PCM - Practice Management Flashcards
Arbitration is administered by which entity?
American Arbitration Association, unless agreed to another party.
How many days notice does an architect need to give to an owner to suspend a project due to non-payment
7 days
What are the standard % of total fee typical to each phase
Schematic Design: 15% of Architectural Fees (Range 10% – 25%)
Design Development: 20% of Architectural Fees (Range 10% – 25%) Construction Documents: 40% of Architectural Fees (Range 35% – 50%) Bidding: 5% of Architectural Fees (Range slightly off from 5%)
SD X%
DD X%
CD X%
Procurement X %
Construction Admin X %
Name the (5) required types of insurance that an architect must carry per B101.
-Commercial General Liability
-Automobile Liability
-Workers Comp.
-Professional Liability
-Employers Liability
Name the title to AIA B101 Document
Owner Architect Agreement
Name the types of payment methods common to Architects
-Stipulated Sum
-Cost Plus Fixed Fee
-Hourly
-ADD More
Define ABI Scores
an economic indicator that offers a nine- to 12-month glimpse into the spending and demand for non-residential construction activity.
If an architect has a chance to receive commission by recommending a product, is that allowed?
No, this violates the ethics standards and is not allowed.
New AIA documents are released every how many years?
10
Which phase of a project requires most of the architect’s time
CD’s
Starting a firm, young architect, decides to showcase projects used from another firm that she participated in. Is this ok?
Yes, but she must disclose the scope of her responsibility for each project.
When does the Statute of Repose begin
At the end of construction, or whenever services were last provided
What is the statute of Repose?
There is some mistake or flaw that is in repose (asleep) waiting to be discovered after construction has been completed. If it’s not found in time then the architect and contractor cannot be held liable for it.
Specifically, the Massachusetts statute of repose, in part, places an absolute six-year time limitation on “[a]ctions of tort for damages arising out of any deficiency or neglect in the design, planning, construction, or general administration of an improvement to real property
What is a Statute of Limitation
When a mistake or flaw is discovered, a party has a limited time to report the damage and file a claim.
Which insurance covers Defamation, Libel, and Slander?
Personal Injury Protection
Name the (4) economic phases and their ABI (Architectural Billings Index) score ranges
Contraction:40-45
Late contraction: 45-50
Late expansion: 50-55
Early phase recovery: 55-65
Which taxes do a (3) partnered firm pay
-Federal and State income tax
-Personal Property tax on Furniture used by the business.
-Self-Employment tax
What is AIA A701?
Instructions to Bidders
What is AIA A101?
Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor where the basis of payment is a Stipulated Sum
What is A201?
General Conditions of the Contract for Construction
What is B101?
Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect
What is C401?
Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and Consultant
What is A305?
Contractor’s Qualification Statement
What is G701?
Change Order
What is G702?
Application and Certificate for Payment
What is G703?
Continuation Sheet
What is G704?
Certificate of Substantial Completion
Define Liaise
establish a working relationship, typically in order to cooperate on a matter of mutual concern.
For ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) What is the order of (4) legal dispute resolution methods
remember IMAL. Initial Decision Maker (IDM) / Mediation / Arbitration / Litigation
Unconstitutional contracts are void, T or f?
True
Name (4) laws that regulate employer-employee relationships for small and large firms
The National Labor Relations Act (the Wagner Act), the Wages and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA)
The American legal system has 2 types of cases. What are they?
Criminal, Civil
Which type of project is an R4 Project?
A project Zoned for Residential
Project Cost Accounting
Define Statute
A written law passed by a legislative body
For an agency to occur, there must be how many parties, and what are they?
3 parties: principal, agent, and a third party.
Define an S corporation, and when it would be useful.
When tax rates favor the individual over the corporation, it is beneficial to form an S corporation. It also avoids the tax on corporate income. The profits and losses of the business are instead passed through the business and noted on the owners’ personal tax returns.
