to RAIC Doc 6 2022 align with the Engineering Agreement (see following paragraph). The agreement has been approved as an acceptable standard contract by the AIBC and supports Registrants in complying with Professional Standards on contracts in the AIBC Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Engineering Agreement – The new standard engineering agreement is based on CCDC-31 2020. Where appropriate, Supplemental Conditions to CCDC-31 2020 align with the Architectural Agreement (see previous paragraph).
Both the agreements and user guides can be found on the Province’s Capital Asset Management Framework Guidelines website.
When to use the agreements:
The agreements have been approved for use by all provincial Ministries and agencies who directly engage consulting Architects or Engineers including BC Housing, Health Authorities, and School Boards.
Agreements already in place will continue under their existing agreement; new assignments undertaken after February 1, 2024, should use the new agreements.
To assist in the transition, Architectural and Engineering firms are encouraged to request use of the new agreements if another form of contract is provided after the release date.
If you have any questions about the Architectural Agreement, please email practiceadvice@aibc.ca.
Read the full Provincial Government Standard Architectural and Engineering Contracts Press Release (PDF)