Long gone are the days when a handshake was all that was needed to get a contractor to build a building and for him to be assured he would be paid. Today�s construction contracts, like most other contracts, are lengthy documents intending to address all possible issues that may arise during contract performance. But they frequently fail, or they provide unexpected consequences.
For example, the often-used AIA contract for construction AIA Document A-102 - 2007 cost-plus with a guaranteed maximum price contract is 13 pages long. It is usually combined with the associated AIA General Conditions, which is another 11 pages long. Among the provisions of those documents are a number of surprises that the parties (or their attorneys) probably did not expect when they signed the contract.