Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 7C, sec. 51 — MA Code / Part I / Title II / Chapter 7C / Section 51
Use of consultants by applicants; truth-in-negotiations certificate; special conditions or requirements; other certifications or provisions required for inclusion in every contract for design services; professional liability insurance required; disqualification from future projects for providing materially false statements; continuation of design work by designer or interior designer conducting feasibility study
Status: in_force

Section 51. (a) When the board has required that applicants list consultants which the applicants may employ, in no event shall a consultant be used who is debarred pursuant to section 44C of chapter 149 and any change in or addition to the consultants named in the application and allowed by the board upon appointment must be approved by the commissioner and reported to the board, along with a written statement by the designer or construction manager of the reasons for the change. (b) If the designer's, interior designer's or construction manager's fee is negotiated, the designer, interior designer or construction manager shall file a truth-in-negotiations certificate prior to being awarded the contract by the commissioner, which must be incorporated into the contract. The certificate shall contain: (i) a statement that the wage rates and other costs used to support the designer's or interior designer's compensation are accurate, complete and current at the time of contracting; and (ii) an agreement that the original contract price and any additions to the contract may be adjusted within 1 year of completion of the contract to exclude any significant amounts if the commissioner determines that the fee was increased by such amounts due to inaccurate, incomplete or noncurrent wage rates or other costs. (c) The board may specify other special conditions or requirements in selecting a particular applicant as a finalist. If any change is made by the applicant after appointment relating to such special conditions or requirements, the change must be approved by the commissioner and reported to the board along with a written statement by the appointee of the reasons for the change. [ Introductory paragraph of subsection (d) effective until November 25, 2025. For text effective November 25, 2025, see below.] (d) Every contract for design services awarded under sections 44 to 58, inclusive, shall include the following: [ Introductory paragraph of subsection (d) as amended by 2025, 73, Sec. 5 effective November 25, 2025. For text effective until November 25, 2025, see above.] (d) Every contract for design services awarded under sections 44 to 57, inclusive, shall include the following: (i) certification that the designer, interior designer or construction manager has not given, offered or agreed to give any person, corporation or other entity any gift, contribution or offer of employment as an inducement for or in connection with the award of the contract for design services; (ii) certification that no consultant to or subcontractor for the designer, interior designer or construction manager has given, offered or agreed to give any gift, contribution or offer of employment to the designer, interior designer or construction manager or to any other person, corporation or entity as an inducement for or in connection with the award to the consultant or subcontractor of a contract by the designer, interior designer or construction manager; (iii) certification that no person, corporation or other entity, other than a bona fide full-time employee of the designer, interior designer or construction manager, has been retained or hired by the designer, interior designer or construction manager to solicit for or in any way assist the designer, interior designer or construction manager in obtaining the contract for design services upon an agreement or understanding that such person, corporation or other entity be paid a fee or other consideration contingent upon the award of the contract to the designer or interior designer; and (iv) certification with respect to contracts which exceed $30,000 or which are for the design of a building for which the budgeted or estimated construction costs exceed $300,000 that the designer or interior designer has internal accounting controls as required by subsection (c) of section 39R of chapter 30 and that the designer or interior designer has filed and will continue to file an audited financial statement as required by subsection (d) of said section 39R of said chapter 30. (e) A public agency shall not enter into a contract for design services unless the public agency or the designer or interior designer has obtained professional liability insurance covering negligent errors, omissions and acts of the designer or interior designer or of any person or business entity for whose performance the designer or interior designer is legally liable arising out of the performance of the contract. The total amount of such insurance shall at a minimum equal the lesser of $1,000,000 or 10 per cent of the project's estimated cost of construction or such larger amounts as the public agency may require for the applicable period of limitations. A designer or interior designer required by the public agency to obtain all or a portion of such insurance coverage at the designer's or interior designer's own expense shall furnish a certificate of insurance coverage to the public agency prior to the award of the contract. For the purposes of this subsection, "public agency'' shall have the meaning set forth in section 1. At the request of the director, a consultant employed by a designer or interior designer subject to this subsection shall obtain and maintain a liability insurance policy covering negligent errors, omissions and acts of such consultant or of any person or business entity for whose performance the consultant is legally liable arising out of the performance of the contract for consultant services. The consultant shall furnish a certificate of such insurance coverage to the division in the case of a consultant hired by a designer or interior designer selected pursuant to section 49 or to a public agency not subject to the jurisdiction of the board prior to the employment of such consultant by the designer or interior designer. A liability insurance policy maintained under this subsection shall provide for coverage of such type and duration and in such amount as the public agency shall require. (f) A designer, interior designer, construction manager or programmer who has been determined by the board to have provided materially false statements or information under this section shall be disqualified by the board from future work on any project for such time as the board determines is appropriate. (g) Contracts for design services may include a requirement that the designer or interior designer be responsible for overseeing the construction phase of the project. (h) An awarding authority in a city or town may allow a designer or interior designer who conducted a feasibility study to continue with the design of a project; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall prohibit an awarding authority from commissioning, at the discretion of the awarding authority, an independent review by a knowledgeable and competent individual or business doing such work, of the feasibility of the designer's or interior designer's work to insure its reasonableness and its adequacy before allowing the designer or interior designer to continue on the project. (i) Contracts for design services shall include a provision that the designer or interior designer or the consultants hired by the designer or interior designer shall not be compensated for any services involved in preparing changes that are required for additional work that should have been anticipated by the designer or interior designer in the preparation of the bid documents, as reasonably determined by the executive head of the public agency responsible for administering the design contract. For the purpose of this subsection, "public agency'' shall have the meaning as set forth in section 1.

