Change management
What Is an ASI in Construction?
What an ASI (architect's supplemental instructions) is, when architects issue one, what it can't change, and what to do when the contractor disagrees.
An ASI, short for architect's supplemental instructions, is a document the architect issues during construction to clarify the contract documents or to order a minor change in the work, without changing the contract sum or the contract time. AIA's standard form for it is G710.
ASIs are the most common document an architect issues during construction administration, and the one most often misused. This guide covers what an ASI is for, what it can't do, what goes in one, and how to keep track of them.
What ASI stands for
In construction, ASI stands for architect's supplemental instructions. You will occasionally see "architect's supplemental information", but the document is the same: written instructions from the architect to the contractor during construction.
Some firms package their changes as bulletins: a numbered set of revised drawings and specification sections sent to the contractor. A bulletin is a delivery format, not a contract instrument. The same bulletin can be issued as an ASI if it carries no change in cost or time, or attached to a proposal request if it does. What matters is the document that carries it.
What an ASI is for
An ASI does one of two things:
- It clarifies the contract documents. A detail is interpreted, a conflict between a drawing and a specification is resolved, a missing dimension is supplied.
- It orders a minor change in the work. A light fixture moves within the same room, a finish is swapped for an equal one, a detail is revised in a way that costs nothing.
Many ASIs start as an RFI. The contractor asks a question, the architect's answer needs a revised drawing, and the revised drawing goes out as an ASI that the RFI references.
Under the 2017 edition of AIA A201, the General Conditions, the architect's authority to order minor changes comes from Section 7.4. The change has to be consistent with the intent of the contract documents and can't involve an adjustment to the contract sum or the contract time. Check your own contract, because general conditions and owner-architect agreements vary.
What an ASI can't do
An ASI never changes the contract sum or the contract time. That is the whole point of the document, and the reason it doesn't need the owner's or contractor's signature to take effect.
If an instruction will cost money or take time, it isn't an ASI. It belongs in:
- a proposal request, if there is time to get the contractor's price before deciding, or
- a construction change directive (CCD), if the work has to proceed before the price is agreed. See what a construction change directive is.
When the contractor disagrees
Sometimes the architect issues an ASI in good faith and the contractor replies that it does affect cost or time. Under A201-2017 Section 7.4, a contractor who believes a minor change affects the contract sum or time must tell the architect and must not proceed with it.
At that point the ASI has done its job. The change continues as a proposal request so it can be priced, and the ASI log records that it was not accepted and which proposal request followed. If the owner then accepts the proposal, the change ends in a change order.
What you want to avoid is the quiet version: the contractor proceeds, then submits a change order request months later for work it was "directed" to do by an ASI. Recording the date the contractor accepted or rejected each ASI closes that gap.
What goes in an ASI
A complete ASI includes:
- The project header: project name and number, the contract, the owner, the contractor, and the architect.
- The ASI number and date.
- The instructions: what is clarified or changed, in plain words, with locations (room numbers, grid lines, drawing and detail numbers).
- Attachments: revised drawings, sketches, specification sections, photos.
- A statement that the work is to be carried out without change in the contract sum or contract time.
- The architect's signature, and a place to record when the contractor received it and whether it was accepted.
Keep each ASI focused on one change, or one tightly related set of changes. A single ASI that bundles five unrelated items is hard to accept or reject as a whole.
ASI vs RFI
| RFI | ASI | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Asks a question about the contract documents | Answers, clarifies or makes a minor change |
| Who starts it | Usually the contractor | The architect |
| Changes cost or time? | No | No |
| AIA form | G716 | G710 |
| Typical link | The answer may point to an ASI | It may reference the RFI that prompted it |
An RFI asks, an ASI instructs. When an RFI answer is a sentence, the answer goes on the RFI. When it is a revised drawing, it goes out as an ASI.
For how the ASI fits with proposal requests, CCDs and change orders, see ASI vs. proposal request vs. CCD vs. change order.
How to number and log ASIs
ASIs are numbered in sequence per project: ASI #1, #2, #3. A draft shouldn't take a number until it is issued, so a discarded draft never leaves a gap in the log.
A useful ASI log has these columns:
- ASI number and date issued
- Description
- Drawings and specification sections affected
- The RFI that prompted it, if any
- Date the contractor accepted it, or date it rejected it
- The proposal request that followed a rejection
- Status: issued, accepted, or moved to a proposal request
The last two columns are the ones that get skipped, and they are the ones you need when the owner asks why a "no cost" instruction turned into a change order.
Common mistakes
- Putting a cost on an ASI. If you are tempted to add "not to exceed $2,000", it's a proposal request.
- Using ASIs for large changes. An ASI that adds a room is a change order waiting to happen, without the paperwork.
- Not recording acceptance. Without the contractor's acceptance date, there is no record that it agreed the change was free.
- Losing the link to what came next. When an ASI turns into a proposal request, both documents should point to each other.
Frequently asked questions
Does an ASI need the owner's signature?
Not usually. An ASI orders a minor change with no effect on cost or time, which is within the architect's authority under A201-2017 Section 7.4. Many architects copy the owner on every ASI anyway, which is good practice.
Can an ASI change the schedule?
No. If the instruction extends the contract time, it needs a change order, or a construction change directive if the work can't wait.
What is the difference between an ASI and a bulletin?
A bulletin is a package of revised drawings and specifications. An ASI is the contract document that issues a no-cost change. A bulletin can be issued under an ASI, or attached to a proposal request when the change has a cost.
Is an ASI the same as a field order?
They are close. Some contracts and public agencies use "field order" for the same kind of minor, no-cost instruction. Follow the term your contract uses.
Keeping ASIs in one record
In Agradium, every ASI takes its header from the project, gets its number when you issue it, and records the date the contractor accepted or rejected it. A rejected ASI becomes a draft proposal request linked to it, so the change stays one record from the first question to the signed change order. If you would like to see it on a project, request a demo.
AIA document numbers and A201 sections are cited to identify them. This is general information, not legal advice; your contract governs. Agradium is not affiliated with or endorsed by the American Institute of Architects.