B101 Basic Services: The Five Design Phases and Phase Completion Criteria (Article 3)

How AIA B101-2017 Article 3 structures the architect's basic services across five sequential phases, what deliverables and activities define each phase, how fee effort distributes across them, and what completion criteria trigger transitions from one phase to the next.

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Overview

When you sign an AIA B101-2017 agreement, you're committing to deliver basic services across five sequential phases. These phases aren't suggestions. They're the contractual backbone of every traditional design project, and each one has specific deliverables, effort expectations, and completion criteria.

The five phases are schematic design (SD), design development (DD), construction documents (CD), bidding or negotiation, and construction (contract administration). Each phase builds on the one before it. SD establishes the concept. DD locks down the size and character. CDs produce the documents contractors will build from. Bidding gets the project priced. Construction administration keeps the build on track.

Washington State's fee guidelines provide a useful benchmark for how effort distributes: SD takes roughly 18% of the basic services fee, DD takes 20%, CDs take 31%, bidding takes 2%, and construction administration (including closeout) takes about 29%. These numbers aren't universal, but they reflect where the labor actually goes.

For the PjM exam, knowing what happens in each phase and what triggers the move to the next phase is critical. Phase transitions are where scope disputes emerge, fee arguments start, and project managers earn their value. Miss a phase completion criterion, and you're either doing unpaid work or exposing the firm to claims.

Essential

AIA B101-2017 Article 3 is the longest article in the agreement for a reason. It defines every basic service the architect performs, organized into five phases that follow a logical sequence from concept to completion. Understanding each phase's scope, deliverables, and completion criteria is a core project management skill. ## Phase 1: Schematic Design (SD) Schematic design is where the project takes shape. The architect translates the owner's program requirements into conceptual drawings that show the general scope, scale, and relationship of project components. Typical SD deliverables include site plans, floor plans, building sections, elevations, and preliminary material selections. The design is conceptual in character. Dimensions are approximate. Systems are identified but not engineered in detail. Consultant disciplines (structural, mechanical, electrical, civil) participate at a conceptual level, identifying basic systems and spatial requirements. Cost estimating during SD is parametric. You're working from approximate areas and volumes, not detailed quantities.

Professional

A mid-size firm is designing a 60-unit affordable housing project for a municipal housing authority. The B101 specifies basic services across all five phases. The project manager reviews the fee proposal against Washington State's benchmark percentages: 18% for SD, 20% for DD, 31% for CDs, 2% for bidding, and 29% for CA/closeout. During schematic design, the housing authority requests three community meetings, two pre-application meetings with the fire department, and a separate accessibility review with the disability access coordinator. All of these fall within basic services for this public sector project. But the PM notices the firm has already consumed 22% of the total fee during SD against the 18% benchmark. That 4-point gap represents real money on a fixed-fee contract. The PM investigates and finds two causes. First, the community meetings ran longer than anticipated, each requiring presentation materials and post-meeting response documents.

TLDR

SD (18% fee): Conceptual design establishing scope, scale, and relationships. Parametric cost estimate. Owner approval triggers move to DD
DD (20% fee): Fixes size and character of the project. Systems defined, materials selected, preliminary structural sizing. Scope should be locked after DD approval
CD (31% fee): Most labor-intensive phase. Final drawings, specifications, engineering calculations, bidding documents, permit applications
Bidding (2% fee): Assist owner with bids/negotiation. Prepare addenda, evaluate bids, recommend award. Post-bid VE revisions may be included (up to 10% of pre-bid budget in some public sector guidelines)
CA (29% fee including closeout): Administer the construction contract. Review submittals, process RFIs, conduct site visits, certify payments, issue certificates of completion
Architect is NOT the owner's general agent. No control over construction means, methods, or safety
Substantial completion (owner can occupy) precedes final completion (all work done, punch list resolved)
Phase fee percentages are benchmarks, not absolute rules. Track actual effort against them to catch problems early
Cost estimates should reconcile between phases. Gaps signal budget or scope issues that must be addressed before proceeding

ELI5

Imagine you're planning a big birthday party. You wouldn't just start cooking food without knowing how many guests are coming, right? You'd plan in stages. That's exactly how architects work on buildings, broken into five steps. Step 1: The Sketch (Schematic Design). You draw a rough picture of the party. How big is the venue? Where do people sit? Where's the food? It's not detailed yet. Just the big ideas. For buildings, the architect draws rough floor plans and picks the general look and feel. About 18% of the total work happens here. Step 2: The Detailed Plan (Design Development). Now you figure out the specifics. What food? What decorations? What music? For the architect, this means choosing actual materials, sizing the heating and cooling systems, and figuring out the structure. After this step, the plan is locked in.

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B101 Basic Services: The Five Design Phases and Phase Completion Criteria (Article 3)

2 min read204 words

Five Phases, One Contractual Backbone

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