AIA Document B212-2024, Standard Form of Architect’s Services: Master Planning, is a new scope of services document for master planning. Additionally, the new C205-2024, Standard Form of Consultant’s Services: Regional or Urban Planning, contains updated planning services and replaces the former B212-2010. B212-2024 and C205-2024 are related scope documents, but each has a distinct focus and purpose. Both can assist design professionals with educating the client and setting expectations about the course of the project, and both are structured to effectively manage risk.
Key differences between these documents include the following:
B212-2024 is designed for master planning projects for physical spaces that usually have multiple buildings, such as hospital or educational campuses. The document has a limited scope of services and focuses on the architectural contextual relationships of existing and potential future buildings on the site.
In contrast, C205-2024 focuses on conceptual issues that are relevant to planning at a larger scale, typically in the context of a city or region. C205-2024 anticipates planning for conceptual issues like infrastructure, mobility, social equity, and zoning. The scope involves research, analysis, and decision-making activities that allow clients and planners to establish criteria and guidelines for future development of public areas. These planning projects typically begin with identifying goals and objectives, based on input from impacted communities and other stakeholders. Overall, these projects aim to improve the quality of the regional or urban environment through design, planning, and public policy.
In addition, while B212-2024 anticipates the client to be a private or governmental entity, C205-2024 anticipates the client to be a city, municipality, or other larger government agency.
The recently released documents are not stand-alone documents, but they pair with AIA Document B102-2017, Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and Architect without a Predefined Scope of Architect’s Services. However, design professionals may also pair either scope document with other AIA owner-architect agreements