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Educational guides, explanations and learning resources about quantity surveying, commercial management, claims and disputes.
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681 resources · showing 12
Understand a term and what it means in practice.
A
Activity schedule
About 2 min read
In an NEC contract under Option A or C, the list of activities, each with a price, that makes up your price. Under Option A you are paid for each activity once it is complete: see NEC main options.
Adjudication
About 1 min read
A fast way to have a construction dispute decided by an independent adjudicator, usually within 28 days of the referral. The decision binds both sides unless the dispute is later settled by agreement, arbitration or court: see how adjudication works.
Administration
About 1 min read
A statutory insolvency procedure in which an administrator takes control of a company to pursue the relevant statutory objectives. See termination and insolvency.
ADR (alternative dispute resolution)
About 1 min read
Any way of settling a dispute without going to court, such as negotiation, mediation, adjudication or arbitration. See Construction disputes: your options.
Arbitration
About 1 min read
A process in which an agreed tribunal decides a dispute through an award, generally binding subject to limited challenge or appeal rights. See arbitration.
Assembly
About 1 min read
The preparation of a clear claim or response from the chronology, entitlement analysis, evidence and calculation. It connects each assertion to the documents and figures that support it.
Assessment date
About 1 min read
The date on which the amount due is assessed under the relevant NEC payment mechanism. Check your contract timetable in payment and notices.
B
Back-to-back
About 1 min read
A subcontract whose terms mirror the main contract, passing its obligations down to you. It can bind you to terms you have never seen: see reading your contract documents
Base date
About 1 min read
A contractual reference date used for specified adjustments or risk allocation. Its effect depends on the particular clause and contract.
BOQ (bill of quantities)
About 2 min read
A document that lists the work item by item, with quantities, for pricing. Your rates in it are often the starting point for valuing changes.
C
CDP (contractor's designed portion)
About 1 min read
The part of a JCT building contract that the contractor designs. If your package includes design, some of that design risk passes to you: see which JCT form applies.
Collateral warranty
About 2 min read
A separate contract in which you promise a third party, such as a funder or a tenant, that you have met your contract duties. It lets that party claim against you directly: see reading your contract documents
Compensation event
About 1 min read
An NEC event assessed under the contract for effects on price, time or both; entitlement depends on its rules and facts. Check the exact contract notification period and exceptions in changes and compensation events.
Conclusive evidence clause
About 1 min read
A clause that makes a final certificate or final account conclusive once a set time passes without a challenge. Check the particular document, deadline and contractual exceptions.
Concurrent delay
About 1 min read
Overlapping delays from different causes that each affect completion during the relevant period. The applicable test and consequences depend on the contract and law.
Construction Act
About 1 min read
Part II of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 sets payment and adjudication rules for qualifying construction contracts. See the Construction Act explained.
Construction claims consultant
About 4 min read
A construction claims consultant advises a party on preparing, assessing or responding to a claim about construction work. Their appointment defines the commercial, contractual, evidence and specialist analysis they provide.
Contra-charge
About 1 min read
A deduction the other party makes from your account for costs it says you caused, such as cleaning or putting right defects. See assessing and responding to a claim
Cost to complete
About 1 min read
What the other party says it cost to finish your work after terminating your contract, which it usually tries to recover from you. See termination and insolvency
Critical path
About 2 min read
The sequence of activities that determines the earliest completion of the work or milestone being analysed, using the programme’s logic, durations and constraints.
CVR (cost value reconciliation)
About 2 min read
A regular comparison of what a job has cost with what it has earned, usually monthly. It shows early where a job is losing money.
D
Daywork
About 2 min read
A method of valuing work using recorded labour, plant and materials under agreed rates and rules. See changes to contract work.
Default notice
About 1 min read
A notice from the other party saying you are in breach and must put it right, often the first step towards termination. See termination and insolvency.
Default payment notice
About 1 min read
A payee notice used within the applicable payment mechanism after a missing payer notice, subject to the contract and statutory requirements. See payment documents and deductions.
Defects liability period
About 1 min read
A contractual period after completion for addressing defects, also called a rectification period in relevant JCT forms. See completion and retention.
Defined Cost
About 1 min read
Cost calculated under the relevant NEC cost-component rules, which may involve incurred or forecast resources depending on the assessment. See NEC pricing options.
Disallowed Cost
About 1 min read
Cost excluded by the applicable NEC contract’s Disallowed Cost provisions; the definition, payment option, evidence and amendments determine the assessment.
Disruption
About 1 min read
A loss of productivity caused by interference with the planned way of working; disruption can occur even when the completion date does not move.
Domestic subcontractor
About 1 min read
A subcontractor the main contractor chooses and employs itself, as most subcontractors are. The client does not choose you, though the contract may give a list of names to choose from.
E
Early warning
About 1 min read
In an NEC contract, a notice either side gives as soon as it sees something that could raise the cost or delay the job. See changes and compensation events
ECI (early contractor involvement)
About 1 min read
Bringing a contractor in at the design stage, before the price is fixed. It is often done under a pre-construction services agreement.
Entitlement
About 1 min read
The contractual or other legal basis for the remedy being claimed, such as additional payment or time. It is a separate question from what happened, what the records prove and how much is claimed.
Event
About 1 min read
An occurrence or change that prompts a potential claim or response, such as a revised instruction, late access or an alleged defect. Record what happened and compare it with the agreed scope before deciding whether it gives rise to an entitlement.
Evidence
About 1 min read
The records and other material used to support or test the facts, responsibility and amount in a claim. Relevant evidence may include instructions, correspondence, photographs, programmes, measurements and cost records.
Extension of time (EOT)
About 1 min read
More time to finish your work, for a delay your contract says is not your risk. It protects you from delay damages for that period: see time entitlement and delay costs.
F
Fair Payment Code
About 1 min read
A voluntary UK code under which businesses commit to paying their suppliers fairly and on time. It replaced the Prompt Payment Code.
Fee (NEC)
About 1 min read
In an NEC contract, the amount calculated by applying the contractual fee percentage to Defined Cost, distinct from the percentage itself. See how the NEC Fee works.
Final account
About 1 min read
The closing valuation of the contract work and relevant adjustments, which may be proposed, disputed or agreed. See preparing your final account.
Final date for payment
About 1 min read
The deadline for paying the relevant sum under the applicable payment mechanism, distinct from the due date. See your payment cycle and notices.
Fixed price
About 1 min read
A price that does not change when labour or material costs rise, unless your contract says it does. Check any express adjustment terms before assuming an increase is recoverable.
Float
About 2 min read
The time an activity can move within a programme before affecting a defined successor or completion milestone, depending on the type of float being measured.
Fluctuations
About 1 min read
Terms that adjust your price for rises and falls in costs after your base date. They apply only if your contract includes them.
Full and final settlement
About 1 min read
An agreement settling the claims within its stated scope, often in return for an agreed payment. See preparing your final account.
G
GMP (guaranteed maximum price)
About 1 min read
A contractual pricing arrangement setting a maximum for defined work, subject to its agreed adjustment rules and exceptions.
H
Head office overheads
About 1 min read
The cost of running your business, such as offices and staff, that a delay can leave unrecovered. See time, delay and financial loss.
I
Interim payment
About 1 min read
A payment on account during the job, usually monthly, for the work done so far. It is not the final value of the work: see payment documents and deductions.
J
JCT
About 1 min read
The Joint Contracts Tribunal, which publishes a family of standard building contracts and subcontracts widely used in the UK. See What is a JCT contract?.
L
Letter of intent
About 2 min read
A letter asking you to start work before the contract is signed, often with a cap on what you will be paid. See understanding your agreement
Liquidated damages (LDs)
About 1 min read
An agreed contractual measure of damages for a specified breach, commonly delay, subject to the relevant conditions. See time entitlement and delay costs.
Loss and expense
About 1 min read
The money you lose when the job is delayed or disrupted by events your contract puts at the other side's risk. See time, delay and financial loss.
M
Measured mile
About 1 min read
A method of assessing productivity loss by comparing affected work with a suitably comparable period or area of less affected work.
N
NEC
About 1 min read
A family of contracts published by the Institution of Civil Engineers, first called the New Engineering Contract. The current edition is NEC4: see What is an NEC contract?.
Nominated subcontractor
About 1 min read
A subcontractor selected through an employer nomination mechanism under the relevant contract. Distinguish nomination from named, listed and directly selected subcontract arrangements.
Notice
About 1 min read
A communication given under a contractual or statutory procedure to tell another party about an event, claim or required action. Its timing, content, recipient and method of delivery depend on the applicable requirements.
Notice of adjudication
About 3 min read
The notice identifying the dispute to be adjudicated and the remedy sought, starting the applicable procedural timetable. See the adjudication process.
Notified sum
About 1 min read
The sum established through the applicable payment-notice mechanism, subject to any valid and timely pay less notice. See payment documents and deductions.
O
OHP (overheads and profit)
About 1 min read
The amount added to the cost of work to cover running your business and a profit, usually as a percentage. It is part of pricing a variation or a claim.
Omission
About 1 min read
Taking work out of your contract by instruction. Taking work away to give to someone else is often not allowed: see changes to your contract work.
P
Partial possession
About 1 min read
When the client takes over part of the works early, with the main contractor's agreement. On a JCT contract, that part is treated as practically complete: see partial possession and sections.
Pay less notice
About 1 min read
The notice the other party must send if it plans to pay you less than the notified sum. See payment documents and deductions
Pay when paid
About 1 min read
A clause making your payment depend on the other party being paid. The Construction Act generally prohibits this, subject to its specified insolvency exception: see the payment rules.
Payment application
About 1 min read
Your claim for payment for a cycle, stating the sum you consider due and how you worked it out. See payment documents and deductions
Payment notice
About 1 min read
A notice stating the sum considered due and its basis; your contract identifies whether the payer, a specified person or you must give it. See your payment cycle and notices.
PCSA (pre-construction services agreement)
About 2 min read
An agreement for pre-construction services, such as design or planning, before the construction contract is agreed. Check your scope, payment, responsibilities and what happens if no further work follows.
Practical completion
About 1 min read
A contractual milestone for sufficiently complete work, often shortened to PC; its meaning and financial effects depend on your contract. See practical completion and your money.
Pre-action protocol
About 1 min read
In England and Wales, the construction pre-action protocol sets steps normally expected before court proceedings. These include a claim letter, response and meeting: see assessing and responding to a claim.
Preliminaries
About 2 min read
The costs of running the site that do not belong to one item of work, such as supervision, welfare, access and site plant. Often called prelims: see time, delay and financial loss.
Prime cost sum
About 1 min read
In RICS NRM 2, an allowance within a unit rate for the supply of specified materials or goods, with other rate components dealt with separately.
Prolongation
About 1 min read
An extended period needed to carry out your work, distinct from the separate question of recoverable delay costs. See time, delay and financial loss.
Provisional sum
About 1 min read
An allowance for work not sufficiently defined for a firm price when the contract documents are prepared. Its adjustment follows the agreed valuation rules.
Q
Quantity surveyor
About 3 min read
A quantity surveyor is a construction professional who advises on and manages the costs and commercial aspects of a project. Quantity surveying is the discipline covering that work.
Quantum
About 1 min read
The money side of a claim: how much is owed, rather than whether it is owed. See supporting a claim calculation.
Quantum meruit
About 1 min read
A reasonable payment for work or services where the applicable legal basis permits that form of recovery. See understanding your agreement.
