Contract Administration / Employer’s Agent
The vast majority of construction projects are about change and often prove to be a once in a lifetime chance to make a real difference to the lives of people who will use and interact with that building.
To successfully achieve this, design and delivery processes need to be managed to recognised contracts and standards. To this end Ashfold is appointed by project clients to provide contract administration or employer’s agent services. The role title – Contract Administrator or Employer’s Agent – depends on the type of project contract (i.e. Design & Build, or Traditional), but the service we provide is effectively the same.
At Ashfold we believe that a good project manager should be able to combine the role of contract administrator because there is a large overlap between the two services. However, in some instances we are independently appointed as contract administrator only.
We like to think that as contract administrator we complement the project architect by focusing on the contractual and commercial issues, allowing the architectural team to focus on a project design that takes heed of these issues. A good contract administrator not only administers the formal link between the client and the contractor, but also considers the logistics associated with facilitating the delivery of a building that starts as a set of architectural plans.