Purpose: Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts are on their way to becoming the most common type of contract used by the private sector for large-scale infrastructure projects. Every project requires a strong relationship between all of the experts participating in EPC projects and the client. This relationship must be solidly established by an architect; otherwise, the project may fail for all parties involved, including the client, contractor, lenders, government, and others. The purpose of this study is to identify if the working of the EPC contracts is favourable for the architectural profession, and to identify the way in which the working could be improved.
Methodology: A qualitative approach was applied to analyze the critical points of EPC contracts based upon reviews of related case studies from the public sector and supplementary interviews with professionals in the field.
Main Finding: The architect's role in an EPC contract is not crucial and is equal to other stakeholders involved in the project. Also, EPC contractors have the power to dictate the workflow of the project and hence, architects might have to compromise in terms of the design, compensation, etc.
Implications: It is very important for every project to have an outcome based on each stakeholders/consultants inputs specially on larger projects, this article is a step towards understanding the role of architects under an EPC contract as the future projects will come under its purview.
Novelty: The study is done under the lens of a newly graduated architect and not as any other professional, thereby trying to develop an understanding for fresh architects.