A knowledge-based construction claims advisor for the A.I.A. A201 General Conditions document

In the contemporary construction environment, the evaluation and processing of construction claims is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, the claims procedure established in the Contract Documents is often needlessly complicated and the Contractor's right to the Claim can be inadvertently waived by failing to comply with notice requirements.

In the United States, a large percentage of the contracts for the construction of buildings utilize the documents developed by and distributed through the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.). In most of these cases, the A.I.A. A201 General Conditions document applies.

The claims-related provisions of this document were incorporated into a knowledge-based system that provides specific advice to a Contractor for the evaluation and processing of a construction claim. This interactive system, named "Claims Advisor", was developed by use of the Windows version of the expert system shell EXSYS Professional.

The system evaluates the relative strength of the Contractor's claim and reminds the user of the applicable claims procedures, notice requirements, and time limitations. Since the system is totally interactive with the user, only that specific date relevant to the claim in question must be provided.

The consultation initially identifies the applicable Contract Documents, then proceeds to the circumstances that lead to the claim, and finally guides the user through the claims processing procedure itself. Throughout the consultation, on-screen help is available to assist the user in providing the proper response(s) and to interpret the system's conclusions. A total of 21,702 discreet paths through the system's internal logic diagram is available to the user and in each case a specific course of action is recommended.

During the investigation, seven typical construction cases were selected for evaluation by the Claims Advisor. In six of the seven cases, the system produced the same conclusion that was arrived at by litigation. In the remaining case, the system's result was opposite to that reached by the District Court, but identical to that reached by the Appeals Court.

Potential users of the system include project managers and other construction personnel as well as construction educators and their students.