Owners occupy a unique position in construction risk: they largely decide, at the outset, who bears which risks. The choice of delivery method, the contract terms, and the way subsurface and quantity risks are allocated shape the entire risk profile of the project. Get these decisions right and disputes become less likely and easier to resolve. Get them wrong — by trying to offload risks the owner is best positioned to manage — and the result is inflated bids, adversarial relationships, and claims.