Project Close Out Documents and Procedures
You did it! You got your certificate of occupancy and have turned the building over to your tenant or operations and everyone is starting to move in. But hold on - you’re not done yet. You still have to close out the project from a development standpoint.
Your architect should list many of the project closeout docs that the general contractor must submit to ownership in the contract documents, but below are the major ones, along with some additional ones outside of the contract documents.
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Ensure your tenant sets up accounts at the utility companies to switch all the utilities from the GC's name to the tenant's name before tenant move in.
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Full set of as-built drawings from your GC and subcontractors, both in digital format and a hard copy for the building maintenance manager to have onsite.
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As-built ALTA survey from your civil engineer
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Permits
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Certificate of Occupancy
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Certificate of Substantial Completion (AIA Document G704) from architect
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Punch List
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Sign off from GC that punch list is complete
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Certificate of Final Completion from architect
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Final unconditional lien waivers from GC and subs.
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Any attic stock listed in the construction documents
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HVAC Test & Balance Report
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Fire-Lie Safety inspection report
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Backflow test report
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Operations & Maintenance manuals
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Ensure your GC schedules operations and maintenance training for equipment and systems with your building maintenance manager.
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Paint color list so that your maintenance manager and easily order more paint for touch ups and repainting.
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Contact list of subcontractors so that your maintenance manager can contact subs directly to do warrantee work.
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One year workmanship warrantee letters from your GC and subcontractors. You want these warrantee letters directly from your subs to you (the owner). If the project ends contentiously between the owner and GC, you want to be able to bypass your GC and go direct to the subs to fix their warrantee issues.
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25-year roof warrantee
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Equipment warrantees, or any other warrantees that extend beyond the one year workmanship warrantee from your GC and subs.
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Schedule an 11-month warrantee walk through of the project before your general contractor's 1-year project warrantee expires. Make sure that that the GC's attendance at the 11-month warrantee walk is in his construction contract.
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Don’t pay your general contractor his final retainage payment until he delivers these closeout docs to you.
Finally, if your GC did a good job, and you would recommend him to others, write him an unsolicited letter of recommendation. I have found that when I did this, the GC is really surprised and appreciated it. Do this because it is the right thing to do, but it also helps if people in the construction industry appreciate you as a development manager. Click here for a simple example of a GC letter of recommendation.