What Is an OAC Meeting and What Should Happen at Every One?

OAC Defined

An OAC meeting—Owner, Architect, Contractor—is the primary communication cadence on a commercial construction project. It is a structured weekly meeting that brings together the three core project stakeholders to review schedule, cost, open items, and decisions.

On well-run projects, the OAC meeting is where problems surface and get resolved. On poorly run projects, it is a social obligation where the contractor reports progress without accountability and open items accumulate without resolution.

What a Documented Agenda Looks Like

Every OAC meeting should follow a structured agenda distributed in advance. The agenda is not a formality—it is the mechanism by which the meeting produces accountable outputs rather than conversation.

• 1.Action item review: Every action item from the previous meeting is reviewed. Was it completed? If not, why, and what is the new due date?
• 2.3-week lookahead review: The contractor presents the rolling three-week schedule. Last week's planned activities are reviewed against actual completion.
• 3.Submittal and RFI log: All open submittals and RFIs are reviewed. Items blocking upcoming activities are escalated.
• 4.Cost report review: Monthly cost report update—budget vs. actual, change order log status, pending COs requiring owner authorization.
• 5.Owner decisions required: A list of decisions the owner must make for the project to proceed—presented with context and a recommended path forward.
• 6.New business: Issues not on the standing agenda that need stakeholder discussion.
• 7.Action items for next meeting: New action items captured with assigned owner and due date.

Minutes Distribution

Meeting minutes should be distributed within 24 hours of the OAC meeting—not a week later when the details have faded and action items have been forgotten. Minutes should capture every decision made and every action item assigned.

If your contractor doesn't distribute minutes within 24 hours, ask why.

Signs the OAC Meeting Isn't Working

• —The same action items appear week after week without resolution
• —The contractor can't tell you which activities are on the critical path
• —Open RFIs and submittals are not tracked against activities they're blocking
• —Cost reports are not presented or are vague
• —Decisions required from the owner are not surfaced until they've already delayed work

Iron Sparrow Construction is based in North Carolina and takes on commercial and residential construction projects across the United States. Contact our team to discuss your project.