ARE 5.0 Exam Prep · Quick Reference · Updated May 2026

AIA contracts cheat sheet for ARE 5.0

Every AIA contract tested on the ARE 5.0 — at a glance. Use this as a quick reference to understand each document’s purpose, parties, and which divisions it appears on.

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How to use this cheat sheet

The AIA contract family is organized by letter series — A contracts govern owner-contractor relationships, B contracts govern owner-architect relationships, C contracts govern architect-consultant relationships, and G contracts are administrative forms used during construction. Understanding which letter series a contract belongs to tells you immediately who the parties are.

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A Series — Owner-Contractor Agreements & General Conditions

Document	Purpose	Parties	Divisions
A101–2017	Owner-Contractor Stipulated Sum Agreement. Sets the fixed contract price, schedule, and payment terms for traditional design-bid-build projects.	Owner ↔ Contractor	CEPjM
A133–2019	Owner-Contractor GMP Agreement. Used for CM at-risk delivery. The contractor provides a guaranteed maximum price and takes on construction risk while joining the project during design.	Owner ↔ CM/Contractor	PjMPcM
A141–2014	Owner-Design Builder Agreement. Used for design-build delivery. The design-builder provides both design and construction under one contract — single point of responsibility for the owner.	Owner ↔ Design-Builder	PjMPcM
A195–2008	Owner-Contractor Agreement for IPD. Used for Integrated Project Delivery. All key parties share risk and reward. Works alongside B195 and A295.	Owner ↔ Contractor	PjM
A201–2017	General Conditions of the Contract for Construction. The rulebook for traditional projects — defines rights, responsibilities, authority, changes, payments, and dispute resolution. Incorporated by reference into A101 and B101. Architect serves as Initial Decision Maker for claims unless another party is designated in the Agreement.	Owner ↔ Contractor (with Architect as contract administrator)	CEPjMPcM
A295–2008	General Conditions for IPD. The rulebook for IPD projects — same role as A201 but for integrated delivery. Establishes PMT governance, shared risk, and collaborative decision-making.	Owner ↔ Contractor (with Architect as part of integrated project team)	PjM
A701–2018	Instructions to Bidders. Governs the bidding process — how contractors obtain documents, submit bids, and how addenda are issued. Part of the bidding documents, not the contract documents.	Owner → Bidders	CE

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B Series — Owner-Architect Agreements

Document	Purpose	Parties	Divisions
B101–2017	Owner-Architect Agreement. The architect’s primary employment contract — defines five phases of basic services, standard of care, compensation, and instruments of service ownership. References A201 as the governing framework for construction phase administration.	Owner ↔ Architect	CEPjMPcM
B143–2014	Design-Builder-Architect Agreement. Governs the architect working as a subconsultant to the design-builder in design-build delivery. Architect works for the design-builder, not the owner. No impartial administrator role.	Design-Builder ↔ Architect	PjMPcM
B195–2008	Owner-Architect Agreement for IPD. Governs the architect’s role in IPD projects. Uses seven IPD phases instead of five. Architect participates in PMT governance. Compensation may be tied to project outcomes.	Owner ↔ Architect	PjM

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C Series — Architect-Consultant Agreements

Document	Purpose	Parties	Divisions
C401–2017	Architect-Consultant Agreement. Governs the relationship between the architect and their subconsultants (structural, MEP, etc.). Consultant obligations flow down from B101. Consultant is paid by the architect, not the owner. Consultant standard of care matches the architect’s unless modified by the Prime Agreement.	Architect ↔ Consultant	CEPjMPcM

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G Series — Administrative Forms

Document	Purpose	Who issues it	Divisions
G701–2017	Change Order. Documents agreed changes to contract sum or contract time. Supersedes Construction Change Directives once cost and time are agreed — signed by owner, contractor, and architect. Most formal type of change.	Architect prepares, all three sign	CEPjM
G702–1992	Application and Certificate for Payment. The contractor’s payment request form. The architect reviews and certifies the amount due. Tied to the schedule of values on G703. Architect’s certification is based on site observations and does not constitute a guarantee of work quality.	Contractor submits, Architect certifies	CEPjM
G703–1992	Continuation Sheet. The schedule of values that supports G702. Lists each line item of work, amount completed to date, retainage withheld, and balance remaining.	Contractor submits with G702	CEPjM
G704–2017	Certificate of Substantial Completion. Documents the date of substantial completion, lists punch list items, and allocates responsibility for insurance, utilities, and security between owner and contractor. Starts the warranty period. All three parties sign.	Architect issues, all three sign	CE
G709–2018	Proposal Request. A pricing inquiry from the architect to the contractor for a potential change before a Change Order is issued. Does not authorize work — contractor responds with a cost and time proposal.	Architect issues to Contractor	CEPjM

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Delivery methods at a glance

The ARE tests three primary delivery methods across PjM and PcM. Here is how the AIA contracts map to each:

Delivery method	Owner-Contractor	Owner-Architect	General Conditions
Design-Bid-Build	A101	B101	A201
CM at-Risk	A133	B101	A201
Design-Build	A141 (Owner ↔ DB)	B143 (DB ↔ Architect)	Separate design-build general conditions (not A201)
IPD	A195	B195	A295

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Most tested concepts by division

CE — Construction & Evaluation

Change Orders (G701), payment applications (G702/G703), substantial completion (G704), proposal requests (G709), architect’s CA duties under A201 and B101, bidding under A701.

PjM — Project Management

Delivery method comparisons (A101 vs A133 vs A141 vs A195), contractor involvement timing, IPD governance under A295 and B195, consultant coordination under C401, change management under A201.

PcM — Practice Management

Architect’s standard of care and liability under B101, instruments of service ownership, consultant agreements under C401, architect’s role in design-build (B143), risk allocation across delivery methods.