Prior to the commencement of the construction project, even before the selection of the designer and the accomplishment of any planning activities, the project owner faces two important decisions regarding the relationships among the various parties and the basis upon which the contractor will be paid. Because these two issues can be dealt with somewhat independently, we describe each in two separate sections of this chapter. In the first, we review the various project delivery systems that form the basis for the projects contractual relationships and dictate the span and duration of responsibility of each party. In the second, we identify different types of contracts that are used to measure how the construction contractor will be paid for completed construction work.
