Construction administration for small practices: site visit reports, snag lists and instructions

What does construction administration involve for an architect?

Last reviewed: 30 October 2026. This is organisational information, not professional or legal advice. Your duties depend on your appointment and the contract form (for example AIA documents in the US or JCT and similar in the UK), so read yours.

In US practice "construction administration" is the phase after construction documents; in the UK it is often called contract administration, within RIBA stage 5 (Construction) of the RIBA Plan of Work. The duties commonly include:

• Site visits at intervals set by the agreement.
• Responding to contractor RFIs.
• Reviewing submittals and samples.
• Issuing instructions or supplemental information.
• Reviewing payment applications or certifying payments, where in scope.
• Recording defects and reviewing completion.

Not every appointment includes all of these. Small practices often lose money by doing CA work that was never scoped, so list what is in and out, and how extra visits are charged.

What should a CA calendar look like?

Tie visits to milestones rather than just regular dates, and add admin cycles that repeat. Example for a mid-size renovation:

Put the calendar in the project's Notion page and set milestone visits when the programme is agreed, so you are not scheduling around crowded diaries the week before cover-up.

What belongs in a site visit report?

A fixed format makes reports quick to write and easy to compare. Fields that earn their place:

Be careful with wording. Reports often form part of the record in disputes, so state what you observed and avoid language that suggests you inspected everything or accepted work. Your professional indemnity insurer or professional body can advise on standard wording.

RFI, instruction or change: which is it?

Mixing these up is the commonest CA problem. Decide at the moment you write.

Terms and authority differ between contracts: in some forms the architect issues an instruction directly, in others it is the owner or contract administrator. Use the names in your contract. The RFI and submittal article linked below covers the fields and logs.

How do you run a snag list?

1. 1

   Inspect by area

   Walk room by room or zone by zone with a drawing set and consistent photo angles.

2. 2

   Number each item

   One line, location, photo, trade responsible.

3. 3

   Issue the list

   Send it to the contractor with a target completion date.

4. 4

   Reinspect

   Check each fix; close with date and initials.

5. 5

   Record exceptions

   Anything accepted as-is gets a written agreement.

Treat the snag list as a living table linked to the drawing register and your decisions log, so that an item such as a changed finish traces to the instruction that caused it.

How should a small practice keep CA records in Notion?

Use four connected tables: Site Reports, RFIs and Submittals, Instructions and Changes, and Snags. Each links to Projects and to the drawing register. Views to build: next visits, open items by owner, overdue responses, and a per-project chronological record.

Add a rule: nothing is verbal. Every site conversation produces a numbered action in the next report. This does not replace formal records required by your contract, and Notion does not notify contractors or guarantee document control.

Where ArchitectOS fits

Disclosure: we make ArchitectOS, a $39 one-time Notion template. It has Projects with an On site status, a DRAW phase, Drawings, Approvals and a Pin Board, which you can use for CA by adding site-report and snag tables. It does not include site-report forms, snag lists, RFI logs or mobile inspection tools.

It is not legal, contractual or building-code advice.

• See what's inside ArchitectOS
• ArchitectOS pricing

• RFI and submittal logs
• Design phases in Notion: AIA and RIBA
• Deliverable tracking for consultants
• Notion for architectural consultants

Frequently asked questions

What is construction administration in architecture?

It is the architect's role during construction: visiting site, answering contractor queries, reviewing submittals, issuing instructions and recording progress and defects. The exact duties depend on the appointment and contract, so define them in your agreement.

What is the difference between construction administration and contract administration?

They describe broadly the same phase. Construction administration is the usual US term; contract administration is common in the UK and elsewhere. The duties and legal responsibilities depend on the contract form, so rely on your own agreement's definitions.

What goes in an architect's site visit report?

Date, attendees and weather, progress against programme, numbered observations with photos and locations, actions with owners and dates, open queries, and the next visit. Use factual wording and avoid implying you inspected everything.

What is a snag list?

A snag list, or punch list in the US, is a numbered list of defects and unfinished items found near completion. Each item has a location, photo, responsible party and closure date, and the contractor fixes them before final sign-off.

How often should an architect visit site?

As often as the agreement requires, plus milestone visits before work is covered up. Frequency varies by project size, risk and fee, so set it in the appointment and charge for additional visits requested outside it.