Specialist consultants - payment

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Payment ofspecialist consultantswill depend on the form and mechanism of engagement between the client, consultants and architect. Regardless of the form of agreement, architects should make themselves aware of the conditions of engagement of specialist consultants and the role they may be required to fulfil. The Institute's Architect–Specialist Consultant Agreement (ASCA2017) is intended for use where the architect directly engages the specialist consultant and pays the specialist consultant directly. In general, the architect should nominate specialist consultants, obtain client approval of the appointments, and advise the client of the consultants' fees. The client should also be advised of any fees for which they will become liable if the project does not proceed beyond a stage defined in the Client and Architect Agreement. The architect should act prudently by ensuring that all parties are fully aware of their responsibilities, of the fees payable and of the method of paying those fees, to avoid undue liability.