R
Referral notice
About 3 min read
The referring party’s case and evidence in an adjudication; if you are responding, check the timetable you receive and seek prompt advice. See the adjudication process.
Relevant Event
About 1 min read
In a JCT contract, an event that can give you more time, such as a variation. It gives time only, and money comes through a Relevant Matter: see time entitlement and delay costs.
Relevant Matter
About 1 min read
An event listed in the applicable JCT terms that may support your loss-and-expense entitlement, subject to conditions and amendments. Separate this from time entitlement in delay and disruption.
Resolution
About 1 min read
The stage at which a claim or dispute is addressed through agreement or an applicable decision-making process. Record what has been resolved, what remains outstanding and what must happen next.
Retention
About 1 min read
Money withheld under the agreed payment terms as security, with release governed by your contract’s events and conditions. See completion, retention and your final account.
Retention bond
About 2 min read
A separate security instrument that may replace cash retention on agreed terms. Its wording governs the amount, expiry and conditions for a demand.
ROM (rough order of magnitude)
About 1 min read
An early, rough estimate of cost, given before the design is developed enough to price properly.
S
Schedule of rates (SOR)
About 2 min read
A list of rates for types of work, without firm quantities, used to price and value work as it is measured.
Scheme for Construction Contracts
About 1 min read
The default rules that fill the gaps where a construction contract does not meet the Construction Act. See What is the Scheme for Construction Contracts?.
Scott schedule
About 1 min read
A table that sets out disputed items one to a row, with each side's position and figure side by side. See preparing your final account.
Sectional completion
About 1 min read
A contractual arrangement dividing the works into defined sections with their own completion provisions. See partial possession and sections.
Set-off
About 1 min read
Deducting money one party says it is owed from money it owes the other. See assessing and responding to a claim
Smash and grab adjudication
About 1 min read
An adjudication that asks only whether the notified sum was paid, not what the work is worth. See the two payment adjudication routes.
Suspension
About 1 min read
A temporary stopping of contractual performance under an applicable right, such as statutory suspension for qualifying non-payment after the required notice. See payment and notices.
T
Tender
About 1 min read
An offer to carry out work on stated documents, pricing assumptions and qualifications, subject to the subsequent agreement. See tender documents and agreed terms.
Termination
About 1 min read
Ending a contract before the work is finished, under a clause in it or for a serious breach. See termination and insolvency
Time bar
About 1 min read
A provision that can prevent an entitlement where a specified deadline or notice condition is not met, subject to its wording and applicable law. See reading your contract documents.
True value adjudication
About 1 min read
An adjudication about what the work was actually worth, rather than what a notice said. See the two payment adjudication routes.
V
Variation (variation order)
About 1 min read
A change to the work in your contract that the other party instructs, such as extra, changed or omitted work. See changes to your contract work
Z
Z clauses
About 1 min read
Extra conditions added to an NEC contract under Option Z, often where risk moves to you. See NEC secondary options and Z clauses.
Recognise what is happening, understand what it means and explore your options.
- The tender says I must accept their terms with no amendments
About 2 min read
- There's a pay-when-paid clause in the contract I've been sent
About 2 min read
- They have sent a schedule of amendments and I cannot tell what it changes
About 3 min read
- The subcontract binds me to a main contract I've never seen
About 2 min read
- They want a collateral warranty from me and I do not know what I am signing up to
About 2 min read
- The delay damages in the contract I've been sent have no cap
About 2 min read
- The payment dates in the contract I've signed don't add up
About 2 min read
- They've rejected my claim under a time bar I didn't know I'd signed
About 2 min read
- They keep quoting clauses at me I didn't know I'd signed
About 2 min read
- They want me to start on a letter of intent
About 2 min read
- We started on a quote and a few emails, and now we disagree on what was agreed
About 4 min read
- I've gone past the letter of intent's cap
About 3 min read
- My letter of intent has expired and I'm still working
About 3 min read
- A pay less notice has landed and gutted my payment
About 2 min read
- Their payment notice is wrong and the final date is days away
About 3 min read
- I've had no payment notice, no pay less notice, just silence
About 2 min read
- They've served nothing, and we didn't know we could serve our own
About 2 min read
- I have an application or notice to serve and the clock is running
About 2 min read
- We were paid short for months and never checked their notices
About 2 min read
- The monthly payment admin keeps slipping
About 2 min read
- Our applications have always been paid, so nobody has checked they're valid
About 3 min read
- We're referring an underpayment to adjudication and don't know how the 28 days run
About 2 min read
- My contractor or client has not paid me
About 2 min read
- I'm being told they can't pay me until they've been paid
About 2 min read
- They pay us late every month
About 2 min read
- Payment is overdue and I'm thinking of stopping work
About 2 min read
- We haven't checked late-payment interest or recovery costs
About 2 min read
- My payment depends on something happening further up the chain
About 2 min read
- I'm being told the change is included in my scope
About 2 min read
- I'm doing changed work on a say-so
About 4 min read
- The instructions happen on WhatsApp and stay there
About 3 min read
- They want the change done now and won't agree a price first
About 2 min read
- The variation register is empty and the job is half built
About 3 min read
- The daywork sheets never come back signed
About 2 min read
- The change is being valued at rates that don't fit
About 2 min read
- They say they never instructed the changes I've claimed
About 2 min read
- The early warnings should have been raised and weren't
About 3 min read
- We are not tracking our NEC notification deadlines
About 3 min read
- Compensation events are drifting on my NEC job
About 3 min read
- I'm worried the time bar has run on my compensation event
About 2 min read
- They say it isn't a compensation event
About 2 min read
- We notified the compensation event and heard nothing back
About 3 min read
- The compensation event quotation has to go in and we've never built one
About 4 min read
- They've made their own assessment and it's far too low
About 2 min read
- Drawings are late and areas aren't ready, so my gangs can't work
About 2 min read
- I've been sent off site and told to come back when it's ready
About 2 min read
- I've been told to speed up, at my own cost
About 3 min read
- My notices keep going out late, or not at all
About 3 min read
- Labour is on site and nobody records what it did
About 3 min read
- The diary says the gang was moved but not where to
About 4 min read
- Our record-keeping starts well and fades
About 3 min read
- Nobody knows which records my contract requires
About 2 min read
- I've got an extension of time but no money for it
About 2 min read
- I am not sure which prolongation costs I can claim
About 2 min read
- The disruption is real and I can't put a number on it
About 3 min read
- My job overran and I can't split the loss into heads of claim
About 2 min read
- My case is strong but the numbers are thin
About 3 min read
- I know the delay happened, but I can't prove it
About 2 min read
- The records exist, but I can't find them
About 4 min read
- I want my claim tested before the other party sees it
About 3 min read
- My site diary won't stand up
About 2 min read
- The other party has taken my figures apart
About 3 min read
- My claim is in and I don't know the next move
About 3 min read
- I'm being asked for a fixed price on a job that runs for two years
About 2 min read
- My quote was accepted six months after I priced it
About 2 min read
- Steel went up 20% after I priced the job
About 2 min read
- They say my price rises are my problem because I'm on a fixed price
About 2 min read
- My fluctuations claim was refused because I didn't give notice
About 2 min read
- There's a new back-charge on every payment
About 2 min read
- They've charged me for defects I was never asked to fix
About 2 min read
- Their set-off clause has taken money for another job
About 2 min read
- Contra-charges I'd never seen have appeared on my final account
About 2 min read
- We're running late and no delay notice has gone out
About 2 min read
- My extension of time has been refused or ignored
About 2 min read
- They're taking liquidated damages out of my payments
About 2 min read
- The other party is passing its delay costs down to me
About 2 min read
- Their assessment is well below my account and they say it's final
About 2 min read
- I sent my final account months ago and heard nothing back
About 2 min read
- I can't tell whether to settle or keep fighting
About 3 min read
- The final account is due and I need my position checked
About 2 min read
- I can see a dispute coming and my records are thin
About 2 min read
- The dispute needs setting out item by item and nobody has the format
About 3 min read
- The account has been open so long the people have left
About 2 min read
- We're going into a settlement meeting with no plan
About 2 min read
- The certificate my retention waits for has never been issued
About 2 min read
- I've got retention sitting on jobs I finished years ago
About 3 min read
- They won't release my retention until the employer releases theirs
About 2 min read
- They're holding all my retention over defects that aren't mine
About 2 min read
- We never know when our retention is due back
About 3 min read
- My records wouldn't stand up if the other party made a claim against me
About 2 min read
- The photographs that would answer a claim against me have no dates or locations
About 3 min read
- The other party's counterclaim wipes out my final account
About 2 min read
- The other party's number looks invented and I can't say why
About 2 min read
- A notice of adjudication has landed and I have days to answer it
About 2 min read
- I want to walk off site over unpaid money, but it could get us terminated
About 2 min read
- They're building a case to terminate us, and my site team hasn't noticed
About 2 min read
- I've been sent a default notice
About 3 min read
- They terminated us out of the blue, with no default notice first
About 2 min read
- We've been put off site and our materials and plant are still there
About 3 min read
- My contract has been terminated and they want me to pay to finish it
About 3 min read
- Construction estimating mistakes: checks before you commit
About 5 min read
- Construction cash-flow problems: find the cause and next step
About 5 min read
- Why is my construction project over budget?
About 4 min read
Learn one useful action you can take on your project.
