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Dora, BAU AI's contracts agent
Dora · Agent 02 · Contract review

AI construction contract review,
cited to the clause and page.

Dora reviews the contract you upload against the AIA, ConsensusDocs and EJCDC base forms. Every change that shifts risk to you is cited to its clause and page, and your team decides what to push back on.

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Sample contract, illustrative data

The review · sample contract

What does Dora find in a contract?

Dora marks up each change against AIA A201-2017 and comments on the risk, who it favors and the question for counsel, cited to the page.

Read the contract review checklist
  1. 41Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    3.18 INDEMNIFICATION

    3.18.1 The Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Owner from claims arising out of the Work, but only to the extent caused by the negligent acts of the Contractor including claims caused in whole or in part by the negligence of the Owner, without limit as to amount.

    Dora

    High risk. Favors the Owner. A201-2017 §3.18.1 limits indemnity to the extent the Contractor caused the loss.

    For counsel: Can we restore the “to the extent caused” limit?

    3.18.2 No change.

  2. 47Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    8.3 DELAYS AND EXTENSIONS OF TIME

    8.3.1.1 If the Contractor fails to achieve Substantial Completion within the Contract Time, the Contractor shall pay the Owner, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, $5,000.00 for each calendar day of delay until Substantial Completion is achieved.

    Dora

    High risk. Favors the Owner. A201-2017 §8.3 sets no daily rate. This adds $5,000 a day with no aggregate cap.

    For counsel: Will the owner accept a cap on liquidated damages?

    8.3.2 Claims relating to time follow Article 15. No change.

  3. 49Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    8.3 DELAYS AND EXTENSIONS OF TIME

    8.3.3 This Section 8.3 does not preclude recovery of damages for delay by either party under other provisions of the Contract Documents. An extension of the Contract Time shall be the Contractor’s sole and exclusive remedy for any delay, and the Contractor shall not recover damages for delay from the Owner.

    Dora

    High risk. Favors the Owner. A201-2017 §8.3.3 keeps delay damages open to either party.

    For counsel: Can delay damages be restored for owner-caused delay?

    9.1 Contract Sum. No change.

  4. 52Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    9.3 APPLICATIONS FOR PAYMENT

    9.3.1.3 The Owner shall withhold retainage of 10% from each progress payment until the Work is 50% complete, and 5% thereafter. Retainage shall be released with final payment.

    Dora

    Medium. Neutral. A201-2017 §9.3 sets no rate; the Agreement does. Release waits for final payment.

    For counsel: Can retainage be released at Substantial Completion?

    9.3.2 Materials stored at the site. No change.

  5. 56Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    ARTICLE 15 CLAIMS AND DISPUTES

    15.1.3 Notice of Claims. Claims by either party must be initiated within 21 7 days after occurrence of the event giving rise to such Claim or within 21 days after the claimant first recognizes the condition, whichever is later. Failure to give notice within that time waives the Claim.

    Dora

    Medium. Favors the Owner. A201-2017 §15.1.3 allows 21 days. Late notice now waives the claim.

    For counsel: Can we keep 21 days, or drop the waiver?

    15.1.4 Continuing contract performance. No change.

  6. 58Section 00 73 00 · Supplementary Conditions

    ARTICLE 15 CLAIMS AND DISPUTES

    15.1.7 Waiver of Claims for Consequential Damages. The Contractor and Owner waive Claims against each other for consequential damages arising out of or relating to this Contract, including damages for loss of use, income, profit, financing, business and reputation. Deleted.

    Dora

    High risk. Favors the Owner. A201-2017 §15.1.7 is a mutual waiver. Lost profits and loss of use stay open against you.

    For counsel: Why was the mutual waiver deleted?

    15.2.1 Initial decision. No change.

  7. 6AIA A401-2017, as modified · Subcontract

    ARTICLE 11 PROGRESS PAYMENTS

    11.3 The Contractor shall pay the Subcontractor each progress payment within seven days after the Contractor receives payment from the Owner. Receipt of payment by the Contractor from the Owner for the Subcontractor’s Work is a condition precedent to the Contractor’s obligation to pay the Subcontractor.

    Dora

    Low. Favors you. A401-2017 §11.3 is pay-when-paid; this makes owner payment a condition precedent.

    For counsel: Does this hold up in Texas and match the prime?

