AIA owner-contractor documents: A101, A133, and A201 General Conditions

One-line orientation

A101 is commonly used for a stipulated-sum design-bid-build contract. A133 is commonly used for a CM-at-risk contract with cost-plus payment and a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). Both use A201 General Conditions.

Key points

• A101 — Owner-Contractor Agreement (Stipulated Sum):

  • Used in design-bid-build projects; the owner contracts directly with an architect (B101) and separately with a contractor (A101).
  • Payment is a stipulated (fixed) sum established by competitive bidding or negotiation before construction begins.
  • Progress payments are based on percentage of completed work plus stored materials; retainage is commonly set around 10% by contract/custom, but the parties define it.
  • The architect is the Initial Decision Maker (IDM) in contract disputes; the architect also certifies payment applications.
  • Aligns with the B101 owner-architect agreement; cross-references A201 for general conditions.

• A133 — Owner-CMc Agreement (Cost-Plus with GMP):

  • Used when the contractor is a CM as Constructor (CMc), also called CM-at-risk.
  • Payment basis: cost-plus fee (owner pays actual costs), subject to a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) ceiling set during the design phase.
  • The CMc is engaged early — during design — to provide cost, schedule, and constructability input; this early involvement is the defining characteristic.
  • Dispute resolution differs from A101 projects because of the CMc’s dual role during design and construction.

• A201 — General Conditions of the Contract for Construction:

  • Not a separate agreement — it is the legal backbone incorporated by reference into both A101 and A133 (and other owner-contractor forms).
  • Defines the contract documents, roles of owner/contractor/architect, changes in the work, contract time, dispute resolution procedures, and more.
  • Bidding documents become contract documents only when the executed agreement identifies or incorporates them.
  • For sustainable projects, AIA appends E204 (Sustainable Projects Exhibit) to the A201-family agreements rather than issuing a standalone “SP” version of A201.

Owner–contractor agreements differ; A201 is the shared backbone

Same parties, same general conditions — the accent marks the one line that changes, the agreement the owner signs.

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Document numbers are drawn without year suffixes; the numbers are stable, the editions are not.

Confusions / comparison

	A101	A133
Agreement type	Owner-Contractor (DBB)	Owner-CMc (CM-at-risk)
Payment basis	Stipulated sum (fixed)	Cost-plus fee with GMP ceiling
When contractor engaged	After design (via bid)	During design (early involvement)
Typical delivery method	Design-bid-build	CMc / CM-at-risk
Architect’s IDM role	Yes — architect is Initial Decision Maker	Modified — CMc’s presence changes dispute process
Paired general conditions	A201	A201 (same backbone)

Document	What it is	Role in the contract
A101	Agreement form — payment terms, schedule, contract sum	Binds owner to contractor; sets the money and time deal
A133	Agreement form — cost-plus/GMP terms, CMc scope	Same purpose as A101 but for CMc delivery
A201	General Conditions — rules of construction	Legal framework referenced by both A101 and A133; not duplicated in either

Related

→ AIA documents by delivery method (this module): how A101/A133 map to each delivery method · AIA G-series forms (this module): the administrative forms used during construction under A201 · Owner-architect agreement B101 (same topic): the counterpart agreement that pairs with A101 in DBB.