- Read each amendment against the clause it changes
About 3 min read
- Ask for the main contract before you sign a back-to-back subcontract
About 3 min read
- Make your quote's exclusions part of the contract
About 4 min read
- Avoid a battle of the forms before you start work
About 2 min read
- Ask for the few amendments that move the most money
About 3 min read
- Price the terms you cannot change
About 3 min read
- Put every notice period and time bar in the diary before work starts
About 3 min read
- Give your site team one page on what the contract requires
About 4 min read
- Test the payment clauses on a real month before your first application
About 2 min read
- Read a letter of intent like a contract and track its cap
About 3 min read
- Get the price basis written into the letter, not just the cap
About 2 min read
- Check the payment process on a letter of intent
About 1 min read
- Keep the records behind work on a letter of intent
About 2 min read
- Build a dated chronology before you argue what was agreed
About 4 min read
- Take every payment date from the signed contract and its amendments
About 2 min read
- Build the full calendar of dates at the start of the job
About 3 min read
- Set reminders ahead of the deadline, not on it
About 2 min read
- Know how your contract counts days
About 2 min read
- Send the payment application to every recipient the contract names
About 3 min read
- Check the contract permits how you're sending it
About 2 min read
- Prepare early; serve in the permitted window
About 1 min read
- Follow the contract's format requirements to the letter
About 3 min read
- Attach the back-up before anyone asks for it
About 2 min read
- Photograph the work weekly before it is covered up
About 3 min read
- Call to confirm the payment application arrived
About 2 min read
- Put the call in writing straight after
About 3 min read
- Keep one folder per payment cycle
About 4 min read
- Keep what you actually sent, not the working file
About 3 min read
- Name documents so a stranger could follow them
About 3 min read
- Track every contract's cycles in one place
About 3 min read
- When a pay less notice lands, check the process and the figures separately
About 5 min read
- Before relying on silence, confirm no notice was served
About 3 min read
- Get the paperwork looked at early
About 2 min read
- Read the payment terms against your cash flow before you sign
About 3 min read
- Get a full payment schedule written into the contract
About 2 min read
- Chase the day it's overdue, not the month after
About 2 min read
- Don't let a balance build while you keep working
About 3 min read
- Know your right to suspend, and its procedure
About 2 min read
- Put the interest in every chaser, from the first
About 2 min read
- Get it in writing before the work starts
About 4 min read
- Check who actually has authority to instruct
About 2 min read
- Check revised drawings for potential variations
About 3 min read
- Open a file per variation on the day it arises
About 3 min read
- Keep the changed work separate in your costs
About 2 min read
- Photograph the condition before you change it
About 3 min read
- Argue changed conditions, not just changed quantities
About 2 min read
- Check the full valuation effect of omitted work
About 2 min read
- Make the assessor respond in writing
About 2 min read
- Watch the notice regime on disputed variations
About 2 min read
- Escalate while the evidence is fresh
About 2 min read
- Notify the event promptly using the right procedure
About 2 min read
- Record when you became aware of the event
About 2 min read
- Diarise the quotation period the day you are asked to quote
About 4 min read
- Use the valuation rules in your NEC contract
About 1 min read
- Answer a refusal on the ground it gives
About 2 min read
- Compare the assessment line by line
About 1 min read
- Name people, places and hours, not conclusions
About 2 min read
- Write the site diary the same day, every day
About 2 min read
- Record the ordinary days too
About 3 min read
- Build from what your people already produce
About 3 min read
- Close gaps while the facts are warm
About 4 min read
- Check the notice requirement as soon as delay arises
About 3 min read
- Send the notice in the form, and to the address, the contract names
About 3 min read
- Keep proof that the notice arrived
About 3 min read
- Let the records set the claim's size
About 2 min read
- Build preliminaries on the applicable valuation basis
About 3 min read
- Source every rate on the page
About 3 min read
- Hunt your own double counting
About 2 min read
- Separate your own contribution to the delay
About 1 min read
- Keep the time case and the money case in step
About 2 min read
- Have someone check the claim with fresh eyes
About 2 min read
- Put a base date and a validity period on every quotation
About 3 min read
- Name the volatile materials and how they will be adjusted
About 3 min read
- File every supplier price increase the day it arrives
About 3 min read
- Check the notice rule when prices move
About 1 min read
- Split the rise by cause before you claim it
About 3 min read
- Check and respond to a deduction promptly
About 2 min read
- Ask for the records behind each deduction
About 2 min read
- Get finished areas signed off before the next trade moves in
About 3 min read
- Respond to a notice to put work right
About 1 min read
- Check the notice rule when delay starts
About 3 min read
- Support a delay notice with the required detail
About 2 min read
- Check liquidated damages for a cap and a comparison
About 3 min read
- Recalculate the liquidated damages before you argue about the delay
About 3 min read
- Keep a running final account from the first valuation
About 3 min read
- Structure it by heads, not by grievance
About 2 min read
- Tie every line to a document
About 3 min read
- Keep entitlement and quantum separate
About 2 min read
- Know your range before the first meeting
About 3 min read
- Understand the items behind a settlement offer
About 3 min read
- Check payment rights while the final account is discussed
About 1 min read
- Assess the right route when one item is stuck
About 1 min read
- Value the case before you value the fight
About 2 min read
- Test the evidence, not the grievance
About 2 min read
- Check the machinery before the merits
About 2 min read
- Diarise the final certificate's conclusive evidence period
About 2 min read
- Close the account while the people are still there
About 3 min read
- Diarise each retention release trigger and payment date
About 3 min read
- Check the retention on every certificate
About 2 min read
- Apply for retention through the correct payment process
About 2 min read
- Ask for the certificate, not just the money
About 3 min read
- Photograph with context, then detail
About 3 min read
- Know who will answer a claim before it lands
About 2 min read
- Remeasure their figure before you argue with it
About 2 min read
- Separate what their claim is worth from what it costs to fight
About 2 min read
- Send important notices to the responsible person immediately
About 1 min read
- Answer a default notice in writing, inside its period
About 4 min read
- Check the legal route before stopping work
About 1 min read
- Record the works as they stand on the termination day
About 4 min read
- Read their cost to complete against your original scope
About 3 min read
Get a direct answer to one specific question.
- What is a FIDIC contract?
About 4 min read
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- What should I check before signing a contract?
About 3 min read
- Is a pay-when-paid clause allowed in my contract?
About 2 min read
- What does a back-to-back contract mean for a subcontractor?
About 3 min read
- Can I change the terms of a JCT or NEC contract before I sign?
About 3 min read
- What is a collateral warranty, and should I sign one?
About 3 min read
- What is a performance bond, and should I agree to one?
About 3 min read
- What is a main contractor's discount, and should I agree to it?
About 2 min read
- Should I sign my contract as a deed?
About 1 min read
- What is a time bar in a contract?
About 2 min read
- Can you review our contract before we sign it this week?
About 2 min read
- We have already signed. Is it too late for a contract review?
About 2 min read
- Will you tell us whether a clause we have signed is enforceable?
About 1 min read
- Is a letter of intent legally binding?
About 2 min read
- Is it safe to start work on a letter of intent?
About 2 min read
- Can I adjudicate if I'm working on a letter of intent?
About 2 min read
- Is a contract legally binding if it is not signed?
About 2 min read
- Can I be paid more than the letter of intent cap?
About 2 min read
- What is quantum meruit?
About 1 min read
- The other party wants us on site next week on a letter of intent. Can you check it before we start?
About 2 min read
- Our letter of intent expired months ago and we kept working. Can you still value the work?
About 2 min read
- Does a vesting certificate entitle me to payment for off-site materials?
About 2 min read
- What is a payment notice?
About 4 min read
- Who can issue a payment notice?
About 1 min read
- What must a payment notice include under the Construction Act?
About 3 min read
- Can the payer re-issue its payment notice?
About 1 min read
- Can a payment notice show a negative valuation?
About 1 min read
- What is a default payment notice, and does it change the payment date?
About 5 min read
- What is the notified sum?
About 2 min read
- What is a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Who issues a pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- What makes a pay less notice valid under the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What should a pay less notice look like? An example and template
About 5 min read
- When is a pay less notice needed?
About 2 min read
- How late can a pay less notice be served?
About 2 min read
- Can the payer re-issue or withdraw its pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- Can an email be a valid pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- Can a payment notice be a pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- Can they deduct money without a pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- What makes a payment application valid?
About 3 min read
- Can I resubmit a payment application after a payment notice?
About 2 min read
- What is a smash and grab adjudication?
About 1 min read
- What is a true value adjudication?
About 1 min read
- How long does construction adjudication take?
About 2 min read
- Is an adjudication decision final and binding?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 50 work?
About 2 min read
- What does the Price for Work Done to Date mean under NEC4 Options A and B?
About 4 min read
- How do JCT pay less notices and payment notices work?
About 2 min read
- How is the gross valuation for a JCT interim payment built up?
About 3 min read
- We have been underpaid once already. Do we need Payment evidence process setup as well as Underpayment recovery?
About 3 min read
- What do you need from us to set up Payment evidence process setup?
About 2 min read
- A pay less notice has just cut our payment. Can you check it before the final date for payment?
About 1 min read
- Can you recover underpayments on payment cycles that closed months ago?
About 2 min read
- How do I find the final date for a construction payment?
About 3 min read
- Does the Construction Act apply to my contract?
About 2 min read
- What payment rights does the Construction Act provide?
About 2 min read
- Are pay when paid clauses enforceable?
About 2 min read
- What is the JCT payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- What is the NEC4 payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 51 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 Option Y(UK)2 work?
About 2 min read
- What can I do if payment is late?
About 2 min read
- Is it illegal not to pay for construction work?
About 2 min read
- Can I charge interest when the payer pays late?
About 2 min read
- What is the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act?
About 2 min read
- Can I claim late payment compensation as well as interest?
About 2 min read
- What do the 2026 late payment reforms change for construction payments?
About 2 min read
- Can I suspend work for non-payment?
About 3 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.13 work?
About 2 min read
- Do both parties have to agree to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- How much does construction adjudication cost?
About 2 min read
- What happens after an adjudication decision?
About 2 min read
- Can Payment timetable and notice process setup look at a contract before we sign it?
About 2 min read
- Will Overdue payment recovery mean stopping work or going to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- What is a variation order, and what counts as a variation?
About 2 min read
- Can I get paid for a variation with no written instruction?
About 1 min read
- Is design development a variation?
About 2 min read
- Can you vary a contract without a variation clause?
About 2 min read
- Can I refuse to carry out a variation?
About 1 min read
- How is a variation valued in a construction contract?
About 3 min read
- What are dayworks in construction, and when are they paid?
About 3 min read
- Can they omit work from my contract and give it to someone else?
About 1 min read
- Can I lose a variation claim by notifying it late?
About 1 min read
- What if my variations are only disputed at the final account?
About 1 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 section 5 work?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 3.14 work?
About 2 min read
- Does a site instruction count as a variation?
About 2 min read
- How are variations valued under a JCT contract?
About 4 min read
- What is a provisional sum, and how is the work valued?
About 2 min read
- What should a variation claim letter say?
About 4 min read
- Once Variation management setup is set up, who confirms the instructions on our job, you or us?
About 3 min read
- Some of our variations were never confirmed in writing. What does Variation Recovery do with them?
About 2 min read
- What is a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What happens if I miss the 8 week deadline for a compensation event?
About 2 min read
- How long do I have to submit an NEC compensation event quotation?
About 1 min read
- What should an NEC compensation event quotation contain?
About 4 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1 mean?
About 3 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(1) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(2) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(3) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(4) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(5) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(6) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(8) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(9) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(10) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(11) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(12) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(13) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(14) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(15) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(17) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(18) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(19) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(20) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(21) mean?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 15 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.3 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.4 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 62 work?
About 4 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 63 work?
About 1 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 64 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 66 work?
About 1 min read
- What does Defined Cost mean under NEC4?
About 4 min read
- What does the Fee mean under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What is an NEC early warning notice, and when must I give one?
About 4 min read
- How do I notify a compensation event under NEC4?
About 3 min read
- Is a compensation event deemed accepted if nobody replies?
About 2 min read
- Is bad weather a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- Will NEC compensation-event process setup work to our amended periods or the standard NEC ones?
About 2 min read
- Will you tell us which of our refused compensation events are not worth pressing?
About 2 min read
- How is an extension of time calculated?
About 4 min read
- What is measured-mile analysis in a construction disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- What is concurrent delay, and can I still claim time or money?
About 1 min read
- Can I claim the cost of accelerating my contract works?
About 2 min read
- What records help prove delay and disruption?
About 4 min read
- Which records actually decide delay and disruption claims?
About 1 min read
- What should a site diary actually say?
About 2 min read
- Who on site should own the records?
About 3 min read
- We kept almost no records. Is the claim dead?
About 3 min read
- What is quantum in a delay and disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- Where do delay and disruption claim valuations usually fail?
About 1 min read
- What records do I need for a loss and expense claim?
About 5 min read
- What does a loss and expense claim look like?
About 4 min read
- How are head office overheads claimed? Hudson, Emden and Eichleay
About 2 min read
- Who can put a value on my delay and disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- Do you cover delay analysis as well?
About 2 min read
- What is a Relevant Matter under JCT?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.20 work?
About 2 min read
- What does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.22 mean?
About 2 min read
- Our job is already running late. Can you still set up Delay and disruption records setup on it?
About 2 min read
- Our delay records are patchy. Will you still take on our claim?
About 1 min read
- Can I claim for price rises on a fixed-price contract?
About 2 min read
- How do JCT fluctuation provisions (Options A, B and C) work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC Option X1 price adjustment for inflation work?
About 3 min read
- Can I recover price rises caused by the other party's delay?
About 2 min read
- Can I withdraw my quote if prices rise before it is accepted?
About 2 min read
- What is a price fluctuation clause in construction?
About 2 min read
- What is the base date in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- We've already signed the contract. Can Price-rise risk controls setup still help on this job?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to recover a price rise?
About 2 min read
- What is a contra-charge or back-charge in construction?
About 3 min read
- Can they set off contra-charges against my final account?
About 1 min read
- Do they have to let me fix a defect before charging me for it?
About 2 min read
- Will Contra-charge prevention process setup stop the other party taking deductions?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to answer the contra-charges already taken?
About 2 min read
- Are liquidated damages enforceable?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party pass its liquidated damages down to me?
About 2 min read
- Can they take liquidated damages without a pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- What are liquidated damages (LADs) in a contract?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party take delay damages without a non-completion certificate?
About 4 min read
- What does 'time at large' mean for my delay damages?
About 2 min read
- What is an extension of time (EOT) in a contract?
About 3 min read
- What are the Relevant Events in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- What happens if I miss the deadline for a delay notice?
About 2 min read
- Does Completion-date and notice tracking setup include the delay analysis for our extension of time?
About 2 min read
- Can you get back delay damages the other party has already deducted?
About 2 min read
- Why do final accounts settle so low?
About 2 min read
- Is adjudication worth it for a small final account dispute?
About 1 min read
- What is a final account in construction?
About 1 min read
- When should the final account be submitted?
About 1 min read
- What if the contract says nothing about final accounts?
About 1 min read
- Can a final certificate make a low final account binding?
About 2 min read
- Do I have to accept their final account assessment?
About 1 min read
- Can a final account dispute go to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- Should I sign a full and final settlement of my final account?
About 1 min read
- What should a final account dispute letter say?
About 4 min read
- What can I do if the other party ignores my final account?
About 3 min read
- Our job is nearly finished. Is it too late for Final account close-out process setup?
About 2 min read
- If you run our final account dispute, who decides whether to settle?
About 2 min read
- What is a retention bond, and can it replace cash retention?
About 3 min read
- What is retention in construction?
About 2 min read
- When is retention released in construction?
About 2 min read
- How do I request the release of retention?
About 4 min read
- Can they hold my retention until the employer releases theirs?
About 2 min read
- How long do I have to recover old retention?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 2.38 work?
About 3 min read
- What is a defects liability period?
About 2 min read
- Are cash retentions in construction being banned?
About 1 min read
- Is it too late for you to recover retention on jobs we finished years ago?
About 2 min read
- We're already recovering old retention. Do we need Retention tracking and release process setup as well?
About 2 min read
- What are construction claims, and which service do I need?
About 1 min read
- When does a claim against me become a dispute?
About 2 min read
- What does a construction claims consultant do?
About 5 min read
- A letter of claim has arrived under the construction pre-action protocol. What do I do?
About 3 min read
- What counts as contemporaneous evidence on a construction job?
About 2 min read
- Do photos and WhatsApp messages count as evidence against a claim from the other party?
About 2 min read
- Before you answer a claim for us, how do you check for conflicts of interest?
About 1 min read
- No claim has been made against us yet. What would Claim risk review and evidence process setup set up?
About 1 min read
- We have already had one claim made against us. Do we need Claim risk review and evidence process setup as well?
About 2 min read
- An adjudication has been started against us. What does Claim assessment and response do first?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to answer a counterclaim against our account?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party terminate my contract?
About 2 min read
- What happens to my money when my contract is terminated?
About 2 min read
- Do I have to pay their cost to complete?
About 2 min read
- What if my contract was wrongfully terminated?
About 2 min read
- What does termination for convenience mean for my contract?
About 2 min read
- Can I terminate my contract if the other party does not pay?
About 2 min read
- We have just been sent a default notice. Is it too late for Termination risk review and escalation setup?
About 2 min read
- We have been terminated on one job already. Do we need Termination risk review and escalation setup as well?
About 2 min read
- Our contract was terminated this week. What do you need from us first?
About 3 min read
- Will you tell us whether our contract was validly terminated?
About 2 min read
- What is the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What is the Scheme for Construction Contracts?
About 4 min read
- What is a JCT contract?
About 5 min read
- What is an NEC contract?
About 5 min read
- What practical completion means for your money
About 6 min read
- How does the Construction Act payment cycle work?
About 6 min read
- When a contract ends or a contractor becomes insolvent
About 4 min read
- How are quantity surveyor fees agreed?
About 4 min read
- What does a bill of quantities look like?
About 5 min read
- What is a schedule of works and when do I need one?
About 4 min read
- How much construction contingency should I allow?
About 4 min read
Understand differences that affect a decision.
- Which construction adviser do I need?
About 3 min read
- Spreadsheets or commercial management software?
About 4 min read
- What is the difference between a payment notice and a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Is an application for payment the same as an invoice?
About 5 min read
- Which daywork rates apply: RICS or CECA?
About 4 min read
- Is a compensation event the same as a variation?
About 4 min read
- What is the difference between JCT Relevant Events and Relevant Matters?
About 2 min read
- Construction disputes: your options
About 7 min read
- JCT or NEC: what the difference means for your project
About 4 min read
- Delay, disruption and extra cost: the differences
About 3 min read
- Construction estimates and cost plans: the difference
About 5 min read
- Contract administrator or employer's agent?
About 4 min read
- Design and build or traditional procurement: which suits my project?
About 3 min read
Work through a task step by step, from preparation to completion.
- How to challenge a pay less notice
About 6 min read
- How do I dispute a contra-charge?
About 4 min read
- How do I assess a construction defects or remedial cost claim?
About 3 min read
- How to read your contract documents
About 5 min read
- How to manage variations and compensation events
About 4 min read
- Keeping records that explain a construction claim
About 5 min read
- How to prepare and agree a construction final account
About 5 min read
- How to respond to a construction claim
About 3 min read
- Choosing a quantity surveyor for your project
About 5 min read
- How to compare construction tenders
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a cost value reconciliation
About 4 min read
- How to prepare an interim valuation
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a construction cash-flow forecast
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a pricing pack for builders
About 5 min read
- How can I reduce construction cost without losing essential requirements?
About 5 min read
- How to check a FIDIC contract before signing
About 4 min read
- How to budget for an office refurbishment
About 5 min read
- Development feasibility: establishing the construction-cost budget
About 4 min read
- How do I forecast what my project will cost at completion?
About 4 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Estimates, cost plans, quantities and appointing a quantity surveyor.
Problems: costs and measurement
- I'm being asked for a fixed price on a job that runs for two years
About 2 min read
- Construction estimating mistakes: checks before you commit
About 5 min read
- Why is my construction project over budget?
About 4 min read
Tips: costs and measurement
- Put a base date and a validity period on every quotation
About 3 min read
- Name the volatile materials and how they will be adjusted
About 3 min read
FAQs: costs and measurement
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- Can I withdraw my quote if prices rise before it is accepted?
About 2 min read
- What is a price fluctuation clause in construction?
About 2 min read
- What is the base date in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- How are quantity surveyor fees agreed?
About 4 min read
- What does a bill of quantities look like?
About 5 min read
- What is a schedule of works and when do I need one?
About 4 min read
- How much construction contingency should I allow?
About 4 min read
Comparisons: costs and measurement
- Construction estimates and cost plans: the difference
About 5 min read
Definitions: costs and measurement
- BOQ (bill of quantities)
About 2 min read
- Fixed price
About 1 min read
- OHP (overheads and profit)
About 1 min read
- Preliminaries
About 2 min read
- Prime cost sum
About 1 min read
- Provisional sum
About 1 min read
- ROM (rough order of magnitude)
About 1 min read
- Schedule of rates (SOR)
About 2 min read
Guides: costs and measurement
- Choosing a quantity surveyor for your project
About 5 min read
- How to prepare a pricing pack for builders
About 5 min read
- How can I reduce construction cost without losing essential requirements?
About 5 min read
- How to budget for an office refurbishment
About 5 min read
- Development feasibility: establishing the construction-cost budget
About 4 min read
- How do I forecast what my project will cost at completion?
About 4 min read
Tools and templates: costs and measurement
- Rate build-up template
About 2 min read
- Project budget and cost plan
About 3 min read
- Measurement take-off sheet
About 2 min read
- Bill of quantities template
About 2 min read
- Estimate review checklist
About 2 min read
- Value engineering appraisal
About 2 min read
- Risk and contingency register
About 2 min read
- Development cost appraisal
About 2 min read
Courses: costs and measurement
- Measuring and pricing a small work package
About 19 min read
- Building a basic cost plan and cash-flow forecast
About 19 min read
Tender documents, pricing, comparisons and appointment decisions.
Problems: procurement and tendering
- The tender says I must accept their terms with no amendments
About 2 min read
- There's a pay-when-paid clause in the contract I've been sent
About 2 min read
- They have sent a schedule of amendments and I cannot tell what it changes
About 3 min read
- The subcontract binds me to a main contract I've never seen
About 2 min read
- They want a collateral warranty from me and I do not know what I am signing up to
About 2 min read
- The delay damages in the contract I've been sent have no cap
About 2 min read
- I'm being asked for a fixed price on a job that runs for two years
About 2 min read
- Construction estimating mistakes: checks before you commit
About 5 min read
Tips: procurement and tendering
- Read each amendment against the clause it changes
About 3 min read
- Ask for the main contract before you sign a back-to-back subcontract
About 3 min read
- Make your quote's exclusions part of the contract
About 4 min read
- Avoid a battle of the forms before you start work
About 2 min read
- Ask for the few amendments that move the most money
About 3 min read
- Price the terms you cannot change
About 3 min read
- Put a base date and a validity period on every quotation
About 3 min read
- Name the volatile materials and how they will be adjusted
About 3 min read
FAQs: procurement and tendering
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- What should I check before signing a contract?
About 3 min read
- Is a pay-when-paid clause allowed in my contract?
About 2 min read
- What does a back-to-back contract mean for a subcontractor?
About 3 min read
- Can I change the terms of a JCT or NEC contract before I sign?
About 3 min read
- What is a collateral warranty, and should I sign one?
About 3 min read
- What is a performance bond, and should I agree to one?
About 3 min read
- What is a main contractor's discount, and should I agree to it?
About 2 min read
- Should I sign my contract as a deed?
About 1 min read
- Can you review our contract before we sign it this week?
About 2 min read
- Can I withdraw my quote if prices rise before it is accepted?
About 2 min read
- What is a price fluctuation clause in construction?
About 2 min read
- What is the base date in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- What is a JCT contract?
About 5 min read
- What does a bill of quantities look like?
About 5 min read
- What is a schedule of works and when do I need one?
About 4 min read
Comparisons: procurement and tendering
- JCT or NEC: what the difference means for your project
About 4 min read
- Construction estimates and cost plans: the difference
About 5 min read
- Contract administrator or employer's agent?
About 4 min read
- Design and build or traditional procurement: which suits my project?
About 3 min read
Definitions: procurement and tendering
- ECI (early contractor involvement)
About 1 min read
- GMP (guaranteed maximum price)
About 1 min read
- PCSA (pre-construction services agreement)
About 2 min read
- Tender
About 1 min read
Guides: procurement and tendering
- How to compare construction tenders
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a pricing pack for builders
About 5 min read
- How can I reduce construction cost without losing essential requirements?
About 5 min read
- How to budget for an office refurbishment
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: procurement and tendering
- Schedule of works template
About 2 min read
- Tender comparison template
About 2 min read
- Builder pricing pack checklist
About 2 min read
Courses: procurement and tendering
- Comparing tenders and recommending an appointment
About 17 min read
Cost reports, CVR, cash flow and ongoing project support.
Problems: commercial management
- I have an application or notice to serve and the clock is running
About 2 min read
- The monthly payment admin keeps slipping
About 2 min read
- Our applications have always been paid, so nobody has checked they're valid
About 3 min read
- I'm doing changed work on a say-so
About 4 min read
- The instructions happen on WhatsApp and stay there
About 3 min read
- The variation register is empty and the job is half built
About 3 min read
- The early warnings should have been raised and weren't
About 3 min read
- We are not tracking our NEC notification deadlines
About 3 min read
- Compensation events are drifting on my NEC job
About 3 min read
- The compensation event quotation has to go in and we've never built one
About 4 min read
- My notices keep going out late, or not at all
About 3 min read
- Labour is on site and nobody records what it did
About 3 min read
- The diary says the gang was moved but not where to
About 4 min read
- Our record-keeping starts well and fades
About 3 min read
- Nobody knows which records my contract requires
About 2 min read
- We never know when our retention is due back
About 3 min read
- Construction cash-flow problems: find the cause and next step
About 5 min read
- Why is my construction project over budget?
About 4 min read
Tips: commercial management
- Take every payment date from the signed contract and its amendments
About 2 min read
- Build the full calendar of dates at the start of the job
About 3 min read
- Set reminders ahead of the deadline, not on it
About 2 min read
- Know how your contract counts days
About 2 min read
- Send the payment application to every recipient the contract names
About 3 min read
- Check the contract permits how you're sending it
About 2 min read
- Prepare early; serve in the permitted window
About 1 min read
- Follow the contract's format requirements to the letter
About 3 min read
- Attach the back-up before anyone asks for it
About 2 min read
- Photograph the work weekly before it is covered up
About 3 min read
- Call to confirm the payment application arrived
About 2 min read
- Put the call in writing straight after
About 3 min read
- Keep one folder per payment cycle
About 4 min read
- Keep what you actually sent, not the working file
About 3 min read
- Name documents so a stranger could follow them
About 3 min read
- Track every contract's cycles in one place
About 3 min read
- Read the payment terms against your cash flow before you sign
About 3 min read
- Get a full payment schedule written into the contract
About 2 min read
- Don't let a balance build while you keep working
About 3 min read
- Get it in writing before the work starts
About 4 min read
- Check who actually has authority to instruct
About 2 min read
- Check revised drawings for potential variations
About 3 min read
- Open a file per variation on the day it arises
About 3 min read
- Keep the changed work separate in your costs
About 2 min read
- Photograph the condition before you change it
About 3 min read
- Notify the event promptly using the right procedure
About 2 min read
- Record when you became aware of the event
About 2 min read
- Diarise the quotation period the day you are asked to quote
About 4 min read
- Use the valuation rules in your NEC contract
About 1 min read
- Name people, places and hours, not conclusions
About 2 min read
- Write the site diary the same day, every day
About 2 min read
- Record the ordinary days too
About 3 min read
- Build from what your people already produce
About 3 min read
- Close gaps while the facts are warm
About 4 min read
- Check the notice requirement as soon as delay arises
About 3 min read
- Send the notice in the form, and to the address, the contract names
About 3 min read
- Keep proof that the notice arrived
About 3 min read
- File every supplier price increase the day it arrives
About 3 min read
- Check the notice rule when prices move
About 1 min read
- Get finished areas signed off before the next trade moves in
About 3 min read
- Check the notice rule when delay starts
About 3 min read
- Support a delay notice with the required detail
About 2 min read
- Keep a running final account from the first valuation
About 3 min read
- Tie every line to a document
About 3 min read
- Close the account while the people are still there
About 3 min read
- Diarise each retention release trigger and payment date
About 3 min read
- Check the retention on every certificate
About 2 min read
- Apply for retention through the correct payment process
About 2 min read
- Ask for the certificate, not just the money
About 3 min read
FAQs: commercial management
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- What is a payment notice?
About 4 min read
- Who can issue a payment notice?
About 1 min read
- What must a payment notice include under the Construction Act?
About 3 min read
- Can a payment notice show a negative valuation?
About 1 min read
- What is the notified sum?
About 2 min read
- What is a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Who issues a pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- What makes a pay less notice valid under the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- When is a pay less notice needed?
About 2 min read
- How late can a pay less notice be served?
About 2 min read
- Can an email be a valid pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- What makes a payment application valid?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 50 work?
About 2 min read
- What does the Price for Work Done to Date mean under NEC4 Options A and B?
About 4 min read
- How do JCT pay less notices and payment notices work?
About 2 min read
- How is the gross valuation for a JCT interim payment built up?
About 3 min read
- How do I find the final date for a construction payment?
About 3 min read
- What is the JCT payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- What is the NEC4 payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 51 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 Option Y(UK)2 work?
About 2 min read
- What is a variation order, and what counts as a variation?
About 2 min read
- Is design development a variation?
About 2 min read
- How is a variation valued in a construction contract?
About 3 min read
- What are dayworks in construction, and when are they paid?
About 3 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 section 5 work?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 3.14 work?
About 2 min read
- Does a site instruction count as a variation?
About 2 min read
- How are variations valued under a JCT contract?
About 4 min read
- What is a provisional sum, and how is the work valued?
About 2 min read
- What is a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- How long do I have to submit an NEC compensation event quotation?
About 1 min read
- What should an NEC compensation event quotation contain?
About 4 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1 mean?
About 3 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(1) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(2) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(3) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(4) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(5) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(6) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(8) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(9) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(10) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(11) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(12) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(13) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(14) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(15) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(17) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(18) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(19) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(20) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(21) mean?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 15 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.3 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.4 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 62 work?
About 4 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 63 work?
About 1 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 64 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 66 work?
About 1 min read
- What does Defined Cost mean under NEC4?
About 4 min read
- What does the Fee mean under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What is an NEC early warning notice, and when must I give one?
About 4 min read
- How do I notify a compensation event under NEC4?
About 3 min read
- Is bad weather a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What should a site diary actually say?
About 2 min read
- Who on site should own the records?
About 3 min read
- How do JCT fluctuation provisions (Options A, B and C) work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC Option X1 price adjustment for inflation work?
About 3 min read
- What is a final account in construction?
About 1 min read
- When should the final account be submitted?
About 1 min read
- What if the contract says nothing about final accounts?
About 1 min read
- What is retention in construction?
About 2 min read
- When is retention released in construction?
About 2 min read
- How do I request the release of retention?
About 4 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 2.38 work?
About 3 min read
- What is a defects liability period?
About 2 min read
- What counts as contemporaneous evidence on a construction job?
About 2 min read
- What is an NEC contract?
About 5 min read
- How does the Construction Act payment cycle work?
About 6 min read
- How are quantity surveyor fees agreed?
About 4 min read
- How much construction contingency should I allow?
About 4 min read
Comparisons: commercial management
- Which construction adviser do I need?
About 3 min read
- Spreadsheets or commercial management software?
About 4 min read
- What is the difference between a payment notice and a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Is an application for payment the same as an invoice?
About 5 min read
- Which daywork rates apply: RICS or CECA?
About 4 min read
- Is a compensation event the same as a variation?
About 4 min read
Definitions: commercial management
- What is a construction claims consultant?
About 4 min read
- Cost to complete
About 1 min read
- CVR (cost value reconciliation)
About 2 min read
- Defined Cost
About 1 min read
- Final account
About 1 min read
- What is a quantity surveyor?
About 3 min read
Guides: commercial management
- How to manage variations and compensation events
About 4 min read
- How to prepare and agree a construction final account
About 5 min read
- Choosing a quantity surveyor for your project
About 5 min read
- How to prepare a cost value reconciliation
About 4 min read
- How to prepare an interim valuation
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a construction cash-flow forecast
About 4 min read
- Development feasibility: establishing the construction-cost budget
About 4 min read
- How do I forecast what my project will cost at completion?
About 4 min read
Tools and templates: commercial management
- Payment dates calculator
About 4 min read
- Final account reconciliation template
About 3 min read
- Retention release tracker
About 3 min read
- Variation register template
About 3 min read
- NEC compensation event quotation template
About 4 min read
- Weekly actions register
About 2 min read
- Weekly commercial review record
About 2 min read
- Cost value reconciliation template
About 2 min read
- Construction cash-flow forecasting
About 2 min read
- Forecast final cost report
About 2 min read
Courses: commercial management
- Managing a construction payment cycle
About 19 min read
- Pricing and substantiating a variation
About 18 min read
- Preparing a final account
About 19 min read
- Measuring and pricing a small work package
About 19 min read
- Building a basic cost plan and cash-flow forecast
About 19 min read
- Comparing tenders and recommending an appointment
About 17 min read
- Reporting cost and forecasting the final position
About 18 min read
Contract terms, contract reviews and working without a signed agreement.
Problems: contracts and agreements
- The tender says I must accept their terms with no amendments
About 2 min read
- There's a pay-when-paid clause in the contract I've been sent
About 2 min read
- They have sent a schedule of amendments and I cannot tell what it changes
About 3 min read
- The subcontract binds me to a main contract I've never seen
About 2 min read
- They want a collateral warranty from me and I do not know what I am signing up to
About 2 min read
- The delay damages in the contract I've been sent have no cap
About 2 min read
- The payment dates in the contract I've signed don't add up
About 2 min read
- They've rejected my claim under a time bar I didn't know I'd signed
About 2 min read
- They keep quoting clauses at me I didn't know I'd signed
About 2 min read
- They want me to start on a letter of intent
About 2 min read
- We started on a quote and a few emails, and now we disagree on what was agreed
About 4 min read
- I've gone past the letter of intent's cap
About 3 min read
- My letter of intent has expired and I'm still working
About 3 min read
Tips: contracts and agreements
- Read each amendment against the clause it changes
About 3 min read
- Ask for the main contract before you sign a back-to-back subcontract
About 3 min read
- Make your quote's exclusions part of the contract
About 4 min read
- Avoid a battle of the forms before you start work
About 2 min read
- Ask for the few amendments that move the most money
About 3 min read
- Price the terms you cannot change
About 3 min read
- Put every notice period and time bar in the diary before work starts
About 3 min read
- Give your site team one page on what the contract requires
About 4 min read
- Test the payment clauses on a real month before your first application
About 2 min read
- Read a letter of intent like a contract and track its cap
About 3 min read
- Get the price basis written into the letter, not just the cap
About 2 min read
- Check the payment process on a letter of intent
About 1 min read
- Keep the records behind work on a letter of intent
About 2 min read
- Build a dated chronology before you argue what was agreed
About 4 min read
FAQs: contracts and agreements
- What is a FIDIC contract?
About 4 min read
- What should I check before signing a contract?
About 3 min read
- Is a pay-when-paid clause allowed in my contract?
About 2 min read
- What does a back-to-back contract mean for a subcontractor?
About 3 min read
- Can I change the terms of a JCT or NEC contract before I sign?
About 3 min read
- What is a collateral warranty, and should I sign one?
About 3 min read
- What is a performance bond, and should I agree to one?
About 3 min read
- What is a main contractor's discount, and should I agree to it?
About 2 min read
- Should I sign my contract as a deed?
About 1 min read
- What is a time bar in a contract?
About 2 min read
- Can you review our contract before we sign it this week?
About 2 min read
- We have already signed. Is it too late for a contract review?
About 2 min read
- Will you tell us whether a clause we have signed is enforceable?
About 1 min read
- Is a letter of intent legally binding?
About 2 min read
- Is it safe to start work on a letter of intent?
About 2 min read
- Can I adjudicate if I'm working on a letter of intent?
About 2 min read
- Is a contract legally binding if it is not signed?
About 2 min read
- Can I be paid more than the letter of intent cap?
About 2 min read
- What is quantum meruit?
About 1 min read
- The other party wants us on site next week on a letter of intent. Can you check it before we start?
About 2 min read
- Our letter of intent expired months ago and we kept working. Can you still value the work?
About 2 min read
- What is the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What is the Scheme for Construction Contracts?
About 4 min read
- What is a JCT contract?
About 5 min read
- What is an NEC contract?
About 5 min read
Comparisons: contracts and agreements
- Which construction adviser do I need?
About 3 min read
- JCT or NEC: what the difference means for your project
About 4 min read
- Contract administrator or employer's agent?
About 4 min read
- Design and build or traditional procurement: which suits my project?
About 3 min read
Definitions: contracts and agreements
- Back-to-back
About 1 min read
- CDP (contractor's designed portion)
About 1 min read
- Collateral warranty
About 2 min read
- Construction Act
About 1 min read
- Domestic subcontractor
About 1 min read
- ECI (early contractor involvement)
About 1 min read
- Entitlement
About 1 min read
- GMP (guaranteed maximum price)
About 1 min read
- JCT
About 1 min read
- Letter of intent
About 2 min read
- NEC
About 1 min read
- Nominated subcontractor
About 1 min read
- Notice
About 1 min read
- PCSA (pre-construction services agreement)
About 2 min read
- Quantum meruit
About 1 min read
- Scheme for Construction Contracts
About 1 min read
- Tender
About 1 min read
- Time bar
About 1 min read
- Z clauses
About 1 min read
Guides: contracts and agreements
- How to read your contract documents
About 5 min read
- Choosing a quantity surveyor for your project
About 5 min read
- How to compare construction tenders
About 4 min read
- How to check a FIDIC contract before signing
About 4 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: contracts and agreements
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- FIDIC client briefing template
About 4 min read
- FIDIC main contractor briefing template
About 4 min read
- FIDIC subcontractor briefing template
About 4 min read
- JCT client briefing template
About 4 min read
- JCT main contractor briefing template
About 4 min read
- JCT subcontractor briefing template
About 3 min read
- NEC client briefing template
About 4 min read
- NEC main contractor briefing template
About 4 min read
- NEC subcontractor briefing template
About 3 min read
- Project setup checklist
About 2 min read
- Request missing contract documents
About 2 min read
- Notice preparation checklist
About 2 min read
- Contract document register
About 2 min read
- Letter of intent tracker
About 2 min read
- Quotation basis and exclusions
About 2 min read
- Payment application checklist
About 2 min read
- Dated recollection record
About 2 min read
- Contract and security document register
About 2 min read
Courses: contracts and agreements
- Comparing tenders and recommending an appointment
About 17 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Interim valuations, late payment, underpayment and contra-charges.
Problems: payment and deductions
- A pay less notice has landed and gutted my payment
About 2 min read
- Their payment notice is wrong and the final date is days away
About 3 min read
- I've had no payment notice, no pay less notice, just silence
About 2 min read
- They've served nothing, and we didn't know we could serve our own
About 2 min read
- I have an application or notice to serve and the clock is running
About 2 min read
- We were paid short for months and never checked their notices
About 2 min read
- The monthly payment admin keeps slipping
About 2 min read
- Our applications have always been paid, so nobody has checked they're valid
About 3 min read
- We're referring an underpayment to adjudication and don't know how the 28 days run
About 2 min read
- My contractor or client has not paid me
About 2 min read
- I'm being told they can't pay me until they've been paid
About 2 min read
- They pay us late every month
About 2 min read
- Payment is overdue and I'm thinking of stopping work
About 2 min read
- We haven't checked late-payment interest or recovery costs
About 2 min read
- My payment depends on something happening further up the chain
About 2 min read
- There's a new back-charge on every payment
About 2 min read
- They've charged me for defects I was never asked to fix
About 2 min read
- Their set-off clause has taken money for another job
About 2 min read
- Contra-charges I'd never seen have appeared on my final account
About 2 min read
- Construction cash-flow problems: find the cause and next step
About 5 min read
Tips: payment and deductions
- Take every payment date from the signed contract and its amendments
About 2 min read
- Build the full calendar of dates at the start of the job
About 3 min read
- Set reminders ahead of the deadline, not on it
About 2 min read
- Know how your contract counts days
About 2 min read
- Send the payment application to every recipient the contract names
About 3 min read
- Check the contract permits how you're sending it
About 2 min read
- Prepare early; serve in the permitted window
About 1 min read
- Follow the contract's format requirements to the letter
About 3 min read
- Attach the back-up before anyone asks for it
About 2 min read
- Photograph the work weekly before it is covered up
About 3 min read
- Call to confirm the payment application arrived
About 2 min read
- Put the call in writing straight after
About 3 min read
- Keep one folder per payment cycle
About 4 min read
- Keep what you actually sent, not the working file
About 3 min read
- Name documents so a stranger could follow them
About 3 min read
- Track every contract's cycles in one place
About 3 min read
- When a pay less notice lands, check the process and the figures separately
About 5 min read
- Before relying on silence, confirm no notice was served
About 3 min read
- Get the paperwork looked at early
About 2 min read
- Read the payment terms against your cash flow before you sign
About 3 min read
- Get a full payment schedule written into the contract
About 2 min read
- Chase the day it's overdue, not the month after
About 2 min read
- Don't let a balance build while you keep working
About 3 min read
- Know your right to suspend, and its procedure
About 2 min read
- Put the interest in every chaser, from the first
About 2 min read
- Check and respond to a deduction promptly
About 2 min read
- Ask for the records behind each deduction
About 2 min read
- Get finished areas signed off before the next trade moves in
About 3 min read
- Respond to a notice to put work right
About 1 min read
FAQs: payment and deductions
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- Does a vesting certificate entitle me to payment for off-site materials?
About 2 min read
- What is a payment notice?
About 4 min read
- Who can issue a payment notice?
About 1 min read
- What must a payment notice include under the Construction Act?
About 3 min read
- Can the payer re-issue its payment notice?
About 1 min read
- Can a payment notice show a negative valuation?
About 1 min read
- What is a default payment notice, and does it change the payment date?
About 5 min read
- What is the notified sum?
About 2 min read
- What is a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Who issues a pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- What makes a pay less notice valid under the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What should a pay less notice look like? An example and template
About 5 min read
- When is a pay less notice needed?
About 2 min read
- How late can a pay less notice be served?
About 2 min read
- Can the payer re-issue or withdraw its pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- Can an email be a valid pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- Can a payment notice be a pay less notice?
About 1 min read
- Can they deduct money without a pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- What makes a payment application valid?
About 3 min read
- Can I resubmit a payment application after a payment notice?
About 2 min read
- What is a smash and grab adjudication?
About 1 min read
- What is a true value adjudication?
About 1 min read
- How long does construction adjudication take?
About 2 min read
- Is an adjudication decision final and binding?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 50 work?
About 2 min read
- What does the Price for Work Done to Date mean under NEC4 Options A and B?
About 4 min read
- How do JCT pay less notices and payment notices work?
About 2 min read
- How is the gross valuation for a JCT interim payment built up?
About 3 min read
- We have been underpaid once already. Do we need Payment evidence process setup as well as Underpayment recovery?
About 3 min read
- What do you need from us to set up Payment evidence process setup?
About 2 min read
- A pay less notice has just cut our payment. Can you check it before the final date for payment?
About 1 min read
- Can you recover underpayments on payment cycles that closed months ago?
About 2 min read
- How do I find the final date for a construction payment?
About 3 min read
- Does the Construction Act apply to my contract?
About 2 min read
- What payment rights does the Construction Act provide?
About 2 min read
- Are pay when paid clauses enforceable?
About 2 min read
- What is the JCT payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- What is the NEC4 payment timeline?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 51 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 Option Y(UK)2 work?
About 2 min read
- What can I do if payment is late?
About 2 min read
- Is it illegal not to pay for construction work?
About 2 min read
- Can I charge interest when the payer pays late?
About 2 min read
- What is the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act?
About 2 min read
- Can I claim late payment compensation as well as interest?
About 2 min read
- What do the 2026 late payment reforms change for construction payments?
About 2 min read
- Can I suspend work for non-payment?
About 3 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.13 work?
About 2 min read
- Do both parties have to agree to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- How much does construction adjudication cost?
About 2 min read
- What happens after an adjudication decision?
About 2 min read
- Can Payment timetable and notice process setup look at a contract before we sign it?
About 2 min read
- Will Overdue payment recovery mean stopping work or going to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- What is a contra-charge or back-charge in construction?
About 3 min read
- Can they set off contra-charges against my final account?
About 1 min read
- Do they have to let me fix a defect before charging me for it?
About 2 min read
- Will Contra-charge prevention process setup stop the other party taking deductions?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to answer the contra-charges already taken?
About 2 min read
- What is the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What is the Scheme for Construction Contracts?
About 4 min read
- How does the Construction Act payment cycle work?
About 6 min read
Comparisons: payment and deductions
- Spreadsheets or commercial management software?
About 4 min read
- What is the difference between a payment notice and a pay less notice?
About 3 min read
- Is an application for payment the same as an invoice?
About 5 min read
Definitions: payment and deductions
- Assessment date
About 1 min read
- Contra-charge
About 1 min read
- CVR (cost value reconciliation)
About 2 min read
- Default payment notice
About 1 min read
- Fair Payment Code
About 1 min read
- Final date for payment
About 1 min read
- Interim payment
About 1 min read
- Notified sum
About 1 min read
- Pay less notice
About 1 min read
- Pay when paid
About 1 min read
- Payment application
About 1 min read
- Payment notice
About 1 min read
- Set-off
About 1 min read
- Suspension
About 1 min read
Guides: payment and deductions
- How to challenge a pay less notice
About 6 min read
- How do I dispute a contra-charge?
About 4 min read
- Keeping records that explain a construction claim
About 5 min read
- How to prepare and agree a construction final account
About 5 min read
- How to prepare an interim valuation
About 4 min read
- How to prepare a construction cash-flow forecast
About 4 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: payment and deductions
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- Late payment interest calculator
About 3 min read
- Payment dates calculator
About 4 min read
- Scott schedule template
About 3 min read
- Final account reconciliation template
About 3 min read
- Retention release tracker
About 3 min read
- Variation register template
About 3 min read
- Adjudication cost calculator
About 2 min read
- Pay less notice drafting sheet
About 3 min read
- Notice and action diary
About 2 min read
- Payment cycle register
About 2 min read
- Payment application covering email
About 2 min read
- Payment assessment clarification email
About 2 min read
- Payment cycle worked worksheet
About 2 min read
- Payment application template
About 2 min read
- Payment document index
About 2 min read
- Payment notice preparation examples
About 3 min read
- Payment notice review record
About 2 min read
- Debt and payment chase record
About 2 min read
- Retention release request
About 2 min read
- Builder stage payment schedule
About 2 min read
Courses: payment and deductions
- Managing a construction payment cycle
About 19 min read
- Preparing a final account
About 19 min read
- Building a basic cost plan and cash-flow forecast
About 19 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Variations, NEC compensation events and rising costs.
