Guide to Using the RIBA Professional Services Contracts 2018 - Other - Page 8
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Introduction
The purpose of this Guide is to provide construction professionals with general
guidance on matters affecting their appointment and to explain the provisions and
use of the suite of RIBA Professional Services Contracts 2018 for the appointment of
an Architect/Consultant together with providing guidance on what to consider when
completing the Contract Details and the Schedule of Services.
This Guide aims to provide best practice advice on, and a full understanding of,
the legal requirements of the appointment process and to enable an Architect/
Consultant to best explain the Contract Terms to the Client.
A good working relationship between an Architect/Consultant and the Client is
crucial to the success of any project. The Architect/Consultant should agree on the
scope and cost of architectural services with the Client before the project begins and
ensure that the agreement is set out in writing as soon as practically possible.
It is important that the Architect/Consultant’s appointment is agreed in writing, to
define the scope of services that may be required and the fees to be charged for
those services. If the Architect/Consultant is to perform any additional roles such
as planning consultant, landscape architect, interior designer, information manager,
BIM coordinator, etc this must be clearly defined in the Contract.
However, it should be noted that the services will only be undertaken by the
Architect/Consultant if they are specifically identified in the appointment document,
and included within the agreed fee on the project. Any further work would be
described as ‘Other Services’ which might include surveys, party wall work, disputes,
and so on.
1.1 A history of Professional Services Contracts
The Institute of British Architects was formed in London in 1834, becoming known as
the Royal Institute of British Architects when it was granted its Royal Charter in 1837.
The Institute has been publishing guidance on professional practice and charges
for architects since 1862. However, it was not until 1872 that a formal Schedule
of Charges was published in the RIBA Kalendar and in 1919 the term ‘Conditions
of Engagement’ first appeared. These were subsequently revised regularly and
published in the RIBA Kalendar each year up until 1962 with all editions up to 1962
titled as ‘First issued in 1872, last revised [year of publication]’.
After 1962, no further reference was made to the original 1872 document and a
complete review and evaluation of the documents was undertaken, resulting in a
completely new set of agreements. These were issued in 1966, followed by major
revisions or new versions in 1971, 1982, 1992 and 1999:
•
•
•
•
1966 – Conditions of Engagement
1971 – Conditions of Engagement
1982 – re-titled Architects Appointment
1992 – re-titled Standard Form of Agreement for the Appointment of an Architect
– SFA/92
• 1999 – Standard Form of Agreement for the Appointment of an Architect
SFA/99, revised 2000 and 2004
• 2007 – Completely new edition issued as Standard Agreement for the
Appointment of an Architect, S-Con-07-A
In 2010, a substantial review resulted in a brand-new edition issued as the
Standard Conditions of Appointment for an Architect 2010. This update presented
a suite of forms comprising the Standard, Concise, Domestic and Sub-consultant
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