Where do delay and disruption claim valuations usually fail?
They usually fail on quantities, rates, how costs are split, arithmetic, double counting or the valuation basis, so test each one.
Updated: . By Jack Butler-Kettle, Construction Claims Consultant.
The answer
Ask these questions of every head. Does each rate have a source? Can the quantities be measured? Are the preliminaries built up from real costs, or just added as a percentage with nothing behind it? Does the same cost appear under two heads? Does a global total, one lump sum for everything, separate the different causes? A clear trail back to the sources helps. But it does not prove you are owed the money, and it does not fill a gap in the evidence. Write down each weakness and the decision it affects. Some gaps may stay open, or may need a different method, input from the contract or a specialist.
Example
Illustrative example. The scenario and figures are invented.
The facts
A bricklaying subcontractor puts forward a £200,000 claim schedule. A gang rate has no quote or wage record behind it. The preliminaries are an unsupported 15 percent. A delayed lift appears under both disruption and prolongation.
What happens
- The review lists the source and the valuation issue for each item.
- It tests whether any cost is counted twice, including the delayed lift claimed under both heads.
- Any amount that still depends on something unproven is shown as conditional.
The outcome
The schedule comes out with each item's source and issue stated and the conditional amounts visible. The review does not predict a decision, a deduction or a recovery.
To have each head of your claim stress-tested before it goes to your main contractor, see our Delay & Disruption Claim service.