【Haichuan EPC】Who is responsible for preparing the as-built drawings and who reviews them? Can they be used as a basis for settlement?

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Who is responsible for preparing the as-built drawings and who reviews them, and can they be used as a basis for settlement? Who is responsible for preparing the as-built drawings, and who is responsible for reviewing them? I believe everyone working on construction sites is well aware that, under normal circumstances, as-built drawings are prepared by the construction contractor, while they are reviewed by the construction and supervision units. Since the construction technicians from the construction company were involved in the on-site work, they have the best understanding of the actual conditions of the project and are able to accurately reflect any changes that occurred during construction in the as-built drawings. The \"Specifications for the Management of Archives in Construction Projects\" (DA/T 28-2018) set out requirements for the preparation and review of as-built drawings: generally, the construction unit is responsible for preparing these drawings. In the absence of any design changes, it is possible to simply affix the as-built stamp to the original construction drawings and sign to confirm them. For general changes, the modifications can be indicated on the original construction drawings using correction marks, along with the reasons for the changes (the modified portion should be within 30%, though it’s difficult to determine exactly what constitutes 30%); then the as-built drawing stamp should be applied. If there are significant changes, the as-built drawings need to be redrawn. For changes caused by design reasons, the design unit shall redraw the drawings. For changes caused by construction reasons, the construction party shall redraw the drawings. Many local standards also contain corresponding provisions; for example, Anhui Province’s \"Standards for the Collection and Archiving of Construction Project Documents\" DB34T4574-2023 specifies that as-built drawings shall be prepared by the construction unit and must comply with the following requirements: (1) If there are no changes to the original construction drawings, the construction unit shall stamp each of those drawings and sign them with an as-built drawing stamp to designate them as as-built drawings ； (2) In the event of general design changes during construction, and it is possible to modify the original construction drawings to use them as as-built drawings, the construction party shall make the necessary revisions to the original drawings according to the changed specifications, indicate the basis for these changes, stamp and sign the drawings to designate them as as-built drawings ； (3) In the event of significant changes during construction, the original design firm should be commissioned to redraw the revised drawings, after which the construction party shall stamp and sign these redrawn drawings as the as-built drawings ； The preparation and revision of as-built drawings shall comply with the provisions of **current relevant drafting standards. At the same time, the Regulations on Quality Management of Construction Projects explicitly designate as-built drawings as part of the engineering technical and economic documentation, which indicates that they can serve as one of the bases for settlement. However, since the as-built drawings are prepared by the construction contractor and reviewed by the construction party and the supervisor, some issues may still arise. As we all know, construction companies prioritize profits; when they prepare the as-built drawings, they will surely make changes to some less obvious parts and exaggerate the quantities shown in the drawings in order to receive more payment for the work. So how can supervisors conduct audits, determine the appropriate level of scrutiny, and identify problems? So in engineering practice, we also need to consider different situations. If the changes to the construction drawings are minor, then it’s fine for the contractor to prepare the as-built drawings; moreover, the amount of work that needs to be reviewed by the construction party and the supervisor is also small, making it easier to identify any issues. However, if the amount of work that needs to be modified is significant, in addition to review by the construction party and the supervision team, design oversight is also necessary, as designers are accountable for the quality of their designs throughout its lifetime. It can be stipulated in the design contract that the design firm shall take the lead in preparing the as-built drawings, in order to protect the interests of the client. Of course, if the amount of work required for design modifications is significant, it falls to the construction party to prepare the as-built drawings, which increases the workload for supervision and the owner in terms of review. This is because it is necessary to check each drawing for consistency with the construction drawings, design changes, negotiation records, and other relevant documents, as well as to compare them with the actual conditions on site, in order to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the as-built drawings. Especially in cases with many engineering changes, a great deal of time and effort is required to sort through and verify whether each change has been properly reflected in the as-built drawings. Therefore, during the implementation of the project, it is necessary to establish preventive measures in advance to identify and address issues promptly. (1) Strengthen full-process cost control and change management. Establish strict change management procedures that define the processes and responsibilities for proposing, reviewing, approving, and implementing changes. All changes must be confirmed in writing, with clear specifications regarding the scope of the change, the reasons for it, the responsible party, the associated costs, and the impact on the project timeline. (2) Implement a strict joint review system. The person who prepared the documents and the technical supervisor at the construction site must sign and affix their seals, taking responsibility for the authenticity of the drawings ； The supervision unit must conduct a thorough review based on all change documents and the actual conditions on site, and provide its signature for confirmation ； The project leader of the owner’s party or a professional engineer shall provide the final confirmation. Establish a reward and punishment system to reward those who prepare accurate and timely as-built drawings, and to impose severe penalties on those who prepare rough or fraudulent ones. (3) Establish a clear and complete chain of change justifications. A unified and sequential numbering system is applied to all change documents such as design change notices, project variation orders, and technical approval forms. It is mandatory to clearly indicate the corresponding change document number for the parts that have been modified in the as-built drawings. Additionally, a summary table of change documents is prepared and linked to the index of the as-built drawings, thereby enabling traceability between the drawings and the change documents. If it is found that the construction party arbitrarily modifies the as-built drawings to increase the volume of work, they should be required to make immediate corrections and prepare new as-built drawings to ensure that they accurately reflect the actual condition of the project. At the same time, penalties are imposed on construction companies for such illegal practices as fraud, altering as-built drawings, and modifying the quantities involved in the project; according to the terms of the contract, corresponding amounts from the payment due are deducted as liquidated damages to serve as a warning.