Summary
This article explains how to create and edit projects in ACD5, including adding contacts, creating distribution lists, managing subfolders, and importing files. It also covers editing, archiving, and organizing project information, which is automatically populated into document drafts.
The AIA Contract Documents online service is project-centric, meaning that information and documents are created and stored by project. The project information you enter is automatically populated into the document drafts you create for that project.
You can manage all documents and files associated with a project by clicking View all documents, where you can click and drag headings to sort documents and click on the vertical dots to the right of the header to filter within that header.
Creating a project from the Projects tab
You can create a new project from the Projects tab to begin storing the information that will be automatically populated into your documents.
To create a project from the Projects tab:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click Create New Project.
- Enter the general project information. This information will be automatically entered into the document drafts that you generate for the project:
Project Name: Type the official name or title of the facility. This is the name that will appear in all project documents.
Project List Name: This is the name that will appear in the project list on the left side of the Projects tab. Unlike the Project Name, the Project List Name is for internal use and thus can be modified without affecting the project name that appears in project documents.
Detailed Description: Type a detailed description of the proposed building usage and the size, capacity, or scope of the project.
Type of Contract: Type “General Construction” if the contractor is a single prime (or general) contractor. However, if the contractor is one of several prime contractors, the work performed by that contractor should be identified, such as “Mechanical Work.”
Construction Contract / IPD Date: Use the date picker to select the date of the prime construction contract, or of the integrated project delivery (IPD) agreement if using AIA document A195-2008, B195-2008, C191-2009, C195-2008, C196-2008, C197-2008, C198-2010, or C199-2010.
Owner-Architect or International Client-Consultant Agreement Date: Use the date picker to select the date of the agreement between the project owner and architect or, when using B161-2022, the date of the agreement between the client (project owner) and the consultant (US architect).
Project Location: Type the location of the project, including the address if known.
Project Type: Select from the drop-down list.
Original Contract Sum: Enter the original contract sum or guaranteed maximum price of the prime construction contract in dollars.
Contract Cost Structure: Select “Contract Sum” or “Guaranteed Maximum Price.”
Project Numbers: Type the project numbers for the architect, contractor, and owner.
- Click Save. After the project has been saved, you must click the Edit Project Data button to make further changes.
- Click Project Team. The project team lets you identify the various members of the project team and their respective categories, e.g., the owner and the architect, from your list of contacts. Once the team has been created, contact information will be automatically entered into the document drafts that you generate for the project.
To add or remove a contact to a project team:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click on a project in the projects list and click Project Team.
- Click Add Team Member. (To remove a team member, select the checkboxes or the desired contact(s) and click Remove Team Member.)
- Select the checkboxes for the desired contact(s) and click OK.
- If the team member does not currently exist in your contacts, click Create Contact and add the contact information.
- Click Back to all projects to exit the Project Team window and return to your project.
Note: You can click and drag the headers to group your project team members. You can also click more options ( ) to the right of the column header to sort and filter further.
Creating a distribution list
A project’s distribution list is used to email documents to multiple recipients. The list may include both manually entered recipients and/or recipients selected from your Contact Library. You may only create one distribution list per project.
To add recipients to a distribution list:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click on a project in the projects list and click Distribution List.
- Click Add New to add a recipient who is not already in your Contact Library. Click Select From Contacts to add a recipient who is already in your Contact Library.
- Click OK.
- To remove a recipient, select the checkbox next to the desired recipient and click Remove.
- Click Back to all Projects to exit the Distribution List window and return to your project.
Note: You can click and drag the headers to group your contact list. You can also click more options ( ) to the right of the column header to sort and filter further.
Creating and editing subfolders
Subfolders are used to organize your project documents. You can create subfolders under the main project folder and then store project documents in those subfolders. You can create as many subfolders in as many levels of the project list as you like.
To create a subfolder:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Right click the project name in the projects lists and click Create Folder.
- Highlight the subfolder name and rename it as desired.
- Press the Tab key or click outside the folder name to complete the change.
- You can move or copy documents into that subfolder by clicking View All Documents in the main project folder and selecting Move or Copy under more actions for a document.
To delete or rename a subfolder:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click the expand icon next to the project in the project lists.
- Right click the subfolder name and click Delete Folder or Rename Folder.
- If deleting, click OK.
- If renaming, highlight the subfolder name and rename it as desired. Press the Tab key or click outside the folder name to complete the change.
Caution: Deleting a subfolder will delete any documents and subfolders it contains. Once completed, the deletion cannot be undone.
Editing projects
When you edit a project’s data, your changes will automatically be included in any new documents you create. However, documents that were created before you made your changes will not automatically updated and must be recreated (or synced if using the online editor) with the new data.
To edit your project details:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click on a project in the projects list and click Edit Project Data.
- Alter the project data as needed.
- Click Save.
Renaming projects
The project list name is used solely to organize your projects. It is not the same as the project name that appears in the Project Detail area, which contains the wording that is automatically populated into new documents.
To change a project’s list name:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Right click the project name and click Rename Project.
- Highlight the project name and rename it as desired. The name may include any character (including <>,*;?/\|).
- Press the Tab key or click outside the folder name to complete the change. Refreshing your browser will reorder the project list if you have made a change that affects the project name sort.
Deleting projects
Deleting a project will delete any subfolders and documents it contains. Once completed, the deletion cannot be undone. Refer any security management questions to your license administrator.
To delete a project:
- Go to the Projects tab, select the project.
- Click on the project in the projects list and click Delete Project. A warning message is displayed that states “Deleting a project will delete all the folders and documents contained in those folders. Are you sure you want to delete project “[Project_Name]”?”
- Click the OK button to confirm the deletion or click Cancel to exit without deleting the project.
Archiving projects
The Archive feature allows you to show or hide projects on the project list. Archived projects can be activated at any time should you need to work on them further.
Note: If you are part of a company license, only license administrators have the capability to archive or unarchive projects from the Company Settings panel.
To archive or unarchive a project:
- Go to the Projects tab
- Click the Archive Projects button above the Projects list.
- Select the checkboxes for active projects you’d like to archive. Deselect the checkboxes for archived projects you’d like to activate.
- Click the Save Changes button.
Importing files
The Import File feature allows you to save files to an existing project. Imported files can be software-generated contract drafts, or any other files you choose to import from your computer. The online service will identify the Document ID from a software-generated file and will categorize non software-generated files as “Other.” Note that only software-generated files can be finalized.
To import a file to a project:
- Go to the Projects tab.
- Click on a project from the projects list and click Import File.
- Click Choose file(s) and locate the desired file from your computer.
- Click Import.
Creating a project from a document (Online Editor only)
Using the Online Editor, you can create a new project using data you provide in a draft document. This allows you to create the first document in a project and create the project at the same time.
To create a project from a document using the Online Editor:
- Go to the Template Library tab.
- Locate the desired template and click its name to display it in the Online Editor.
- Edit your document to include relevant project data. Project data and contacts will be saved for use in additional documents.
- Click Save in the Online Editor menu.
- In the Save Document As dialog box, click the New Project button.
- In the Create New Project dialog, confirm, or provide as needed the project name and click Save.
- Your project appears in the list of projects. Confirm and or edit the document name as needed and click OK to close the Save Document As dialog.
- Exit the Online Editor.
- Go to the Projects tab to view your new project.
- Click Edit Project Data to further edit the project information.
After the project has been saved, you must click the Edit Project Data button to make changes.