Over the past few months we have enjoyed receiving your input on the state construction contracts and working with the State Architect's Office to incorporate some of your suggestions into the latest version of the Architect/Engineer and construction contracts. We appreciate all of your comments and suggestions, and we reviewed all of them and shared them with the State Architect's Office. Due to various considerations, not all of the comments from our clients have been included in the latest version of the contracts. However, some of the comments are still being discussed for possible inclusion in the next edition of the state construction documents.

The new standard construction contract and related documentation have now been released as the "2010 Edition." The State Architect's Office is requiring use of the new form for all construction for projects with their first bid advertisement on and after March 1, 2010. We have posted the tailored construction contract for our higher education clients on our Web site at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/ConstructionContractsChecklists

All other construction forms should be downloaded from the State Architect's Office's Web site at http://das.ohio.gov/Divisions/GeneralServices/StateArchitectsOffice/ListofStandardRequirementsDocuments/tabid/363/Default.aspx

To expedite and make this process as efficient as possible, please note that after the contract has been executed by the contractor and your institution, you may now send the contract and supporting documentation electronically to our office for signature via fax or e-mail scan. We would then return the fully executed contract to you via e-mail scan. If you choose to send a package via e-mail, please send it to BusinessCounselContractReview@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov. If you prefer fax, please send the contract to (614) 466-2081 and send an e-mail or call Business Counsel at (614) 644-6342 to confirm receipt.

As a result of the changes in the 2010 Edition, the numbering in the Supplementary Conditions which are posted for some schools may have been affected. You may wish to consider reviewing your school's Supplementary Conditions, if applicable, to see if any changes need to be made as a result of the release of the new edition.

A new version of the Architect/Engineer Agreement has also been finalized, and we will be releasing the tailored version for our higher education clients shortly. In the meantime, you should continue to use the Architect/Engineer Agreement and related documentation that is posted on our Web site.  We will send a separate e-mail with instructions for the updated Architect/Engineer Agreement when it is available.