S corporations are corporations that elect to pass corporate income, losses, deductions, and credits through to their shareholders for federal tax purposes. Shareholders of S corporations report the flow-through of income and losses on their personal tax returns and are assessed tax at their individual income tax rates. This allows S corporations to avoid double taxation on the corporate income. S corporations are responsible for tax on certain built-in gains and passive income at the entity level.
To qualify for S corporation status, the corporation must meet the following requirements:
Be a domestic corporation
Have only allowable shareholders
May be individuals, certain trusts, and estates and
May not be partnerships, corporations or non-resident alien shareholders
Have no more than 100 shareholders
Have only one class of stock
Not be an ineligible corporation (i.e. certain financial institutions, insurance companies, and domestic international sales corporations).
Name (4) legal phrases to avoid in a contract
As required
As Necessary
Hold Harmless
Indemnification
___ and ___ are two terms are ways that another party can make you responsible for anything it may be liable for otherwise.
Hold Harmless and Indemnification
Which type of insurance covers your projects after you retire?
Tail Insurance
What is one of the biggest risks for a practice?
Automobile accidents
Automobile accidents are among the biggest risks for a practice. The owner may require the firm to have automobile liability insurance covering the architect’s personal car or taxi so that the owner does not get dragged into a lawsuit involving a collision.
___ is a basic insurance that covers property damage and injury claims against the firm, usually with dollar limits on claims or an aggregate limit. It is sometimes required by the landlord and covers both legitimate and fraudulent claims.
General liability insurance
___ is an errors and omissions insurance, which provides protection if someone accuses you of not doing your job correctly.
Professional liability insurance
___ covers a worker who is injured on the job. It provides wage replacement and medical care cost in exchange for the employee waiving his right to sue the firm.
Workers compensation insurance
___ pays the architect for expenses and loss of profits if work is interrupted by something like a fire or flood.
Business interruption insurance
___ covers an architect if someone else claims copyright infringement.
Intellectual property insurance
Contractual liability is normally covered under which insurance
General liability insurnace
Which insurance covers violations for ADA, OSHA, and the fair housing act?
Disciplinary, regulatory, or administrative expense liability insurance
DRA: ADA, OSHA, FHA
A ___ is the first portion needed to be paid before the insurance “kicks in” and pays the remainder of the settlement
Deductible
What is an insurance premium?
What you pay every month or every six months as a bill to be insured
What is an aggregate limit?
the maximum amount paid by the insurance company per policy.
what is an insurance claim?
a demand made by the insured for the insurance company to pay out.
What is the formula to calculate FAR
(Number of stories x Floor area per story) / Lot Area
What is grossing factor formula?
rentable area divided by the usable area. Should be a number above 1 The higher the grossing factor, the less efficient the space.
What is a typical grossing factor for the following program
Locker room 1.1
classroom 1.5
Hospital 1.75
What is the Formula for Indirect Salary?
Base Salary - Direct Salary
What is the formula for Billable Revenue?
Direct Salary * Direct Salary Expense Multiplier
What is the formula for Direct Salary?
Base Salary * Chargeable Rate Percentage
What is the formula for Chargeable Hours?
Hours per year x Chargeable Rate Percentage
What is the formula for Chargeable Rate Percentage?
Chargeable hours/ Hours/ year
What is the formula for Hourly Rate?
Base Salary / Hours/ Year
What is the formula for Hours/ Year?
Base Salary / Hourly Rate
What is the formula for Base Salary?
Hours/ Year x Hourly Rate
What is the formula to calculate Overhead Multiplier?
Total Overhead Expenses/ Total direct salary expenses = overhead multiplier
Indirect Sal+ Bennies + Overhead
What is the formula to calculate Break-Even Multiplier?
(Total Overhead + Total Direct Salary) / Total Direct Salary
What is the formula for overhead rate?
Hourly Rate X Overhead Multiplier