The Contractual & Legal Role of Shop Drawings (CCL618B)

No, Shop Drawings Aren’t Usually Part of a Contract—But They Can Land You in Hot Water

Many contractors and subcontractors are diligent in managing change orders and less careful with shop drawings. But shop drawings play a significant contractual and legal role in your project—one that can open you up to unexpected risks and liabilities if you’re not attentive to your responsibilities.

Learn from construction law expert Stephen A. Hess, Esq. why you must upgrade your knowledge and management of shop drawings—and how doing so will ensure your next project doesn’t run into unresolved questions or hidden traps. Hess will outline the contractual duties related to shop drawings for all parties (project owners, designers, contractors, and subs) so that you fully understand your obligations. And he’ll debunk common myths around the effect of a designer’s “approval” of shop drawings.

This instructive webinar will equip you with the knowledge you need to better predict and direct the contractual and legal effects of shop drawings on your projects—without surprises. You’ll come away with a precise understanding of why shop drawings are not generally considered contract documents, and how you might (and why you should) make them part of a contract. Plus, by learning to properly manage your shop drawing process, you’ll have documented means for recovering—or resisting—future change order claims regarding scope of work.

Never build according to “approved” shop drawings again without understanding whether they are actually contract documents! Arm yourself to protect your company’s interests through handling shop drawing properly. 

(Note: Feel free to bring any of your standard contracts along with you—and find out how they address shop drawings!)

Session Highlights

This legal-savvy session will explain:

• The allocation of design responsibility in construction contracts
• The practical role of shop drawings in the construction process
• How the shop drawing and change order processes are related
• The difference between “contract documents” and other project documents
• Why shop drawings are usually not—and how you can make them—part of the contract
• Why you’d want to incorporate shop drawings into a contact—it makes a dramatic legal difference!
• How to implement document controls to ensure proper, intended treatment of shop drawings
• How to use your shop-drawing process to bolster change order claims—or defend against them

Who Should Attend

This program is appropriate for anyone who creates or uses shop drawings on construction projects, including:

• Design Professionals – architect, engineer, consulting engineer
• Owners – owner’s representative, construction manager
• Contractors – project engineer, project manager
• Subcontractors – project manager