AIA Form G802: When to Use It, Fill Out, and Execute

AIA Form G802–2017 is the standard document used to amend an existing owner-architect agreement, such as B101–2017, when the project’s scope, fee, or schedule changes. Instead of rewriting the whole contract, you fill out the G802 on the AIA Contract Documents platform at aiacontracts.com, describe the changes, update the compensation and schedule figures, and have both parties sign it the same way they signed the original agreement.¹

When to Use a G802

Three things trigger a G802, and they usually travel together: a change in scope, a change in fee, or a change in schedule. Add a second floor to a single-story office design and the architect’s work grows, the fee moves, and the completion date slides. The amendment captures all of that in one document so nobody is relying on an email thread when a billing question comes up six months later.

Scope changes are the most common reason. Adding interior design services, dropping a wing from the project, or expanding the architect’s role to include construction administration all qualify. The form works in either direction, handling additions and reductions equally.¹

Schedule shifts can stand on their own too. Permitting delays, supply chain problems, or an owner-requested pause can push a timeline by months. Without a written amendment extending the architect’s period of performance, the original completion date still governs, and the architect is exposed to a claim that they missed a contractual deadline.

Compensation changes complete the list. When workload grows or construction costs rise, the fee from the original agreement no longer matches the work. The G802 is where you document whether the adjustment is a lump sum, a new hourly rate, a revised percentage of construction cost, or something else.

How G802 Differs From G701

Architects and owners sometimes mix up the G802 with the AIA G701 Change Order. The line between them is clean: G802 amends the professional services agreement between the owner and architect, while G701 modifies the construction contract between the owner and contractor.¹ The G701 adjusts the contractor’s price, construction scope, or construction timeline.² One project event, say adding a rooftop terrace, can require both: a G701 for the contractor’s added work and a G802 for the architect’s added design services.

Where to Get the Form

The G802 is copyrighted and available only through the AIA Contract Documents platform at aiacontracts.com.¹ You can’t reproduce or excerpt the form without written AIA permission, so a blank copy from a third-party site isn’t a legitimate option.

Two licensing paths exist. One-time-use licenses let you buy individual documents, which suits firms issuing only a handful of amendments a year. An unlimited subscription opens access to more than 300 AIA documents for a flat annual fee and works better for firms that amend contracts regularly.³ You complete the form on the cloud platform, which also tracks document creation, order numbers, and license expiration.

Filling Out the Form

The G802 is organized into a header block, a narrative amendment description, a compensation section, a schedule section, an exhibits line, and signature blocks. Before you start, pull the original owner-architect agreement from the file. The project name, project address, and the date the original agreement was signed all need to match exactly on the G802.¹

Header Information

Enter the project name and address exactly as they appear in the original agreement. Don’t abbreviate and don’t update informally changed addresses. The agreement block refers back to the original contract. The amendment block takes a date and an amendment number. Number them sequentially, Amendment No. 1, No. 2, and so on, so the file shows a clean chronological trail if multiple amendments accumulate.⁴ Below that, fill in the owner’s and architect’s names and addresses.

Amendment Description

The body opens with the prompt “The Owner and Architect amend the Agreement as follows” and leaves open space for a narrative. This is where most of the drafting happens, and vague language is where most problems start. Rather than writing “architect will provide additional services,” name the services, identify which spaces or systems they cover, and list the deliverables.

One filed G802 covering an aquatic center expansion did this well, itemizing each new element, poolhouse, lazy river, slides, cabanas, pavilions, shade structures, food truck area, and expanded parking, so no one could argue about what the architect had agreed to design.⁴ Aim for that level of specificity. If the amendment is cutting the architect’s duties rather than adding to them, describe the removal with equal detail.

Compensation Adjustment

State the adjusted compensation and the basis for calculating it. The form accommodates lump-sum fees, hourly rates, multiples of direct personnel expense, and percentage-of-construction-cost arrangements. Whichever method you use, show the math. If the fee is a percentage of construction cost, define what counts as construction cost: does it include bid alternates, bonds, insurance, overhead, profit? One filed G802 answered that question in a single sentence inside the amendment itself, closing off any later dispute.⁴

If the original agreement capped reimbursable expenses and the scope change affects those costs, deal with that in the compensation section as well. The G802 instructions don’t prescribe a formula; the parties describe whatever adjustments they agree to in the open-text field.¹

Schedule Adjustment

Record the schedule change by stating both the previous date and the new target date, so the amendment reads as a complete document without someone having to flip back to the original contract. If the change touches only certain milestones, list those individually. For phased projects, break the schedule out by phase; the form’s open formatting accommodates it.

Exhibits

A line is provided to list attached exhibits. Revised drawings, updated specifications, or a new consultant scope of work all belong here. Anything you attach becomes part of the amendment and carries the same contractual weight as the text on the form.

Signing and Executing the Amendment

The G802 must be signed in a manner consistent with the original agreement.¹ If the original was executed by a firm principal and a corporate officer on the owner’s side, the amendment should be signed by the same people or their equivalents. The signature block provides spaces for the firm name, individual signature, printed name and title, and date for both the architect and the owner.⁴

Confirm signing authority before you route the document. Institutional and government clients often restrict amendment authority to specific individuals, and a project manager’s signature may not bind the organization. On the architect’s side, the signer is typically a principal or officer of the firm. Electronic signatures are broadly accepted, but some institutional clients and certain jurisdictions still require wet ink. Match whatever method the original agreement used.

After Signing

Each party keeps a fully executed copy. Distribute the final version to anyone whose work is affected: subconsultants, project managers, the accounting staff who will be invoicing against the revised fee. People who don’t know an amendment exists can’t act on it, and misalignment between the design team and the owner’s project manager is a reliable source of disputes.

Store the signed amendment in the permanent project file alongside the original agreement and any earlier amendments. Professional liability carriers generally expect complete contract records, including modifications, kept for a period that often extends well past project completion. The exact retention period depends on your carrier’s recommendations and the applicable statutes of limitation and repose, which for design professionals vary widely by jurisdiction.

What You Risk by Skipping the Written Amendment

When an architect performs extra work on the strength of a verbal okay or an email, and the owner later disputes it, the architect’s recovery options narrow to legal theories like quantum meruit, a claim for the reasonable value of services the owner knowingly accepted. Promissory estoppel can help when the owner promised to issue a written amendment and told the architect to proceed. Both are fallback remedies, not substitutes. Litigation is expensive, and outcomes are uncertain.

Undocumented scope changes also create insurance exposure. Professional liability policies cover the services described in the contract. When the actual work drifts from the contract because nobody updated it, the carrier may question whether the extra services fall within coverage. Keeping the G802 current with what the project actually is remains the simplest way to avoid that problem.

1
AIA Contract Documents. Instructions: G802–2017, Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement
2
Procore. Contractor’s Guide to the AIA G701 Change Order
3
AIA Contract Documents. AIA Contract Documents – The Industry Standard for Construction
4
American Institute of Architects. AIA Document G802 – 2017 Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement