NEC: definition and example
A family of contracts published by the Institution of Civil Engineers, first called the New Engineering Contract.
By Jack Butler-Kettle · Updated
Guidance for England and Wales. Check the contract, amendments and facts that apply to your job.
What it means in practice
Read this alongside the NEC Dictionary of Terms.
NEC is a family of contracts covering different appointments and pricing arrangements. A subcontractor needs the particular subcontract, edition, main option and amendments. Management processes, notices and records have distinct functions, so familiarity with the main contract is not a substitute for reading your own agreement.
Map the notice and assessment requirements at the outset. A pre-signing contract review can identify package-specific obligations and amended terms.
Worked example
The facts
A subcontractor is told that a project is using NEC4.
What happens
It identifies its own subcontract form, pricing option and Contract Data.
It checks the additional conditions before setting up the notice and payment registers.
What this shows
The operating routine follows the actual subcontract rather than a generic assumption about all NEC projects.
Sources
- NEC Dictionary of Terms. NEC Contracts.