by Andrew Ness
The U.S momentum to build “green” is rapidly gaining popularity, with the office market currently leading the way toward more sustainable structures. The construction industry, including the publishers of form construction contracts, is scrambling to keep up. ConsensusDOCS, a relatively new group of industry organizations that is promoting a family of contract forms that have been released in a steady stream since 2007, has now provided a document for contractually assigning the parties’ respective liabilities when entering into contracts for a green building.
The leading set of green building standards and certification process used in the U.S. to date is the LEED certification process, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Achieving a given LEED rating (Silver, Gold or Platinum) depends not only on the structure’s design but on its construction process and how it actually performs once in operation. Many commentators have noted that this creates the potential for significant disputes as to whom, if anyone, may be found liable if the project fails to achieve the targeted LEED rating. There is a consequent perceived need to control contractually the associated liability risks of project participants on green projects.
The new “ConsensusDOCS 310 Green Building Addendum,” released November 11, 2009, is intended to address this concern via a single Addendum for incorporation into each of the major contracts for the project. The basic scheme of the Addendum calls for the Owner to designate a Green Building Facilitator (GBF) to take the lead in identifying the measures needed to achieve a particular green status (such as a particular LEED certification level targeted by the Owner), coordinate their implementation by the project participants, and gather and submit the documentation needed to actually achieve the desired certification. The GBF can be the existing Architect/Engineer, the prime Contractor, or an entirely separate consultant. The project Architect remains responsible for incorporating the chosen “green measures” into the project design, with assistance from the GBF.
Most interesting are the provisions assigning potential liability. First, all project participants other than the GBF are expressly relieved of liability for failure of the selected green measures to achieve the targeted green status. The GBF’s own potential liability is left for determination under the GBF’s separate contract with the Owner. Second, damages from failure to achieve the targeted green status such as expected operating cost savings, tax benefits, and enhanced marketing opportunities, are all deemed “consequential damages,” and made subject to any waiver of consequential damages in the underlying contracts. Third, all project participants (including the GBF) preserve any specific limitations or assumptions of liability in their respective underlying contracts with the Owner.
Doubtless other forms will be unveiled in the coming months and years to deal with the growing popularity of green building, and their provisions will likely evolve over time to account for changes in green building methodologies and certification processes. The ConsensusDocs Green Building Addendum merely starts the conversation, offering one considered approach to dealing with the new legal issues associated with sustainable building projects.
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