    11.4 Retainage. No change.

Review finished7 deviations · 4 high · 168 clauses

Sample contract, illustrative data. A201-2017 and A401-2017 wording is paraphrased, not quoted. Not legal advice.

10+ hrs*saved on each contract reviewA 60-page contract compared to the base form in minutes, not two days.
90%*less time to a first redlineA cited draft ready before the call with your counsel.
$1,000+*review cost saved per contract10 hours at a loaded rate of $100 an hour.
40+*risk terms checked in every contractLDs, indemnity, pay-if-paid, notice, retainage and more.
3×*more contracts reviewed each weekPrime contracts and subcontracts, same team.
+25%*more risky changes caughtThan a rushed manual first read before signing.

*Illustrative

One clause, three readings

Where does a finding come from?

The liquidated damages clause on page 47 of the sample contract, read three ways: the base form, the contract as the owner changed it, and what it means for you. Each reading points back to the same page.

  1. 1The base formAIA A201-2017 §8.3, paraphrased

    8.3.1 If the Contractor is delayed by causes beyond its control, the Contract Time shall be extended by Change Order for such reasonable time as the Architect may determine.

    A201 itself sets no daily rate for liquidated damages.

  2. 2The contract, as changedSupplementary Conditions, p. 47

    8.3.1 No change. 8.3.1.1 If the Contractor fails to achieve Substantial Completion within the Contract Time, the Contractor shall pay the Owner, as liquidated damages and not as a penalty, $5,000.00 for each calendar day of delay until Substantial Completion is achieved.no cap stated

    Underlined added by the owner^ no maximum aggregate amount

  3. 3What it means for youPlain English, illustrative figures

    Every day past Substantial Completion costs you $5,000, and nothing in the contract stops the total from growing. On this $48M sample contract, a month late is 30 days × $5,000 = $150,000, and three months about $450,000.

    Courts generally enforce liquidated damages only as a reasonable forecast of actual damages, so an uncapped daily rate is a point to raise before you sign.

    The question for counsel

    Will the owner accept an aggregate cap on liquidated damages?

    p. 47 · AIA A201-2017 §8.3 · drafted by Dora, decided by counsel

Compared against AIA A201-2017, A401-2017, ConsensusDocs 200 and 750, EJCDC C-700 and owner-drafted forms. Not legal advice.

The team

Where do Dora's findings
come from and go?

Clara flags the LD clause on p. 47 at bid time. Dora reviews it before you sign. Nova carries the scope into sub leveling, and Theo takes off quantities.

Clara, BAU AI's bids and RFPs agent
Clara
Agent 01 · Bids and RFPs

Flags the contract risk at bid time.

Reads the whole bid package, flags the risks with page cites, and drafts your Go/No-Go.
Nova, BAU AI's bid leveling agent
Nova
Agent 03 · Bid leveling

Carries the scope into buyout.

Levels sub bids to one scope and shows the gaps and unbalanced prices before you award.
Theo, BAU AI's takeoff agent
Theo
Agent 04 · Takeoff

Quantities for the scope check.

Takes quantities off 2D PDF plan sets, each one marked on its sheet.
FAQ

What do teams ask about Dora?

Terms in the glossary: AIA A201 · Indemnification · Liquidated damages · Pay-when-paid

Which contract forms does Dora compare against?

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AIA A201, A101 and A401, ConsensusDocs 200 and 750, EJCDC C-700, and owner-drafted forms with their supplementary conditions. Every flag names the base clause it departs from and the page in your document.

Is Dora's review legal advice?

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No. Dora does the first read and drafts questions for counsel and the owner's rep. Your attorney decides what to redline and what to accept.

Does Dora review subcontracts too?

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Yes. Dora reads your subcontract against AIA A401 or ConsensusDocs 750 and checks that flow-down terms match the prime: pay-if-paid, retainage, indemnity and insurance.

How does Dora handle redlines?

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Markups and tracked changes are read in context. Dora groups changes by risk theme: liquidated damages, indemnity, retention, payment terms, schedule, and termination.

Is our contract data used to train your models?

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No. Contracts are processed on US infrastructure with logical tenant isolation, and we do not train on customer data. Our SOC 2 Type II audit is underway.

What does Dora cost?

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Pricing is on request. Dora is available on every plan, alone on Solo or with other agents on Duo, Studio and Enterprise. See pricing.

Contract review guides