Problems: changes and extra costs
- I'm being told the change is included in my scope
About 2 min read
- I'm doing changed work on a say-so
About 4 min read
- The instructions happen on WhatsApp and stay there
About 3 min read
- They want the change done now and won't agree a price first
About 2 min read
- The variation register is empty and the job is half built
About 3 min read
- The daywork sheets never come back signed
About 2 min read
- The change is being valued at rates that don't fit
About 2 min read
- They say they never instructed the changes I've claimed
About 2 min read
- The early warnings should have been raised and weren't
About 3 min read
- We are not tracking our NEC notification deadlines
About 3 min read
- Compensation events are drifting on my NEC job
About 3 min read
- I'm worried the time bar has run on my compensation event
About 2 min read
- They say it isn't a compensation event
About 2 min read
- We notified the compensation event and heard nothing back
About 3 min read
- The compensation event quotation has to go in and we've never built one
About 4 min read
- They've made their own assessment and it's far too low
About 2 min read
- I'm being asked for a fixed price on a job that runs for two years
About 2 min read
- My quote was accepted six months after I priced it
About 2 min read
- Steel went up 20% after I priced the job
About 2 min read
- They say my price rises are my problem because I'm on a fixed price
About 2 min read
- My fluctuations claim was refused because I didn't give notice
About 2 min read
Tips: changes and extra costs
- Get it in writing before the work starts
About 4 min read
- Check who actually has authority to instruct
About 2 min read
- Check revised drawings for potential variations
About 3 min read
- Open a file per variation on the day it arises
About 3 min read
- Keep the changed work separate in your costs
About 2 min read
- Photograph the condition before you change it
About 3 min read
- Argue changed conditions, not just changed quantities
About 2 min read
- Check the full valuation effect of omitted work
About 2 min read
- Make the assessor respond in writing
About 2 min read
- Watch the notice regime on disputed variations
About 2 min read
- Escalate while the evidence is fresh
About 2 min read
- Notify the event promptly using the right procedure
About 2 min read
- Record when you became aware of the event
About 2 min read
- Diarise the quotation period the day you are asked to quote
About 4 min read
- Use the valuation rules in your NEC contract
About 1 min read
- Answer a refusal on the ground it gives
About 2 min read
- Compare the assessment line by line
About 1 min read
- Put a base date and a validity period on every quotation
About 3 min read
- Name the volatile materials and how they will be adjusted
About 3 min read
- File every supplier price increase the day it arrives
About 3 min read
- Check the notice rule when prices move
About 1 min read
- Split the rise by cause before you claim it
About 3 min read
FAQs: changes and extra costs
- What is a variation order, and what counts as a variation?
About 2 min read
- Can I get paid for a variation with no written instruction?
About 1 min read
- Is design development a variation?
About 2 min read
- Can you vary a contract without a variation clause?
About 2 min read
- Can I refuse to carry out a variation?
About 1 min read
- How is a variation valued in a construction contract?
About 3 min read
- What are dayworks in construction, and when are they paid?
About 3 min read
- Can they omit work from my contract and give it to someone else?
About 1 min read
- Can I lose a variation claim by notifying it late?
About 1 min read
- What if my variations are only disputed at the final account?
About 1 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 section 5 work?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 3.14 work?
About 2 min read
- Does a site instruction count as a variation?
About 2 min read
- How are variations valued under a JCT contract?
About 4 min read
- What is a provisional sum, and how is the work valued?
About 2 min read
- What should a variation claim letter say?
About 4 min read
- Once Variation management setup is set up, who confirms the instructions on our job, you or us?
About 3 min read
- Some of our variations were never confirmed in writing. What does Variation Recovery do with them?
About 2 min read
- What is a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What happens if I miss the 8 week deadline for a compensation event?
About 2 min read
- How long do I have to submit an NEC compensation event quotation?
About 1 min read
- What should an NEC compensation event quotation contain?
About 4 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1 mean?
About 3 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(1) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(2) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(3) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(4) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(5) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(6) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(8) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(9) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(10) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(11) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(12) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(13) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(14) mean?
About 2 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(15) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(17) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(18) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(19) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(20) mean?
About 1 min read
- What does NEC4 ECC clause 60.1(21) mean?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 15 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.3 work?
About 3 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 61.4 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 62 work?
About 4 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 63 work?
About 1 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 64 work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC4 ECC clause 66 work?
About 1 min read
- What does Defined Cost mean under NEC4?
About 4 min read
- What does the Fee mean under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- What is an NEC early warning notice, and when must I give one?
About 4 min read
- How do I notify a compensation event under NEC4?
About 3 min read
- Is a compensation event deemed accepted if nobody replies?
About 2 min read
- Is bad weather a compensation event under NEC4?
About 2 min read
- Will NEC compensation-event process setup work to our amended periods or the standard NEC ones?
About 2 min read
- Will you tell us which of our refused compensation events are not worth pressing?
About 2 min read
- Can I claim for price rises on a fixed-price contract?
About 2 min read
- How do JCT fluctuation provisions (Options A, B and C) work?
About 2 min read
- How does NEC Option X1 price adjustment for inflation work?
About 3 min read
- Can I recover price rises caused by the other party's delay?
About 2 min read
- Can I withdraw my quote if prices rise before it is accepted?
About 2 min read
- What is a price fluctuation clause in construction?
About 2 min read
- What is the base date in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- We've already signed the contract. Can Price-rise risk controls setup still help on this job?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to recover a price rise?
About 2 min read
Comparisons: changes and extra costs
- Spreadsheets or commercial management software?
About 4 min read
- Which daywork rates apply: RICS or CECA?
About 4 min read
- Is a compensation event the same as a variation?
About 4 min read
Definitions: changes and extra costs
- Activity schedule
About 2 min read
- Base date
About 1 min read
- BOQ (bill of quantities)
About 2 min read
- Compensation event
About 1 min read
- Daywork
About 2 min read
- Defined Cost
About 1 min read
- Disallowed Cost
About 1 min read
- Early warning
About 1 min read
- Event
About 1 min read
- Fee (NEC)
About 1 min read
- Fixed price
About 1 min read
- Fluctuations
About 1 min read
- OHP (overheads and profit)
About 1 min read
- Omission
About 1 min read
- Prime cost sum
About 1 min read
- Provisional sum
About 1 min read
- ROM (rough order of magnitude)
About 1 min read
- Schedule of rates (SOR)
About 2 min read
- Variation (variation order)
About 1 min read
Guides: changes and extra costs
- How to manage variations and compensation events
About 4 min read
- Keeping records that explain a construction claim
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: changes and extra costs
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- Variation register template
About 3 min read
- NEC compensation event quotation template
About 4 min read
- Compensation event quotation cover
About 2 min read
- Instruction and change log
About 2 min read
- Instruction clarification email
About 2 min read
- Variation pricing worksheet
About 2 min read
- Daywork record sheet
About 2 min read
- Drawing revision comparison
About 2 min read
- Early warning register
About 2 min read
- Early warning example
About 2 min read
- Compensation event register
About 2 min read
- Compensation event notification example
About 2 min read
- Price change calculation
About 2 min read
- Activity schedule and rates examples
About 2 min read
Courses: changes and extra costs
- Pricing and substantiating a variation
About 18 min read
- Building a claim evidence pack
About 19 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Extensions of time, disrupted work, delay costs and delay damages.
Problems: delay and disruption
- Drawings are late and areas aren't ready, so my gangs can't work
About 2 min read
- I've been sent off site and told to come back when it's ready
About 2 min read
- I've been told to speed up, at my own cost
About 3 min read
- My notices keep going out late, or not at all
About 3 min read
- Labour is on site and nobody records what it did
About 3 min read
- The diary says the gang was moved but not where to
About 4 min read
- Our record-keeping starts well and fades
About 3 min read
- Nobody knows which records my contract requires
About 2 min read
- I've got an extension of time but no money for it
About 2 min read
- I am not sure which prolongation costs I can claim
About 2 min read
- The disruption is real and I can't put a number on it
About 3 min read
- My job overran and I can't split the loss into heads of claim
About 2 min read
- My case is strong but the numbers are thin
About 3 min read
- I know the delay happened, but I can't prove it
About 2 min read
- The records exist, but I can't find them
About 4 min read
- I want my claim tested before the other party sees it
About 3 min read
- My site diary won't stand up
About 2 min read
- The other party has taken my figures apart
About 3 min read
- My claim is in and I don't know the next move
About 3 min read
- We're running late and no delay notice has gone out
About 2 min read
- My extension of time has been refused or ignored
About 2 min read
- They're taking liquidated damages out of my payments
About 2 min read
- The other party is passing its delay costs down to me
About 2 min read
Tips: delay and disruption
- Name people, places and hours, not conclusions
About 2 min read
- Write the site diary the same day, every day
About 2 min read
- Record the ordinary days too
About 3 min read
- Build from what your people already produce
About 3 min read
- Close gaps while the facts are warm
About 4 min read
- Check the notice requirement as soon as delay arises
About 3 min read
- Send the notice in the form, and to the address, the contract names
About 3 min read
- Keep proof that the notice arrived
About 3 min read
- Let the records set the claim's size
About 2 min read
- Build preliminaries on the applicable valuation basis
About 3 min read
- Source every rate on the page
About 3 min read
- Hunt your own double counting
About 2 min read
- Separate your own contribution to the delay
About 1 min read
- Keep the time case and the money case in step
About 2 min read
- Have someone check the claim with fresh eyes
About 2 min read
- Check the notice rule when delay starts
About 3 min read
- Support a delay notice with the required detail
About 2 min read
- Check liquidated damages for a cap and a comparison
About 3 min read
- Recalculate the liquidated damages before you argue about the delay
About 3 min read
FAQs: delay and disruption
- How is an extension of time calculated?
About 4 min read
- What is measured-mile analysis in a construction disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- What is concurrent delay, and can I still claim time or money?
About 1 min read
- Can I claim the cost of accelerating my contract works?
About 2 min read
- What records help prove delay and disruption?
About 4 min read
- Which records actually decide delay and disruption claims?
About 1 min read
- What should a site diary actually say?
About 2 min read
- Who on site should own the records?
About 3 min read
- We kept almost no records. Is the claim dead?
About 3 min read
- What is quantum in a delay and disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- Where do delay and disruption claim valuations usually fail?
About 1 min read
- What records do I need for a loss and expense claim?
About 5 min read
- What does a loss and expense claim look like?
About 4 min read
- How are head office overheads claimed? Hudson, Emden and Eichleay
About 2 min read
- Who can put a value on my delay and disruption claim?
About 2 min read
- Do you cover delay analysis as well?
About 2 min read
- What is a Relevant Matter under JCT?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.20 work?
About 2 min read
- What does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 4.22 mean?
About 2 min read
- Our job is already running late. Can you still set up Delay and disruption records setup on it?
About 2 min read
- Our delay records are patchy. Will you still take on our claim?
