How to read your subcontract documents
A signed order is only part of the picture. Find the documents that describe your work, allocate risk and control the decisions you must make.
By Jack Butler-Kettle · Updated
Guidance for England and Wales. Check the contract, amendments and facts that apply to your job.
The short answer
Gather the complete agreement before relying on a single clause. Record which documents apply, their versions and any stated order of priority. Then turn the obligations into a working checklist for your business.
Start with the complete set
Collect the order, signed agreement, conditions, particulars or Contract Data, amendments, scope, drawings, specifications and pricing documents. Include documents incorporated by reference.
Keep the tender qualifications and later agreed changes alongside them. Mark their status; a document you sent is not necessarily an agreed contract term.
Use a document register with title, revision, date, source and agreement status. Preserve the original files rather than replacing them with a combined summary.
Check how the documents fit together
Look for a priority clause explaining how conflicts are treated. Do not assume the newest document automatically overrides every earlier one.
Write down conflicts between quantities, drawings, programme dates and exclusions. Ask for clarification before pricing or performing disputed work where practicable.
The JCT selection guide distinguishes forms for different arrangements. A familiar family name does not identify your exact obligations.
Turn the terms into a working map
For each obligation, record the action, responsible person, trigger, deadline, recipient and required evidence. Keep the clause reference beside it.
Cover design responsibility, access, programme updates, instructions, applications, notices, completion, defects and ending the subcontract. Assign someone to maintain the map.
Separate commercial questions from legal interpretation. An unclear indemnity, liability limit or incorporated term may require legal advice before a decision.
Use and maintain it
Check the map when revised documents arrive. Record who agreed a change and whether it affects price, dates or responsibilities.
Read JCT and NEC compared for a starting comparison. Use the signed subcontract for the actual rules.
This is general learning for UK subcontractors. Check your governing law, contract form and amendments. Statutory procedures differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Example
Fictional example, not a client result. Figures are simplified to explain the point.
The facts
An electrical subcontractor receives an order referring to drawing revision C, but its tender used revision B.
What happens
It logs both drawings and identifies the additional distribution board on revision C.
It checks the order, accepted qualifications and document priority terms together.
It records the difference and seeks written clarification of scope and price before treating the board as included.
What this shows
The scope difference becomes a specific question supported by documents. The example does not decide whether an extra payment is due.