Category
23 articles
JCT, NEC4, FIDIC, and the clauses that show up on real projects. Plain-English guides for surveyors who need to understand a contract by Monday morning, not pass an exam.
Loss and expense claims under JCT reward contractors who follow the process and keep the records to prove it. Here's the clause-by-clause guide to Relevant Matters, notices, substantiation and assessment.
FIDIC, NEC and JCT solve the same problem - allocating risk and managing change on a construction project - in three very different ways. Here's how to tell them apart and choose the right one.
Defined Cost and Disallowed Cost sit at the heart of every NEC cost-reimbursable contract. Here's how quantity surveyors on both sides of the table assess, audit and dispute them.
Early warning notices are NEC's built-in risk radar. This guide explains the clause 15 duty, the Early Warning Register and meetings, and exactly how early warnings interact with compensation events.
JCT publishes seven main forms of building contract, and picking the wrong one is one of the most common - and costly - procurement mistakes in UK construction. This guide breaks down every JCT contract type and shows you exactly which one fits which project.
Managing subcontractor claims UK: how commercial managers should assess loss and expense, extension of time and disruption claims, what evidence to demand, and when to settle versus reject.
Dayworks value instructed work on a time-and-materials basis when it cannot be fairly measured any other way. Here is how dayworks schedules price labour, plant and materials, how JCT and NEC treat them, and why unsigned sheets cause so many disputes.
Liquidated damages compensate an employer for late completion without the cost and delay of proving actual loss. Here's how LADs work under JCT and NEC, why the Cavendish Square v Makdessi case changed the penalty test, and how QSs apply them in practice.
Extension of time construction UK explained: what triggers an EOT, JCT relevant events vs NEC compensation events, notice deadlines, concurrent delay and how to avoid the disputes that follow.
Delays are the norm on UK construction projects, not the exception. This guide walks QSs and commercial managers through causes, mitigation, recovery programmes, notice obligations and record-keeping so delays don't turn into disputes.
What a pay less notice is, when it must be served, and what happens if it isn't - including the smash and grab adjudication risk every contractor-side QS should understand.
Compensation events are how NEC4 contracts change price and time. This guide walks QSs through the clause 60.1 list, the 8-week time bar, quotation timescales, PM assessment and the mistakes that lose entitlement.
Performance bonds protect employers when contractors default. This guide explains bond types, typical costs, the claims process, and how performance bonds differ from retention bonds and parent company guarantees.
Retention is one of the most contested mechanisms in UK construction contracts. This guide breaks down how much is withheld, when it's released under JCT and NEC, and how the government's proposed retention ban will change payment practice.
Getting variations JCT contract valuations right means knowing the clause 5.6-5.10 hierarchy in order: contract rates, pro-rata rates, fair rates, then daywork. This guide walks through each tier with a worked example and the records needed to defend it.
Delay analysis decides who pays for lost time on a construction project. This guide walks QSs and commercial managers through the SCL Protocol methods, when to use each one, and how to build a claim that survives scrutiny.
A practical guide to applications for payment in UK construction contracts — what they are, how they fit the HGCRA payment cycle, and how to avoid the disputes that cost contractors cash flow.
New to NEC? This beginner's guide explains what an NEC contract is, how the NEC4 suite is structured, the six main options, and the mechanisms - early warnings, compensation events, the programme - every QS needs to master.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are the UK's primary health and safety law for construction. They apply to almost every project, impose criminal liability for non-compliance, and govern what clients, designers, principal designers, principal contractors and contractors must do. This guide explains it all in plain English.
The JCT Design and Build Contract puts design and construction responsibility in one hand. This guide explains how it works, who carries design risk, how payment and the Employer's Agent role function, and what changed in the 2024 edition.
NEC or JCT? This guide breaks down how the two dominant UK contract suites differ in drafting style, risk allocation, payment mechanisms and dispute resolution — with a side-by-side table and practical guidance for QSs.
A compensation event (CE) is the NEC contract mechanism for adjusting price and time when something happens that is not the contractor's risk. Understanding how to notify, price and implement CEs correctly is one of the most commercially important skills a QS can develop.
The best NEC4 course for a quantity surveyor depends on your role: beginner, site-based QS, Senior QS, commercial manager, compensation event lead or future NEC Project Manager. This guide explains which route to choose.