(June 11, 2026 @ 6pm ET) 40 Minutes of Competence Study Session with Michael Hanahan: Whose Punch List Is It Anyway? A Walkthrough of Substantial Completion, Final Completion, and the Blame Game

This week's Amber Book: 40 Minutes of Competence program is titled, “Whose Punch List Is It Anyway? A Walkthrough of Substantial Completion, Final Completion, and the Blame Game”

Joining us in this week’s session is Michael Hanahan, a construction law attorney and partner at Perkins Coie, and an adjunct professor at the UIC Graduate School of Architecture. Michael Hanahan is best known among ARE candidates for teaching his Professional Practice lecture series (formerly known as the Schiff Hardin lectures), a free and valuable resource for learning the AIA contracts. You can listen to the lectures here.

These study sessions are free and open to all, not just Amber Book subscribers, so join us this Thursday at 6pm ET: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83922907346

You’ll take the first five minutes of class to answer this week's question alone, but if you would like to get a head-start on that, here is the assignment:

An owner hires a contractor to build a radiologist’s office using the standard suite of legal contracts. In the owner-contractor agreement, it is specified that a specialized MRI machine will be provided by the owner under a separate contract with another company that specializes in the installation of MRIs. The drawings and specifications include the phrase “MRI machine by others.” The contractor is to coordinate with the owner’s consultants per the A-201. When the owner walks the site with the contractor to establish the punch list, the owner identifies a misalignment in the MRI machine—installed poorly by the owner’s consultant. Which of the following best describes the status of the punch list?

A. The contractor is not responsible for including the mis-aligned equipment in the punch list or fixing the error

B. Within his duties coordinating the owner’s consultants, the contractor is responsible for including the misaligned equipment in the punch list and the contractor is responsible for executing the repair, though not paying for the repair

C. In multiprime contracts, the owner (rather than the contractor or architect) takes responsibility for the punch list

(June 11, 2026 @ 6pm ET) 40 Minutes of Competence Study Session with Michael Hanahan: Whose Punch List Is It Anyway? A Walkthrough of Substantial Completion, Final Completion, and the Blame Game

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