As reported in this week’s Rhino Times, officials with Guilford County Schools are seeking $1.24 billion in construction spending over the next ten years. Funding for the capital improvements, approximately three-quarters of which would constitute renovations to existing facilities, would of course require that Guilford County voters approve one or more future bond referenda.
The article goes on to contend that the school system could have saved millions in recent years by re-using plans and specifications from previous Guilford County school construction projects, but I am curious to know whether the intellectual property provisions of the prior design contracts may have prevented that from happening. Pure speculation here, but I’m guessing an “Instruments of Service” clause in those prior design contracts might have prevented Guilford County Schools from simply re-using the earlier plans and specs. For additional reading, this article by the AIA contains useful information regarding “Instruments of Service” and U.S. copyright law.
N.C. Construction Law, Policy & News 