The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC®) today released the EJCDC® E-525, Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Study and Report Professional Services, 2022 Edition.

EJCDC documents are the first choice, and most user-friendly, among standard documents for infrastructure and public works construction in the United States and are available to members of the National Society of Professional Engineers at a 50% discount.

E-525 2022 is for use in retaining an engineering firm to prepare a study and report— for example, an evaluation of a project’s feasibility, facility needs, treatment options, or siting challenges— without more comprehensive detailed design-phase or construction-phase engineering services. This agreement form will be especially useful to parties who desire to proceed with project planning studies and funding pursuits prior to committing to a designer, or those who wish to engage different engineers for study and design services.

This document has been updated to follow generally the compact and functional form of EJCDC® E-520, Short Form of Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services, 2020 Edition, while incorporating relevant content consistent with EJCDC’s flagship long-form professional services agreement, EJCDC® E-500, Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services, 2020 Edition. In particular, the updated study and report phase scoping of E-525 2022 Exhibit A now closely parallels the study-and-report content of the 2020 flagship longform.

As with other EJCDC standard documents, the new E-525 2022 edition is prefaced by an introductory “Guidelines for Use” section. This section contains additional guidance regarding whether the form is appropriate for use on the specific project under consideration, and how to contract for additional phases if the project moves forward from the study phase.

E-525 2022 has been re-organized by sections to more closely parallel the order of presentation used in E-500 2020. This change makes it easier to compare the two documents directly to determine which is most appropriate for the specific project, as well as easier supplementation of E 525 with select provisions from E 500 when such customization is deemed appropriate.

Other features of E 525 2022:

• Streamlines general agreement language from prior versions in line with E-520 2020
• Clarifies payment procedures and adds a standard provision for reimbursable expenses
• Updates the Termination section to match recent clarifications in E-500
• Adds guidance and a general outline to Exhibit A to prompt the users to include a project description (Baseline Information) to define the nature and extent of the facilities covered and give context to the engineering services to be provided
• Includes Management of Engineering Services in Exhibit A as an essential part of the standard scope of study services with a specific section under Engineer’s Services
• Acknowledges the growing complexity of utility coordination needs on projects by adding consideration of utility documentation and coordination during the study phase as the initial part of progressively more detailed identification, communication, and mitigation activities that will be needed as the project proceeds to construction
• Prompts users to review design criteria with respect to opportunities for sustainability and resilience