Higher Standard of Care - PCM
hello all,
I'm using 3rd party study material for pcm exam and while doing practice questions I came across a questions which had " higher stand of care" as an answer for complicated project which I don't quiet agree with. Is there such a thing as " higher standard of care " ? Based on AIA B101 there is only " stand of care ". Can someone comment please . Thanks
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Hi Lukasz Blonski! Thank you for your question.
An architect is definitely able to provide a higher standard of care should they choose to, but it creates additional risk and liability for the architect. A higher level of service is difficult to define and therefore, expectations could be difficult to meet. This could cause greater exposure to claims from a client. Generally, it is not advisable to contractually commit to a higher standard of care but it is certainly possible.
I hope this helps. Happy studying!
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles -
Lukasz Blonski I'm not able to confirm whether or not you would see this specific situation on an exam. However, you should definitely take the time to fully understand the Standard of Care and be able to answer questions related to its definition, its implications, and an architect's responsibility to uphold it.
Refer to PcM Objective 1.4 in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.
Kiara Galicinao, AIA, NCARB
Black Spectacles -
An architecture contract promising a high, higher, or highest standard of care is never the right answer in an ARE exam. Nor in practice (outside of nuclear power plants, where contracts routinely include those kinds of phrases). There’s an entire body of case law that defines the “standard of care,” and there’s an insurance industry with professional liability policies that back architects that don’t fall for the “high” trick that owners may try to sneak into a contract….this is a non-obvious but super-important part of professional practice.
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