Section 51. (a) When the board has required that applicants list consultants which the applicants may employ, in no event shall a consultant be used who is debarred pursuant to section 44C of chapter 149 and any change in or addition to the consultants named in the application and allowed by the board upon appointment must be approved by the commissioner and reported to the board, along with a written statement by the designer or construction manager of the reasons for the change.

(b) If the designer's, interior designer's or construction manager's fee is negotiated, the designer, interior designer or construction manager shall file a truth-in-negotiations certificate prior to being awarded the contract by the commissioner, which must be incorporated into the contract. The certificate shall contain:

(i) a statement that the wage rates and other costs used to support the designer's or interior designer's compensation are accurate, complete and current at the time of contracting; and

(ii) an agreement that the original contract price and any additions to the contract may be adjusted within 1 year of completion of the contract to exclude any significant amounts if the commissioner determines that the fee was increased by such amounts due to inaccurate, incomplete or noncurrent wage rates or other costs.

(c) The board may specify other special conditions or requirements in selecting a particular applicant as a finalist. If any change is made by the applicant after appointment relating to such special conditions or requirements, the change must be approved by the commissioner and reported to the board along with a written statement by the appointee of the reasons for the change.

[ Introductory paragraph of subsection (d) effective until November 25, 2025. For text effective November 25, 2025, see below.]

(d) Every contract for design services awarded under sections 44 to 58, inclusive, shall include the following:

[ Introductory paragraph of subsection (d) as amended by 2025, 73, Sec. 5 effective November 25, 2025. For text effective until November 25, 2025, see above.]

(d) Every contract for design services awarded under sections 44 to 57, inclusive, shall include the following:

(i) certification that the designer, interior designer or construction manager has not given, offered or agreed to give any person, corporation or other entity any gift, contribution or offer of employment as an inducement for or in connection with the award of the contract for design services;

(ii) certification that no consultant to or subcontractor for the designer, interior designer or construction manager has given, offered or agreed to give any gift, contribution or offer of employment to the designer, interior designer or construction manager or to any other person, corporation or entity as an inducement for or in connection with the award to the consultant or subcontractor of a contract by the designer, interior designer or construction manager;

(iii) certification that no person, corporation or other entity, other than a bona fide full-time employee of the designer, interior designer or construction manager, has been retained or hired by the designer, interior designer or construction manager to solicit for or in any way assist the designer, interior designer or construction manager in obtaining the contract for design services upon an agreement or understanding that such person, corporation or other entity be paid a fee or other consideration contingent upon the award of the contract to the designer or interior designer; and

(iv) certification with respect to contracts which exceed $30,000 or which are for the design of a building for which the budgeted or estimated construction costs exceed $300,000 that the designer or interior designer has internal accounting controls as required by subsection (c) of section 39R of chapter 30 and that the designer or interior designer has filed and will continue to file an audited financial statement as required by subsection (d) of said section 39R of said chapter 30.

(e) A public agency shall not enter into a contract for design services unless the public agency or the designer or interior designer has obtained professional liability insurance covering negligent errors, omissions and acts of the designer or interior designer or of any person or business entity for whose performance the designer or interior designer is legally liable arising out of the performance of the contract. The total amount of such insurance shall at a minimum equal the lesser of $1,000,000 or 10 per cent of the project's estimated cost of construction or such larger amounts as the public agency may require for the applicable period of limitations. A designer or interior designer required by the public agency to obtain all or a portion of such insurance coverage at the designer's or interior designer's own expense shall furnish a certificate of insurance coverage to the public agency prior to the award of the contract. For the purposes of this subsection, "public agency'' shall have the meaning set forth in section 1.

At the request of the director, a consultant employed by a designer or interior designer subject to this subsection shall obtain and maintain a liability insurance policy covering negligent errors, omissions and acts of such consultant or of any person or business entity for whose performance the consultant is legally liable arising out of the performance of the contract for consultant services. The consultant shall furnish a certificate of such insurance coverage to the division in the case of a consultant hired by a designer or interior designer selected pursuant to section 49 or to a public agency not subject to the jurisdiction of the board prior to the employment of such consultant by the designer or interior designer. A liability insurance policy maintained under this subsection shall provide for coverage of such type and duration and in such amount as the public agency shall require.

(f) A designer, interior designer, construction manager or programmer who has been determined by the board to have provided materially false statements or information under this section shall be disqualified by the board from future work on any project for such time as the board determines is appropriate.

(g) Contracts for design services may include a requirement that the designer or interior designer be responsible for overseeing the construction phase of the project.

(h) An awarding authority in a city or town may allow a designer or interior designer who conducted a feasibility study to continue with the design of a project; provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall prohibit an awarding authority from commissioning, at the discretion of the awarding authority, an independent review by a knowledgeable and competent individual or business doing such work, of the feasibility of the designer's or interior designer's work to insure its reasonableness and its adequacy before allowing the designer or interior designer to continue on the project.

(i) Contracts for design services shall include a provision that the designer or interior designer or the consultants hired by the designer or interior designer shall not be compensated for any services involved in preparing changes that are required for additional work that should have been anticipated by the designer or interior designer in the preparation of the bid documents, as reasonably determined by the executive head of the public agency responsible for administering the design contract. For the purpose of this subsection, "public agency'' shall have the meaning as set forth in section 1.