The architect cannot do the job without information from the contractor. Change orders cannot be processed unless the contractor proposes them. Payment applications cannot be certified unless the contractor submits them with a detailed schedule of values. Submittals cannot be reviewed unless the contractor delivers them on time. Schedule updates cannot be evaluated unless the contractor provides them.

This interdependency is not incidental. AIA A201-2017 establishes a structured flow of contractor-to-architect information that forms the administrative backbone of construction. Understanding what the contractor must submit, in what format, and within what timeframe is as important for the architect as knowing the contractor's performance obligations on site.

For the CE exam, contractor responsibilities to the architect are tested primarily through questions about the adequacy of payment applications (especially the schedule of values), the submittal process and review timeframe, the change order mechanism, and what happens when the contractor fails to fulfill these responsibilities. The exam tests the architect's evaluative judgment: recognizing when a submittal is inadequate, when a schedule of values needs more detail, and when the contractor's coordination failures create downstream risk.

This topic covers the contractor's five core administrative responsibilities to the architect: change orders and change documentation, payment applications and schedule of values, the submittal process, schedule updates, and project coordination.