These guidelines highlight some important administrative and legal aspects of school construction projects (particularly under Alaskan law) and propose ways to address these issues during the process of selecting and contracting with school architects. The document first emphasizes the role of the architect, then reviews activities that should predate architect selection, including determining, perhaps with the assistance of an educational facilities planner, both the scope of the project and the range of services required. The guide next covers architect selection, which involves choosing and establishing an appropriate selection process, soliciting proposals, screening applicants, and making the final choice. The guide also provides advice on negotiating suitable contracts with architects, suggesting how the specific services to be performed can be identified, how fees may be charged, how rates of expense reimbursement can be set, and how design cost limits can be figured given construction costs. The guide's final section looks at several aspects of contract development and execution that have caused problems, including using form contracts, correlating contracts, stipulating who the contracting agencies are to be, writing suitable indemnity and damage clauses, assessing insurance coverage, handling disputes, and providing for redesign options. (PGD)