Quality Obligations in Design and Build Contracts

Design and build contracts often impose a number of different obligations on contractors with regard to the quality of their works. When there are defects, it can be difficult to know how a series of separate obligations should be interpreted; […]

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Extensions of Time and Concurrent Delay

It is common for employers to include clauses in building contracts to the effect that the contractor is not entitled to an extension of time where there is concurrent delay. Until recently, it was not known whether such clauses are […]

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Assessing Compensation Events

NEC3 contracts, with their emphasis on proactive contract management, require compensation events to be valued using forecasts of the cost of the additional work. However, it is often the case that the compensation event procedure is not operated properly and […]

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Exclusion of Liability Clauses and Reasonableness

It is typical for businesses to include clauses in their standard terms and conditions which limit and/or exclude their liability as far as possible. However, the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 (“UCTA”) imposes restrictions on what can and cannot be […]

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Failure to Give Payment Notices and Pay Less Notices on Time

The recent case of Kersfield Developments (Bridge Road) Ltd v Bray and Slaughter Ltd (2017) is one of the latest in a long line of disputes about payment applications becoming due automatically in cases where the paying party has failed […]

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New NEC4 Contracts Announced

The NEC publishers have just announced the publication of the NEC4 suite of contracts in June 2017. NEC have described the new NEC4 suite as building upon the content of NEC3 in a way which can be described as “evolution […]

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Limiting Liability for Delay under JCT

It is common practice in construction and engineering contracts for contracting parties to seek to limit their contractual liability. The recent case of McGee Group Limited v Galliford Try Building Limited concerned a main contractor’s attempt to challenge the scope […]

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Requirements for Valid Payment Applications and Pay Less Notices

There has recently been a wave of disputes between contracting parties about failures to issue payment notices and pay less notices. Paying parties will by now be well aware that failure to serve the correct notices on time can be […]

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The Dangers of Agreeing a Payment Schedule

Earlier this year, the case of Grove Developments Ltd v Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Ltd attracted a lot of attention when it was held by the court that the contractor had no further entitlement to interim payment following expiry of […]

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JCT Design & Build 2016 – What Has Changed? Part Two

JCT has now published the Design and Build Contract 2016 and the Design and Build Sub-Contract 2016. In the second of our bulletins on these new editions, we take a look at more of the key changes that have been […]

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