What does the issuance of a Certificate of Payment NOT imply regarding the Architect's role?

The issuance of a Certificate of Payment does not imply that exhaustive on-site inspections were conducted by the architect. The primary purpose of the Certificate of Payment is to facilitate payment to the contractor for completed work based on observations and the architect's judgment regarding the substantial completion of the work as per the contract documents.

While the architect does perform some level of inspection, it is not feasible or within the scope of their role to conduct exhaustive inspections that cover every aspect of construction. The architect's observations are often based on routine site visits rather than comprehensive inspections, which means they cannot guarantee that every detail of the construction is in compliance with the contract.

The other options relate directly to aspects of the architect's responsibilities during the payment process. Reviewing previous payments against the Contract Sum helps ensure that the financial aspect of the project aligns with the completed work. Assessing construction means and methods aids in understanding how the work is executed, while confirming contractor ownership of liens protects the owner from claims relating to unpaid work done by subcontractors or suppliers. These responsibilities are more closely linked to the architect's role than the implication of conducting exhaustive inspections.