April 24, 2026·8 min read

Construction Administration Checklist for Landscape Architects

A practical CA checklist for landscape architects. Covers pre-construction, submittals, site observation, change orders, punch lists, and closeout. Based on how experienced firms actually run CA without losing money on the phase.

Construction Administration (CA) is the phase most landscape architecture firms lose money on. It's long, unpredictable, and filled with small time-consuming tasks that are easy to undersell during the proposal phase. This checklist walks through what actually happens during CA — and how to run it without eating your margin.

Why CA is the danger zone

Most firms scope CA as 10–15% of total fee but routinely spend 20–25% of hours there. Why:

Calendar time is long. Construction might take 6 months; your "CA budget" pretends it's 3.
Submittal volume is high. Every plant cultivar, paver, light fixture, and amendment comes through the LA for review.
RFIs compound. One ambiguous note on a CD sheet generates 4 RFIs during construction.
Site visits cost more than you think. Between travel time, the visit itself, and documentation after, a single site visit can easily consume 4–6 billable hours.
Change orders. Client or contractor requests reopen earlier work.

The fix is partly proposal-phase (scoping CA correctly) and partly execution-phase (running it efficiently). This article focuses on the execution side.

Pre-construction checklist

Before ground breaks, do this work:

Pre-construction meeting with owner, GC, LA subcontractors (planting, irrigation, hardscape). Walk through phasing, access, staging, water source, power.
Site walk with GC's site superintendent to verify existing conditions match the CDs. Flag tree protection, erosion control boundaries, protected areas.
Confirm submittal schedule — when does GC need approved plant material specs? Irrigation equipment? Hardscape mock-ups?
Confirm inspection schedule — what milestones trigger an LA site visit? Typical: rough grading complete, planting plan verification pre-planting, irrigation rough-in, irrigation pressure test, plant delivery inspection, final walk.
Review GC's baseline schedule — flag any unrealistic sequencing (e.g., planting before grading is complete).
Agree on RFI / submittal response timelines — typically 5–10 business days. Document in writing.
Clarify the chain of authority — who can approve a change order? Who can decline a plant substitution? Put it in writing.

Missing any of these at the start costs you hours during construction.

Submittal review workflow

Submittals are the single highest-volume CA task. Run them systematically:

Receiving

Log every submittal in a tracking system the moment it arrives
Assign a submittal number and due date (target 5–10 business days)
Flag "ball in court" — yours, contractor's, or owner's

Reviewing

Verify submittal matches CDs — manufacturer, model, cultivar, size, quantity
Check against project specs (not just the submitted cut sheet)
Note deviations explicitly — substitutions require an alternate submittal, not a silent swap
For plant submittals: verify source nursery, growing conditions, container size, root ball condition specs

Responding

Stamp with one of the standard actions:

Approved — proceed as submitted
Approved as noted — proceed with minor modifications in red
Revise and resubmit — specific issues noted, new submittal required
Rejected — significant departure from CDs, start over

Documenting

Keep a complete submittal log — submittal number, description, date received, date returned, action taken
Archive approved submittals as-builts for closeout

A submittal log in a shared spreadsheet is the bare minimum. A proper log system with automated reminders (so nothing sits for 30 days untouched) saves hours across a multi-month project.

RFI response workflow

RFIs should be rarer than submittals, but each one is higher stakes (usually blocks construction):

Log every RFI with date received, description, ball in court, due date
Prioritize: urgent (blocking construction today) vs. routine
Respond in writing — never verbally in a site meeting
Issue formal clarifications or sketches (CS / ASK numbered drawings) when the response modifies the CDs
Copy the owner on every RFI response so nothing happens outside their visibility
Track RFI resolution — if an RFI sits unresolved for 10+ days, that's a red flag

Site observation checklist

Site visits are the most expensive CA activity. Make each one count:

Before the visit

Review recent submittals, RFIs, and change orders so you know what's outstanding
Review the CDs for the area you're inspecting — refresh your memory
Bring marked-up copies or a tablet with redlines and the current CD set
Bring a camera (phone works)

During the visit

Walk with the GC superintendent. For each area, check:

Conformance to grading plan — spot-check with a level or handheld elevation tool
Tree protection still in place and intact
Plant material on-site matches approved submittal (species, size, quantity)
Planting pits / amendments meet specs
Irrigation laid out per plan — zone boundaries, head placement, pressure regulation
Hardscape installation per details — base prep, joint patterns, edge conditions
Drainage working as designed (especially after rain or irrigation testing)
Quality workmanship overall

After the visit

Write the site observation report within 48 hours (memory fades fast)
Include photos with captions tied to locations
Note deficiencies with specific reference to CD sheet + detail
Distribute to owner, GC, and file — not just the GC
Follow up in writing on any verbal direction given on-site

Tip: A structured site observation report template (same headings every time) makes this job 2x faster. Build one and reuse it.

Change order review

Change orders are where CA often goes sideways. Process them carefully:

Every scope change must be documented before work proceeds — no verbal approvals
Review the proposed cost against your independent estimate
Flag any hidden time impact (not just direct cost)
Verify the change is actually new work vs. already covered in CDs
Review for quality implications — cheap substitutions often underperform
Track running total of change orders against project contingency
Copy the owner on every change order — they're paying for it

If change orders exceed 10% of original construction cost, something is wrong (usually the CDs were under-detailed).

Punch list and substantial completion

The end of construction has its own workflow:

Substantial completion walk

Walk the entire site with owner and GC
Create punch list in real time (handheld device or paper)
Distinguish substantial vs. minor items — substantial items block occupancy; minor items don't
Issue punch list within 5 business days of walk

Punch list resolution

GC completes punch items and notifies LA when ready for re-inspection
LA re-inspects and signs off (or re-adds items to the list)
Typical: 2–3 rounds of punch list before everything closes
Document each completion for the record

Closeout documents

Receive and review as-built drawings from GC
Receive and review operation and maintenance manuals
Receive and file all warranties (plant, irrigation, hardscape)
Verify final plant count matches CD (especially for projects with high substitution rates)
Issue certificate of substantial completion

Plant establishment period

Often forgotten at proposal time, always happens in practice:

One-year plant warranty inspection (typically 90 days, 180 days, 365 days from substantial completion)
Document plant deaths with photos and location
Coordinate replacements with GC or plant contractor
Hold final 10% of planting contract until 365-day inspection passes

This is where proposals that didn't include a plant establishment period scope lose money. Include it explicitly or exclude it explicitly — never leave it ambiguous.

Tracking CA efficiency

A few metrics to watch per project:

CA hours actual vs. budget — review monthly, not at the end
Submittal turnaround time — median should be under 7 business days
RFI resolution time — median should be under 5 business days
Change order value as % of original contract — flag at 10%, investigate at 15%
Site visits actual vs. budget — if you scoped 8 and you're at 12 with 3 months left, raise a change order

Firms that don't track these only find out they lost money on CA after the project closes.

How Phasewise helps with CA

Phasewise's Submittal & RFI module handles the repetitive tracking work:

Log every submittal / RFI with ball-in-court and due date
Automatic email reminders for items overdue (configured via Vercel Cron)
Full audit history for each item (who said what, when)
Filterable by status, project, or responsible party

That removes the spreadsheet overhead so CA hours go to actual review work, not hunting down who hasn't responded to what.