About 1 min read
- Are liquidated damages enforceable?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party pass its liquidated damages down to me?
About 2 min read
- Can they take liquidated damages without a pay less notice?
About 2 min read
- What are liquidated damages (LADs) in a contract?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party take delay damages without a non-completion certificate?
About 4 min read
- What does 'time at large' mean for my delay damages?
About 2 min read
- What is an extension of time (EOT) in a contract?
About 3 min read
- What are the Relevant Events in a JCT contract?
About 2 min read
- What happens if I miss the deadline for a delay notice?
About 2 min read
- Does Completion-date and notice tracking setup include the delay analysis for our extension of time?
About 2 min read
- Can you get back delay damages the other party has already deducted?
About 2 min read
Comparisons: delay and disruption
- What is the difference between JCT Relevant Events and Relevant Matters?
About 2 min read
- Delay, disruption and extra cost: the differences
About 3 min read
Definitions: delay and disruption
- Concurrent delay
About 1 min read
- Critical path
About 2 min read
- Disruption
About 1 min read
- Extension of time (EOT)
About 1 min read
- Float
About 2 min read
- Head office overheads
About 1 min read
- Liquidated damages (LDs)
About 1 min read
- Loss and expense
About 1 min read
- Measured mile
About 1 min read
- Preliminaries
About 2 min read
- Prolongation
About 1 min read
- Relevant Event
About 1 min read
- Relevant Matter
About 1 min read
Guides: delay and disruption
- Keeping records that explain a construction claim
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: delay and disruption
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- Head office overheads calculator
About 4 min read
- Loss and expense claim template
About 3 min read
- Site diary template
About 2 min read
- Labour and plant allocation record
About 2 min read
- Delay event and EOT submission record
About 2 min read
- Measured mile comparison
About 2 min read
- Acceleration and mitigation appraisal
About 2 min read
- Delay damages assessment sheet
About 2 min read
- Programme and progress example
About 2 min read
Courses: delay and disruption
- Building a claim evidence pack
About 19 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Final accounts, retention release and termination.
Problems: completion and contract endings
- Their assessment is well below my account and they say it's final
About 2 min read
- I sent my final account months ago and heard nothing back
About 2 min read
- I can't tell whether to settle or keep fighting
About 3 min read
- The final account is due and I need my position checked
About 2 min read
- I can see a dispute coming and my records are thin
About 2 min read
- The dispute needs setting out item by item and nobody has the format
About 3 min read
- The account has been open so long the people have left
About 2 min read
- We're going into a settlement meeting with no plan
About 2 min read
- The certificate my retention waits for has never been issued
About 2 min read
- I've got retention sitting on jobs I finished years ago
About 3 min read
- They won't release my retention until the employer releases theirs
About 2 min read
- They're holding all my retention over defects that aren't mine
About 2 min read
- We never know when our retention is due back
About 3 min read
- I want to walk off site over unpaid money, but it could get us terminated
About 2 min read
- They're building a case to terminate us, and my site team hasn't noticed
About 2 min read
- I've been sent a default notice
About 3 min read
- They terminated us out of the blue, with no default notice first
About 2 min read
- We've been put off site and our materials and plant are still there
About 3 min read
- My contract has been terminated and they want me to pay to finish it
About 3 min read
Tips: completion and contract endings
- Keep a running final account from the first valuation
About 3 min read
- Structure it by heads, not by grievance
About 2 min read
- Tie every line to a document
About 3 min read
- Keep entitlement and quantum separate
About 2 min read
- Know your range before the first meeting
About 3 min read
- Understand the items behind a settlement offer
About 3 min read
- Check payment rights while the final account is discussed
About 1 min read
- Assess the right route when one item is stuck
About 1 min read
- Value the case before you value the fight
About 2 min read
- Test the evidence, not the grievance
About 2 min read
- Check the machinery before the merits
About 2 min read
- Diarise the final certificate's conclusive evidence period
About 2 min read
- Close the account while the people are still there
About 3 min read
- Diarise each retention release trigger and payment date
About 3 min read
- Check the retention on every certificate
About 2 min read
- Apply for retention through the correct payment process
About 2 min read
- Ask for the certificate, not just the money
About 3 min read
- Send important notices to the responsible person immediately
About 1 min read
- Answer a default notice in writing, inside its period
About 4 min read
- Check the legal route before stopping work
About 1 min read
- Record the works as they stand on the termination day
About 4 min read
- Read their cost to complete against your original scope
About 3 min read
FAQs: completion and contract endings
- What does a quantity surveyor do?
About 4 min read
- Why do final accounts settle so low?
About 2 min read
- Is adjudication worth it for a small final account dispute?
About 1 min read
- What is a final account in construction?
About 1 min read
- When should the final account be submitted?
About 1 min read
- What if the contract says nothing about final accounts?
About 1 min read
- Can a final certificate make a low final account binding?
About 2 min read
- Do I have to accept their final account assessment?
About 1 min read
- Can a final account dispute go to adjudication?
About 2 min read
- Should I sign a full and final settlement of my final account?
About 1 min read
- What should a final account dispute letter say?
About 4 min read
- What can I do if the other party ignores my final account?
About 3 min read
- Our job is nearly finished. Is it too late for Final account close-out process setup?
About 2 min read
- If you run our final account dispute, who decides whether to settle?
About 2 min read
- What is a retention bond, and can it replace cash retention?
About 3 min read
- What is retention in construction?
About 2 min read
- When is retention released in construction?
About 2 min read
- How do I request the release of retention?
About 4 min read
- Can they hold my retention until the employer releases theirs?
About 2 min read
- How long do I have to recover old retention?
About 2 min read
- How does JCT SBC/Q 2016 clause 2.38 work?
About 3 min read
- What is a defects liability period?
About 2 min read
- Are cash retentions in construction being banned?
About 1 min read
- Is it too late for you to recover retention on jobs we finished years ago?
About 2 min read
- We're already recovering old retention. Do we need Retention tracking and release process setup as well?
About 2 min read
- Can the other party terminate my contract?
About 2 min read
- What happens to my money when my contract is terminated?
About 2 min read
- Do I have to pay their cost to complete?
About 2 min read
- What if my contract was wrongfully terminated?
About 2 min read
- What does termination for convenience mean for my contract?
About 2 min read
- Can I terminate my contract if the other party does not pay?
About 2 min read
- We have just been sent a default notice. Is it too late for Termination risk review and escalation setup?
About 2 min read
- We have been terminated on one job already. Do we need Termination risk review and escalation setup as well?
About 2 min read
- Our contract was terminated this week. What do you need from us first?
About 3 min read
- Will you tell us whether our contract was validly terminated?
About 2 min read
- What practical completion means for your money
About 6 min read
- When a contract ends or a contractor becomes insolvent
About 4 min read
Definitions: completion and contract endings
- Administration
About 1 min read
- Conclusive evidence clause
About 1 min read
- Cost to complete
About 1 min read
- Default notice
About 1 min read
- Defects liability period
About 1 min read
- Final account
About 1 min read
- Partial possession
About 1 min read
- Practical completion
About 1 min read
- Retention
About 1 min read
- Retention bond
About 2 min read
- Sectional completion
About 1 min read
- Termination
About 1 min read
Guides: completion and contract endings
- How to prepare and agree a construction final account
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- JCT contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- NEC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for subcontractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for main contractors
About 5 min read
- FIDIC contract cheat sheet for clients
About 5 min read
Tools and templates: completion and contract endings
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- Final account reconciliation template
About 3 min read
- Retention release tracker
About 3 min read
- Completion and handover register
About 2 min read
- Final account preparation worksheet
About 2 min read
- Area handover record
About 2 min read
- Defect and remedial cost schedule
About 2 min read
- Final account covering letter
About 2 min read
- Work and property inventory
About 2 min read
- Termination account reconciliation
About 2 min read
Courses: completion and contract endings
- Preparing a final account
About 19 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Counterclaims, defects, damage and resolution options.
Problems: dispute resolution and defence
- My records wouldn't stand up if the other party made a claim against me
About 2 min read
- The photographs that would answer a claim against me have no dates or locations
About 3 min read
- The other party's counterclaim wipes out my final account
About 2 min read
- The other party's number looks invented and I can't say why
About 2 min read
- A notice of adjudication has landed and I have days to answer it
About 2 min read
Tips: dispute resolution and defence
- Photograph with context, then detail
About 3 min read
- Know who will answer a claim before it lands
About 2 min read
- Remeasure their figure before you argue with it
About 2 min read
- Separate what their claim is worth from what it costs to fight
About 2 min read
FAQs: dispute resolution and defence
- What are construction claims, and which service do I need?
About 1 min read
- When does a claim against me become a dispute?
About 2 min read
- What does a construction claims consultant do?
About 5 min read
- A letter of claim has arrived under the construction pre-action protocol. What do I do?
About 3 min read
- What counts as contemporaneous evidence on a construction job?
About 2 min read
- Do photos and WhatsApp messages count as evidence against a claim from the other party?
About 2 min read
- Before you answer a claim for us, how do you check for conflicts of interest?
About 1 min read
- No claim has been made against us yet. What would Claim risk review and evidence process setup set up?
About 1 min read
- We have already had one claim made against us. Do we need Claim risk review and evidence process setup as well?
About 2 min read
- An adjudication has been started against us. What does Claim assessment and response do first?
About 2 min read
- What do you need from us to answer a counterclaim against our account?
About 2 min read
- What is the Construction Act?
About 5 min read
- What is the Scheme for Construction Contracts?
About 4 min read
Comparisons: dispute resolution and defence
- Which construction adviser do I need?
About 3 min read
- Construction disputes: your options
About 7 min read
Definitions: dispute resolution and defence
- Adjudication
About 1 min read
- ADR (alternative dispute resolution)
About 1 min read
- Arbitration
About 1 min read
- Assembly
About 1 min read
- What is a construction claims consultant?
About 4 min read
- Evidence
About 1 min read
- Full and final settlement
About 1 min read
- Mediation
About 1 min read
- Notice of adjudication
About 3 min read
- Pre-action protocol
About 1 min read
- Quantum
About 1 min read
- Referral notice
About 3 min read
- Resolution
About 1 min read
- Scott schedule
About 1 min read
- Smash and grab adjudication
About 1 min read
- True value adjudication
About 1 min read
Guides: dispute resolution and defence
- How do I assess a construction defects or remedial cost claim?
About 3 min read
- Keeping records that explain a construction claim
About 5 min read
- How to respond to a construction claim
About 3 min read
Tools and templates: dispute resolution and defence
- Contract negotiation record template
About 1 min read
- Adjudication timetable
About 4 min read
- Scott schedule template
About 3 min read
- Adjudication cost calculator
About 2 min read
- Claim evidence pack
About 3 min read
- Photograph and evidence index
About 2 min read
- Settlement preparation record
About 2 min read
- Claim review and actions record
About 2 min read
- Formal communication preparation pack
About 3 min read
Courses: dispute resolution and defence
- Building a claim evidence pack
About 19 min read
- Learn about subcontracts
About 65 min read
Sources, updates and editorial approach
Guidance focuses on England and Wales. Your contract, amendments, facts and jurisdiction can change the answer. Follow each guide's author, sources and revision date. A hub update does not mean every article has been reviewed again.
Quantsurv provides claims consultancy. Comparisons explain criteria and trade-offs; they are not independent endorsements of our services. AI tools assist with drafting and organising the hub; publication under a named author does not mean independent expert verification.